THE Australian Open was my last professional tournament.
I may still get to play a couple of the Legends Tour pro-am events, but we’ll have to wait and see about that.
My shock retirement six holes into the second round at Royal Sydney was certainly tough to swallow. I have been out here for nearly 40 years and have enjoyed every minute. When I look back on it, to see it all come to an end, it’s pretty disappointing to finish this way.
There have been numerous highlights over the journey. The people I have met over the years have made the golf fantastic, no matter where I’ve played. The PGA guys and girls, all the tournament directors I have got to know very well, it’s sad that we won’t be getting together again.
It’s comforting knowing that while I’m leaving the tour, there are always going to be talented, young guys coming through. I’ve always said sport runs in cycles and we’ve got three or four really good guys coming through at the moment including amateur sensations Curtis Luck and Brett Coletta. I think the next three or four years are going to be very exciting for Australian golf.
I can’t say how much I’ve appreciated all the support. I think how many people have come down to watch me in the later years of my life and the wins I have had recently on the Australian Tour, especially the 2012 Australian Open; it’s quite unbelievable. That year I won at The Lakes was very special – I couldn’t believe just how many people stuck around to watch me, as bad as the weather was.
I have always enjoyed a great following and I appreciate the fans so much for their support of both my career and Australian golf in general.
So what’s next? Well, I will definitely buy another boat. I am a mad-keen fisherman and I’m going to be spending quite a bit of time with the family now that my days are free. Fishing is my other great love so I am going to do plenty of that.
Peter Senior: World Beater
Career victories around the globe
European Tour (4)
Japan Golf Tour (3)
PGA Tour of Australasia (23)
European Senior Tour (1)
Other (3)
Did You Know?
After turning professional in 1978, Senior is the only player in PGA Tour of Australasia history to have won in five different decades (1970s, ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, ’10s)
