He wasn’t even supposed to be in the field, yet Melbourne’s Steve Allan converted a late call-up into a popular and poignant victory at the PGA Tour Champions’ Galleri Classic in California.
The 51-year-old closed with a 67 to reach 15-under and edge Tag Ridings by a shot to win for the first time in 28 starts on the over-50s circuit that is now flush with Australian representatives. Allan now secures full playing rights for the remainder of the season – yet only teed it up at Mission Hills Country Club when Steve Stricker withdrew on tournament eve.
It’s a long-awaited title for the man known as “Plugger”, who toiled during 379 winless starts on the PGA Tour and waited 8,162 days between trophies. The 2002 Australian Open winner nearly captured the 2004 Reno-Tahoe Open but double-bogeyed the final hole then lost a four-man playoff to spill his best chance of victory.
“I won the Australian Open in 2002 and it was my second year, four years after my first win,” Allan recalled. “I told my girlfriend – now my wife – ‘It won’t be four years until I win again.’ Unfortunately, it’s been 23 years.
“It’s a big relief to get a win. I was close on the PGA Tour a couple of times. Didn’t get over the line. Once it was completely my fault. The other time Kenny Perry had a hot finish and I didn’t.
“It was really good to hang in there and finish it off [this time].”
Allan leaned on his countryman Cameron Percy by receiving a pre-tournament swing tip that he used throughout the 54 holes. Percy, meanwhile, finished sixth himself, three shots adrift of the winner.
