By Tony Webeck

Tamworth product Mark Hensby has earned a place in the 2023 US Senior Open field but his decision to retire at the end of the year makes his appearance uncertain.

Hensby finished outright third at the US Senior Open as Padraig Harrington held off a fast-finishing Steve Stricker (65) to claim his first senior major championship, a birdie at the par-4 15th providing the one shot that would prove the difference.

Tied for 10th at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, Hensby had to come through qualifying to earn a place at Saucon Valley Country Club, a path he won’t have to take again should he choose to play next year.

At the halfway point of the tournament Hensby took to Facebook to announce that 2022 would be his final year on tour, his US Senior Open consolation somewhat complicating matters.

“I’m not sure I’m going to play much golf after this year, so if I do, obviously it’s there,”

Hensby said of his reward for finishing inside the top 10 and ties.

“We’ll see.”

Owning a share of the lead after Round 1, Hensby produced one of the best rounds on Sunday, yet it could have been even better.

Nine shots adrift of Harrington at the start of the final round, Hensby had six birdies in his round of two-under 69, a double bogey at 14 followed by a bogey at 15 halting any charge he may have been hoping to mount.

“It got really tiring towards the end,” Hensby conceded.

“It’s difficult when you know you’re not going to have a chance to win. Play as aggressive as you can without being stupid.

“I hit it close, and I drove it particularly well most of the day, other than two drives in a row (at 14 and 15).

“If you drive it well here you can make some birdies because the pins, even though they’re tough, I had a lot of wedges in so I can get it close enough.”

As Hensby finished six shots back of Harrington Minjee Lee put herself in position for a third major title and a second in succession at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

A three-putt on the 71st hole would prove crucial as Lee finished one back of Korea’s In Gee Chun in a week in which fellow Aussies Hannah Green and Stephanie Kyriacou also finished inside the top 10.

If Lee and Hensby finished just shy it was a breakthrough win for Kristalle Blum on the Ladies European Tour’s Access Series.

Blum finished one clear of New Zealand’s Momoka Kobori to claim the Golf Vlaanderen LETAS Trophy in Belgium and take an important step towards graduating to the LET proper in 2023.

Elsewhere around the world Kiwi Ryan Fox continued his sensational 2022 form by finishing third at the DP World Tour’s BMW International Open, Gabi Ruffels was tied for 10th at the Epson Tour’s Island Resort Championship and defending champion Junseok Lee gave a spirited difference of his Kolon Korea Open title, finishing in fifth spot just two shots from the winner. Results

Champions Tour US Senior Open Saucon Valley Country Club, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Winner Padraig Harrington 71-65-66-72—274 $US720,000 3 Mark Hensby 67-73-71-69—280 $275,666 T11 Steven Alker 72-67-71-73—283 T13 Rod Pampling 73-70-70-71—284 T25 Stuart Appleby 76-69-71-72—288 T49 Richard Green 71-71-73-77—292 T51 John Senden 73-72-72-76—293 62 Gavin Coles 74-73-77-75—299 MC Robert Allenby 75-75—150 MC Michael Campbell 79-74—153 LPGA Tour KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Maryland Winner In Gee Chun 64-69-75-75—283 $US1.35m T2 Minjee Lee 73-68-73-70—284 $718,826 T5 Hannah Green 71-69-72-75—287 $274,165.40 T10 Stephanie Kyriacou 72-72-72-72—288 $155,464.16 T40 Sarah Kemp 73-74-72-74—293 $42,957 T46 Lydia Ko 72-67-76-79—294 MC Katherine Kirk 74-76—150 MC Su Oh 75-75—150 MC Sarah Jane Smith 78-73—151 PGA TOUR Travelers Championship TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut Winner Xander Schauffele 63-63-67-68—261 $US1.494m T56 Cam Davis 65-66-73-74—278 $19,007 MC Marc Leishman 71-69—140 MC Brett Drewitt 69-72—141 MC Jason Day 74-71—145 WD Danny Lee DP World Tour BMW International Open Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany Winner Haotong Li 62-67-67-70—266 €340,000 3 Ryan Fox 66-64-71-67—268 €126,000 67 Wade Ormsby 68-72-78-72—290 €4,300 MC Zach Murray 71-71—142 MC Elvis Smylie 74-71—145 MC Scott Hend 76-78—154 WD Maverick Antcliff 78 Japan Golf Tour Japan Players Championship Nishinasuno Country Club, Tochigi Winner Yuki Inamori 68-66-66-65—265 ¥10m T47 David Bransdon 68-71-71-70—280 ¥145,200 T52 Andrew Evans 69-71-68-73—281 ¥125,500 MC Michael Hendry 74-67—141 MC Adam Bland 72-71—143 MC Dylan Perry 73-71—144 Asian Tour Kolon The 64th Korea Open Golf Championship Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, Korea Winner Minkyu Kim 72-71-68-69—280 $US383,304.94 5 Junseok Lee 72-72-66-72—282 $35,775.13 T51 Wonjoon Lee 76-70-74-75—295 $4,224.87 MC Kevin Yuan 76-74—150 MC Cory Crawford 81-70—151 MC Kevin Chun 73-79—152 MC Ben Eccles 78-74—152 Korn Ferry Tour Live and Work in Maine Open Falmouth Country Club, Falmouth, Maine Winner Pierceson Coody 69-62-67-66—264 $US135,000 T15 Curtis Luck 75-66-70-65—276 $10,623 MC Rhein Gibson 71-73—144 MC Nick Voke 71-74—145 MC Ryan Ruffels 75-76—151 Challenge Tour Blot Open de Bretagne Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André, Pléneuf, France Winner Alfie Plant 65-67-69-68—269 €40,000 T30 Jack Thompson 66-76-70-70—282 €1,875 Epson Tour Island Resort Championship Sweetgrass Golf Club, Harris, Michigan Winner Ssu-Chia Cheng 68-64-67—199 $US31,875 T10 Gabriela Ruffels 70-70-69—209 $3,667 T26 Amelia Garvey 68-67-77—212 $1,784 T45 Karis Davidson 67-73-74—214 $973 T54 Soo Jin Lee 71-68-76—215 $794 MC Robyn Choi 71-72—143 MC Grace Kim 69-74—143 MC Emily Mahar 68-76—144 MC Hira Naveed 73-73—146 MC Julienne Soo 73-73—146 MC Laura Hoskin 75-75—150 MC Stephanie Na 79-75—154 Ladies European Tour Tipsport Czech Ladies Open Beroun Golf Club, Czech Republic Winner Jana Melichova (a) 68-65-69—202 ------ MC Amy Walsh 73-75—148 LET Access Series Golf Vlaanderen LETAS Trophy Millennium Golf, Belgium Winner Kristalle Blum 69-67-75—211 €6,400 2 Momoka Kobori 71-73-68—212 €2,926.67 T40 Stefanie Hall 75-72-77—224 €504 PGA TOUR Latinoamerica Bupa Tour Championship PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico Winner Jesus Montenegro 68-71-71-72—282 T36 Denzel Ieremia 71-68-80-77—296