Aussie Ian Stanley will be taking home more than the £79,000 winner's cheque thanks to his play-off win over Bob Charles in the Senior British Open at Royal County Down ­ a yellow stake.

Needing a par at he 18th to win in regulation holes, the 52 year old three putted in similar fashion to Retief Goosen at last month's US Open, before beating Charles with a par five at the first play-off hole.

Charles finished with a three under par 68 to Stanley's 69 as they tied on six under par with Nicklaus second, three shots further back.

But the wine loving Aussie Melbourne was saved earlier by an incredible piece of luck at the 17th. A stroke clear of the left handed New Zealander at that stage, Stanley's tee shot was prevented from running into the water hazard by one of the yellow stakes that marks the hazard.

The Australian was able to remove it and make a safe par four on his way to his first Senior Major victory.

He said afterwards: "The stake is going in my golf bag after that. I guess you need a little bit of luck. On the 18th I had two putts to win and when I rushed the first one past I thought of Retief Goosen.

"When I missed I said to my caddie, okay, let's go to the playoff and think positive. You need a break now and again and really my putting was great all week."

Charles, 65, started the day a shot behind Stanley but was never out of touch. Out in one under par to Stanley's two under, he birdied the 12th and 13th to tie for the lead before dropping a shot at the difficult 15th where he missed the fairway.

Although Stanley chipped to two feet to birdie the 16th and stretch his lead to two, Charles never gave up and drained an 18 footer at the 17th to get to within one of the Australian.

Gifted another chance in the play-off after Stanley's three-putt blunder, the 1963 British Open champion drove into a fairway bunker when he played the hole again in the play-off and could do no better than a bogey six.

But Stanley also had to survive a typical final day charge by Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus. The 18 time major winner started out just three behind Stanley and almost got in the frame.

He was still three behind the Australian at the turn before he started one of his famous back nine charges with a birdie two at the 197-yard 10th. Stanley birdied he ninth to go back three in front before the Bear struck one of the shots of the championship at the 479 yard par five 12th. After driving right into the rough, 209 yards from the green, he fired a superb five iron that clipped the pin and finished just six feet away.

Nicklaus gratefully drained the eagle putt but after that his challenge faded. A bogey at the 15th started the rot and when birdie putts of three and eight feet failed to drop at the 16th and 17th he was just too far behind.

Said Nicklaus: "I thought I had a good chance to win the golf tournament. But again today I was disappointed with my finish.

"I've enjoyed playing here this week and playing at least once in the British Seniors and I have that on my record. Will I come back? That depends on how much golf I play in the future. I want to get a couple of physical problems fixed first."

Tipperary amateur Arthur Pierse clinched the amateur medal with a final round of 76 and head back to Tipperary to ponder his future.

Said Pierse: "I achieved what I came here to do which was to get the medal. My objective this year was to qualify for the US and British Senior Opens and play all four rounds and I have done it."

But Pierse, who runs a garage business in Tipperary, will have to think seriously about dedicating himself to a full time career on one of the professional tours.

"To compete at this level you need to playing competitively every week and getting paid for it. For me to give this game the time it needs to compete at this level I would have to give up my job for half the year.

"At the moment my chipping around the greens is just not sharp enough and I couldn't take advantage of the par fives ­ I had a bogey and double bogey at two of them today."

Ulsterman Eddie Polland was the leading Irishman on five over par thanks to a one under par 70 yesterday. Kenny Stevenson shot 73 ton fish nine over, with Denis O'Sullivan (75) 13 over total and Paul Leonard (82) 27 over finishing well down the field.

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© Brian Keogh 2001

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