Super Senior the real deal
WE’RE HEADING DOWN THE FINAL FAIRWAY IN OUR COUNTDOWN OF THE TOP FIVE GOLD COAST GOLFERS. TODAY WE REVEAL NO.2
ON train rides between amateur golf events, Peter Senior would walk the carriages holding a small bag in one hand and deck of cards in the other.
Senior would challenge anyone and everyone to games – black jack, poker, you name it – and add his winnings to the bag already full of 1c and 2c pieces before going on to his next opponent.
It was one of the earliest glimpses that friend and fellow player Jeff Woodland had into the mindset of a man whose stunning career has him ranked second in the list of golfers to have made Gold Coast their home.
“He was a fierce, fierce competitor,” Woodland said of the Hope Island resident.
“He was really hungry and
would play like he had a dollar left – even as a junior.
“We used to have card games and he was unbelievable at it. He was notorious on the amateur trips for it. We would sit on the train and play. He used to carry around a bag of 1c and 2c pieces just for that. I think he had a sock full of them.”
Senior, now 58, has come a long way. He has career earnings of almost $17 million from 34 wins around the world.
Woodland said Senior’s attitude transferred to the golf course where he won three Australian PGA Championships (1989, 2003, 2010), two Australian Opens (1989 and 2012) and three Australian Masters titles (1991, 1995, 2015).
“He came from a big family, so you tend to get a bit hungry and you had to be competitive,” said Woodland, who lived at the Gold Coast as a teenager before playing at Keperra with Senior.
“He was also a very good swimmer as well and very fit in his younger days.”