Couples foils Broadhurst by winning in Wisconsin

Fred Couples foiled Paul Broadhurst’s bid to complete a wire-to-wire win in the American Family Insurance Championship on the Champions Tour.

Broadhurst, the Senior Open champion after claiming that prize at Carnoustie last summer, had led after opening rounds of 63 and 69 in Madison, Wisconsin.

But, as the Englishman closed with a 73 to end up having to settle for fifth spot, former Masters champion Couples stormed to the top of the leaderboard with a 66 for a winning 15-under-par 201 aggregate.

Colin Montgomerie finished in a tie for 68th place after one of his worst performances on the US circuit. The Scot shot rounds of 74-73-74.

In the amateur ranks, Balmore’s Christopher Maclean secured the win his form this season has merited as he picked up the Tennant Cup at Glasgow Golf Club.

The Stirling University student followed his rounds of 69 and 77 at Gailes Links with a closing effort of 68 and 69 at Killermont for a one-over-par 283 aggregate.

He won by three shots from defending champion Matt Clark (Kilmacolm) in a field that included 1999 Walker Cup player Graham Rankin.

Peebles player Darren Howie, meanwhile, closed with a 66 to finish second in the the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters, one of the top under-18 events of the season.

Howie, last year’s Stephen Gallacher Foundation Trophy winner at Macdonald Cardrona, finished ten shots behind runaway winner Benjamin Jones after the Northamptonshire youngster posted rounds of 69-69-63-69 for an eye-catching 18-under 270 total.

Elsewhere, Buckpool’s Ruari Mair won the Paul Lawrie Foundation Junior Jug with a 229 total at Fairmont St Andrews. He finished two shots ahead of Campbell Gibson (Blairgowrie) and Ewan Wheat (Royal Montrose) in an event played on the Kittocks Course.