Peter Woodward could have been excused for having great trepidation when he was ushered to the 12th tee to start his Sheen Panel Service Legends Pro-Am tilt on Tuesday.
But while the Melbourne-based pro - who played in the morning field of the Portarlington Golf Club event – had to wait 10 hours to learn his fate, his nerves proved unfounded.
Woodward, 60, signed for a two-under-par 70 to beat an elite field at the first Australian Legends Tour event of the year.
A whole host of challengers looked likely to run him down at times during the windswept afternoon round, but none could catch the Yarra Yarra member, who told an amazing story to the post-round presentation.
“I was playing here two years ago and came to the 12th hole and I was a few under and going pretty well, not sure if I was in contention or not, but well enough to be thinking positively,” Woodward said.
“Then all of a sudden I had this shooting pain in my right shoulder, across the top of my chest and down my arm – I honestly thought I was having a heart attack.
“I knew there was something wrong, but I didn’t fully understand.”
As it turned out, Woodward on that day took a double-bogey on the 12th and three closing bogeys later, still shared 20th at even par
But they were the least of his problems.
In the intervening two years, he’s had a serious of procedures and much work on his arm and spine to try to get back to the consistent form he’s shown since turning pro aged 50.
“And so I was a bit nervous heading out to that 12th hole, to be honest,” he said.
“But apart from my approach to the 18th hole which I struck well but just ran down into the water, I played pretty well.”
Which is a great understatement on a course that was brilliantly prepared and running quickly enough to provide a stern challenge.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a junior playing Ivo Whitton events and I’ve never seen the course in such magnificent condition,” said Woodward, who birdied the first, second, fourth and sixth to frank his seventh professional victory.
“It’s a real tribute to everyone involved at Portarlington.”
Behind the champ, a five-way tie for second unfolded, with a few hard-luck stories just behind them, too.
But on 71 came Euan Walters, Dave McKenzie, David Tapping, Leon Trenery and Nathan Condon, each of whom had at least two bogeys.
Behind them in a six-way tie for seventh were Peter Lonard, Andre Stolz, Guy Wall, John Onions, defending champ Terry Pilkadaris and the superbly coiffed Lucien Tinkler who each had at least three bogeys and, in a couple of instances, an additional double-bogey to thwart some frenetic birdie runs.
The event came on the heels of the club’s increasingly popular Skins Game, won on Monday night by the team of Pilkadaris and McKenzie against Stolz and Lonard and Portarlington professionals Matt Milne and Max Edmanson.
That event was played in front of several hundred people on an improvised course in front of a makeshift entertainment village the club had prepared for the occasion.
“We’re really happy with how many professionals have turned out to support our events, especially as the first one of the Australian season,” club head pro Milne said.
“It’s a great vote of confidence in the way our course is prepared and it’s great to see so many of our members – and others in Portarlington – really show their support for our Legends Tour visitors.”
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