When you’re 63 and have more than 30 professional wins on tours around the world, “best evers” aren’t very common.

Yet that’s precisely what Mike Harwood delivered today to win the inaugural Barwon Cleaning Supplies Portarlington Legends Pro-Am.

Harwood lit up the Portarlington Golf Club with nine birdies en route to an eight-under-par 64, good enough for a one-shot win over Peter Fowler and Grant Kenny in the over-50s tournament.

Harwood, runner-up in the 1991 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, remarkably said after his win in the $15,000 event that he may never have putted better.
“I putted amazingly – I think 24 putts,” the Melburnian said.

“I can actually say that might be my best putting round in my 43 years of playing professional golf.

“It was incredible and even more so when I couldn’t hole one from a foot three months ago.

“It says a lot about the quality of the greens and when you see some of the other scores, you can tell they were running perfectly.”

Former Australian Open champion Fowler was unlucky when his ball fell off his tee during his downswing on the first hole, midway through his round.

Fowler, who played a practice round with Harwood a night earlier, managed to top the ball up the left of the fairway, but could only manage the bogey that potentially cost him a tie with his good mate.

Kenny looked likely, too, when he holed out for an eagle two on the short par-four 13th, but made five pars to close out the back nine.

Another spectacular performance came from another legend of Australian golf, Mike Ferguson.

Ferguson, himself a winner of more than 15 professional events around the world, turned 70 on Australia Day.

But yesterday he wound back the clock to shatter “his age” with a four-under-par 66, good enough for outright fourth.

Legends Tour debutant Richard Green, a resident on the Bellarine, carded a 68 in his first look at Portarlington, but showed signs that he will be a dangerous player when his regular tour commitments permit.

Of the other main drawcards, Andre Stolz fired a 69 and Peter Senior carded a 73.

Results