Golf: Oldcorn's top-ten finish cements fine Seniors start

EDINBURGH golfer Andrew Oldcorn secured a top-ten finish in the 71st Senior PGA Championship in Colorado – his first appearance in a major on the over-50s circuit.

The Kings Acre man shot closing rounds of 67 and 71 for a two-under-par total of 286, ahead of players such as Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer and Fred Funk at Colorado Golf Club.

Oldcorn, who only made his seniors debut earlier in the month, was the leading Britain and picked about around 40,000 for his week's work.

The former PGA champion made a significant move through the field thanks to his five-under-par third round.

Level-par for the tournament at the start of that, he had six birdies and an eagle as well as a bogey and double-bogey.

Five behind the leaders going into the final round, the Scot started with two birdies to raise hopes of a fairytale victory.

He then gave those back with bogeys at the fourth and tenth holes but birdied the 14th to secure a tie for eighth.

In the end, Oldcorn finished five shots off the winning aggregate – former Open champion Tom Lehman lifting the title after beating Fred Couples and South African David Frost in a play-off.

Sam Torrance, the only other Scot to make the cut, finished 13 shots behind Oldcorn after a closing 76.

Oldcorn's performance completed a good weekend for Lothians players after Stephen Gallacher finished sixth in the Madrid Masters.

The 35-year-old closed with an excellent 67 as he maintained the good form that had secured fourth place the previous weekend in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Gallacher secured 45,000 for his latest effort, taking his earnings for the season to more than 400,000 as he cemented his position as the leading Scot in the Race to Dubai.

The former Dunhill Links champion made his closing score by storming to the turn in 31, having bagged three birdies and an eagle, which came at the par-4 sixth. He had two birdies and two bogeys coming home to finish on 13-under - eight behind winner Luke Donald.

The Scot will now head to Celtic Manor for this week's Wales Open before going to Sunningdale next Monday to try and qualify for the Open Championship at St Andrews.