Clark Dennis took route 66 to claim the sixth Legends Tour victory of his career in style as he captured the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy.
The American carded three successive rounds of 66 to register a score of 17 under par and win the title by four shots from Scott Hend in second place.
Clark was in the final group, starting the day one shot behind the 36-hole leader Mikael Lundberg, and made a solitary birdie on the front nine to reach the turn in 35.
However, Clark put his foot on the gas after that with birdies at the 11th and 12th holes, before finishing with a flourish of three birdies in the final four holes – including an impressive one of more than 20 feet at the final hole.
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He registered only one dropped shot all week and was a mark of consistency at Costa Navarino. His win made all the sweeter by having his wife Vickie with him and his youngest son, Philip, on the bag all week.
“It feels great, we have had a great time this week. It’s probably the best venue the Legends Tour has been to since I’ve been on the Tour, and that’s eight years now. It’s been amazing having my wife Vickie here and my youngest son Philip on the bag.
“It’s a third victory for him as a caddie, so we’ve just had a great time. It’s indescribable, you know, at our age we don’t know how many of these we’re going to have left and to have them with me, it’s been amazing.
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“That back nine is just as good as I can play, but I saw that I had a three-shot lead and it kind of shook me because I really didn’t know where I was. I was like, wait a minute, I’ve got three shots? “
Signing off in style with a long birdie putt at 18 has also added to the winning feeling: “To get the Greek fans going, that’s great. It was great to make that putt, I definitely was not expecting to make it so it was a bonus that it went in.
“To get the sixth win is really good and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year now!”
Clark’s son Philip, 24, got a real buzz out of being on the bag for his Dad this week, the third time the pair of them have won a tournament working together: “It was amazing, you know, this place is just beautiful. I’ve done this a couple of times before, but it’s been a while – the last time he won with me on the bag was in 2018 in Germany, so it was great to get back on the bag for him and for us to with together.
“It’s just amazing, the adrenaline rush coming down the back nine when you realise, he’s got the lead and he really has a chance, that is just so special.”
Clark’s wife Vickie was watching on although it wasn’t always easy for her on the final day as he got into contention: “It’s a lot of fun, he’s fun to watch when he is on his game. It’s nerve-wracking though, he has no idea what it feels like from this side, at the end I just couldn’t watch! When he is on form then he gets on hot streaks, so it was fun.”
She was also proud to watch her son Philip on the bag and enjoy this victory as a family together: “It’s just extra special, it’s so much fun, Philip just loves history, he is a history buff – I asked Clark if Philip helped him and he said ‘Sure, he just kept me so calm because all he wants to talk about is the history of the Navarino battle and was telling me all the facts’, so I think that actually helped Clark so that he doesn’t think about golf too much.
“I wish our other two sons could have been here, but one is in pilot training and the other one caddies on the PGA Tour. We’re seeing the Acropolis tomorrow, we can’t wait to see it – and after this, we really love Greece!”
Overnight leader Mikael Lundberg would shoot a final round of 73 to drop down to a share of third place, but he was the first to congratulate his playing partner on the 18th.
The Swede endured four dropped shots in his final round, which left him too much to do. He ended the week in a four-way tie for third place with James Kingston (66, 70, 67), Greg Owen (66, 71, 66) and Adilson da Silva who registered two rounds of 69 through the opening two days before a new course-record round of 65 to finish off his week.
Scott Hend started his week with a 60 on the Bay Course and would sign off with a Sunday 66, but it was the round of 76 in round 2 on the International Olympic Academy Golf Course which did all the damage to his title hopes. Four bogeys and two double bogey’s ruined his card and despite a strong finish to the week, he was left to rue what had gone the day before.
“I found it very hard to adjust yesterday after playing the other golf course, two totally different golf courses. I lost my swing a little bit and tried to push the limits and got punished for it, I lost four balls yesterday! So, it wasn’t the ideal second round, but at least I came back today and tried to reposition myself to finish high up in the field.
“I still have the same work ethic – I still do what I do and play the golf course how I want to play it. If a score is good enough, it wins. It is quite competitive out here – these guys can still shoot really good scores. Three rounds is a bit of a sprint, so if you get off to a slow start, you’re in a lot of trouble. That’s a big difference between four rounds and three rounds. Four rounds, you can sort of ease into it and then get going. But this one, you’ve got to be straight on the ball.”
However, it’s a strong start to the Legends Tour season for the Australian with two runners-up finishes (in this event and in the Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam), as he now heads on to the next two Legends Tour events hoping to claim his second title on the Tour.
It means the Australian already has an impressive lead at the top of the MCB Road to Mauritius standings with 1,581.5 points, almost 600 points clear of Richard Green in second place. The victory moves Clark Dennis up to fourth place on 825 points, just behind Peter Baker on 959.8 points.
Clark Dennis plans to celebrate this victory with a trip to see the Acropolis in Athens on Monday with his family, before heading to the UK for the Paul Lawrie Match Play presented by Petsure at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club in Hertfordshire which runs Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th June.
The International Olympic Academy Course at Costa Navarino – Phil Inglis – Getty Images
David Ashington, general manager at Costa Navarino Golf, said: “It was a real pleasure and privilege for Costa Navarino to host the Legends Tour and a world-class line-up of players for Greece’s first major professional golf tournament in 23 years.
“It was a memorable week for everyone involved at Europe’s most spectacular golf destinations. As well as featuring two of our four signature golf courses, the event provided the opportunity for professionals, amateurs and their families to experience our extended offering of sports and lifestyle facilities and famous Messinia hospitality.”
The Legends Tour event was played over two of the destination’s four courses – The Bay Course for round one on Friday June 7th and then the International Olympic Academy Golf Course for rounds two and three on Saturday June 8th and Sunday June 9th.
The Bay Course, a par-71 seaside course, measures 5,614m in length and was designed by legendary golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. It meanders through three natural landscapes – Seaside, Canyon and Grove – providing striking contrasts and playing alongside the historic bay of Navarino, for a truly memorable golfing experience.
The International Olympic Academy Golf Course, at Navarino Hills, offers panoramic views of the historic bay of Navarino, the Ionian Sea and the surrounding countryside. It measures 6,366m in length.
Images: Phil Inglis – Getty Images
