Age No Barrier

Sir Bob Charles made history at this year’s NZ Open by becoming the oldest man to make the cut on a major non-seniors tour. The 71-year-old New Zealander finished four under par and tied for 23rd place, beating elite players such as Sweden’s Daniel Chopra, a winner on the US PGA tour last month and runner-up in the recent Australian Masters. “I didn’t want to come here and embarrass myself,” said Charles. “The old adrenaline starts to flow with the competition and I almost felt 30 years younger.” Knighted in 1999, Charles has won six times on the US PGA Tour, eight times in Australia and 23 times on the US Seniors Tour. The 2007 NZ Open was won by England’s Richard Finch.