Michael

Allen

Allen tied for ninth place at the Mayakoba Golf Classic to earn a berth into the Honda via the top-10 exemption. He no longer has status on the PGA TOUR but the Champions Tour is dark until March 16-18.

Ironic for Allen, he’s won three times in 46 starts on the Champions Tour, but is still looking for that elusive PGA TOUR victory in his 369th start. Of his two starts on this year’s PGA TOUR, he managed a T9 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Should he pull off the unlikely, he would become the oldest person to win a major championship, surpassing Julius Boros who won at the age of 48.

At 53 years of age, Allen is the oldest golfer in the field of 156. He’s a member at Olympic Club and received a home-course roll at the par-4, 419-yard 14th hole where he jarred his approach for eagle. He then cozied his tee ball at the par-3 15th for an easy birdie to go 1-under on his round at the time. Overall, he split six (of 14) fairways and hit 10 greens, finishing five strokes back of the clubhouse lead.

Allen made just one bogey in the final 26 holes. It’s his 2nd Top 10 of the 2004 season and his best career finish.

Allen’s best career finish is a T3 at the 1993 Northern Telecom Open and also a T3 at the 1993 Phoenix Open.

And no, he’s not opting for a start in the Champions Tour’s SAS Championship. It’s just a regular week off for the 52-year-old who ranks 12th on the money list on the senior circuit. He’s a mere 2-for-4 on the PGA TOUR with no top 50s this year. Whatever residual fantasy value he had entering this week is likely gone for good.

Allen has conditional status on the PGA TOUR this year, but opted for a full schedule on the Champions Tour where he’s made 18 starts and sits 11th on the money list. The next event for the 50-and-older circuit isn’t until the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Nov. 3-6.

The 52-year-old is making just his fifth start on the PGA TOUR this year. He’s had conditional status but has opted for a full schedule on the Champions Tour. With two weeks off until the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, Allen remained committed to Disney, and it’s been a terrific decision thus far. At Palm today, he hit 17 greens and converted seven birdies including at each of the four par 5s.

Allen lives in the Scottsdale area and he used his local knowledge to card six birdies, a bogey, and an eagle at the par-4 15th hole. The World’s No. 2 player Phil Mickelson knows the Raptor course at Grayhawk Golf Club as well as anyone, but the rust from not playing in a month showed as he hit only 64% of his fairways and had 32 putts which resulted in a 1-over-par 71 for his opening round. The weather for the second round will be hot as the temperature will start in the mid-60’s then quickly warming until it peaks at 90 by mid-afternoon, with very light winds from the South at 3 mph.