In a quality field of former Australasian PGA Tour champions, unheralded Queenslander Murray Lott shot a two-round total of seven-under par 137 to lift the inaugural MG Plasterers SA Seniors PGA Championship at the Mount Gambier Golf Club.

Lott, who played on the Tour in the 1990s, and also spent several years overseas caddying for the likes of major champion Nick Faldo, made par on the first play-off hole to edge out Victorian Adam Henwood.

Lott joined the Legends Tour last August after turning 50, his only win coming soon after in a one-day event at Mount Warren Park in his home state.

A full-time coach at the Victoria Park Golf Club in Brisbane, the 51-year-old said that win helped him finish 18th on the money list which gave him an exemption in all events on the tour for 2022.

Not only did the win at Attamurra give him a further two-year exemption, he said it also gave him a major confidence boost going forward.

“I have tended to make conservative mistakes, but I just played one shot at a time for the first time in a long time,” Lott said.

“With due respect to players like Peter Senior, Peter Lonard and Mike Harwood, I do not feel out of place against the top players when I play like that.”

Lott started the second round two shots behind the leaders after an opening round of two-under par 70.

But while most of the big names were unable to mount a serious challenge despite the excellent conditions, Lott had no such trouble, making birdies on the first, third, fourth, seventh 15th and 16th to move to eight-under.

With two holes to play he was one behind Henwood who started day two at four-under after an opening round 68, but dropped a shot with a three-putt bogey on the long par-four 17th.

A par four on the 18th saw him finish at seven-under to take over the clubhouse lead from Harwood who finished at three-under following rounds of 73 and 68.

Unfortunately, Henwood, who moved to nine-under through 15 holes, dropped a shot on the par-three 16th, but made par on 17 to reach the 18th tee needing just a par to take the title.

Playing partner Tim Elliott was two shots back on six-under after a bogey on the 17th, and still in with a chance of joining Lott if he could make birdie and Henwood made bogey.

While he gave himself the opportunity to do just that, his six-foot putt narrowly missed the hole, leaving him in outright third place.

Henwood found the front of the green in two but needed three putts to get down which saw him drop back to seven-under and into a play-off with Lott.

While neither player was able to hit the green on the par-three 10th, Lott was able to get up-and-down for par while Henwood needed two putts after playing out from the greenside bunker.

Good crowds turned out for the two days, contributing to a successful event.

Andy Rogers, National Co-Ordinator for the Legends Tour, said barring a much bigger prize purse from another venue in South Australia, the tournament would return to Mount Gambier Golf Club in 2023 which would be good news for the local economy.

“We’ll come back if the sponsors stand up,” he said.

“The players love coming to South Australia and particularly the country areas because the hospitality is always so good.

“The feedback on the course was excellent, especially the putting surfaces.”