By Brian Keogh

He came, he saw, he conquered. And then he smiled from ear to ear.

Eight years after he last tasted victory at the Christy O’Connor Jnr designed Galway Bay in the 1999 West of Ireland Classic, Costantino Rocca clinched a two-stroke win in the AIB Irish Seniors Open.

The 50-year-old Italian has gained a few kilos since that memorable putt from the Valley of Sin at the 1995 Open Championship or that narrow victory over Padraig Harrington on Ireland’s rugged west coast.

But the smile was the same and so was his love of courses designed by O’Connor Jnr as a closing one under par 71 left him two strokes clear of England’s Kevin Spurgeon and Spain's Juan Quiros on five under par 283 at a soggy Palmerstown House.

Two strokes behind leader Stewart Ginn of Australia starting the day, Rocca chiseled out two birdies and dropped just one stroke on the punishing 6,800 yard Co Kildare lay-out to earn his first seniors victory in just his third start amongst the veterans.

But it was his two-putt par from well short of the 18th green - a mammoth 50-yard effort that finished just four feet beyond the hole - that brought back memories of one of the former Ryder Cup player’s finest hours.

“I remembered the putt I made at St Andrews,” Rocca beamed, recalling the par-saving effort that forced a play-off with John Daly at the Home of Golf, before pocketing a cheque for €67,500, some €9,000 more than he earned in Galway in 1999.

“It was just like that one from the Valley of Sin and I am very happy. My short game is very good and even if I miss some putts I hole the odd one, so this is very important for me.”

Bearded Australian Ginn, who was beaten in a four way play-off for this title last year, suffered heartache for the second year running as he slumped to a closing 76 to share fourth place on two under par with American left-hander Doug Johnson.

A double bogey five at the perilous eighth, where he found water off the tee, was the first nail in Ginn's coffin. But he was still tied for the lead on four under par playing the par-five 14th before a Rocca birdie there left him trailing for the first time all week. Frustrated with his game, the 58-year old from Melbourne finally self-destructed on the 17th by three-putting for a double bogey six from just six feet.

“It’s not hard luck, just bad golf, as simple as that,” said Ginn, who has finished in the top four in six of his last seven starts. “Wrong clubs, wrong time. Bad golf. Paid the penalty. I’m very disappointed but that’s the game.”

Rocca had three-putted the fifth to fall two strokes behind but a birdie at the ninth and a chip-in par at the 11th, where he drove into the water, proved vital.

“I think I like Christy O’Connor courses,” Rocca said after his victory. “I won at Galway and now here. He is a very good friend and I like to make him happy. I’m sure I made him very happy. Maybe we will play another of Christy’s courses next year.

“My last win was in ‘99, so it’s a long time ago. This tournament, especially in Ireland for me is special. I love the people here, they follow me and is very nice.”

Defending champion Sam Torrance shared sixth place on level par after a 71 as Ulsterman Peter O’Hagan led the Irish challenge on three over, despite three-putting three times for a 76, to earn €6,777 towards his efforts to pre-qualify for events on the US Champions Tour.

Cork’s Denis O’Sullivan was the next best on four-over par after a 73 with Eamonn Darcy two shots further back after a 74. But there was also some joy for former international Adrian Morrow, who claimed the JB Carr Memorial Trophy awarded to the leading amateur for the second year running when he closed with a 74 to share 42nd place on 10 over par.

AIB Irish Seniors Open, PGA National Ireland (Par 72)

211 Costantino Rocca (Ita) 69 71 71 (€67,500)
213 Juan Quiros (Esp) 73 68 72, Kevin Spurgeon (Eng) 71 70 72 (€38,250 each)
214 Doug Johnson (USA) 69 71 74, Stewart Ginn (Aus) 67 71 76 (€22,545 each)
216 Sam Torrance (Sco) 71 74 71, Tony Allen (Eng) 73 72 71, David Merriman (Aus) 72 70 74, John Bland (RSA) 71 73 72, David Good (Aus) 73 71 72
217 Glenn Ralph (Eng) 73 74 70, Guillermo Encina (Chi) 72 73 72, Horacio Carbonetti (Arg) 71 73 73, Bob Cameron (Eng) 74 72 71
218 Ross Drummond (Sco) 74 74 70
219 Carl Mason (Eng) 73 73 73, José Rivero (Esp) 75 72 72, Delroy Cambridge (Jam) 77 70 72, Alan Tapie (USA) 69 75 75, Peter O’Hagan (Ire) 72 71 76
220 Gordon J Brand (Eng) 70 79 71, Denis O’Sullivan (Ire) 74 73 73, Terry Gale (Aus) 73 73 74
221 Mike Clayton (Aus) 72 77 72, Tony Johnstone (Zim) 73 74 74, Giuseppe Cali (Ita) 75 72 74, Bobby Lincoln (RSA) 73 73 75
222 Bill Longmuir (Sco) 72 77 73, Tommy Horton (Eng) 75 74 73, Eamonn Darcy (Ire) 71 77 74, Gery Watine (Fra) 74 74 74, Angel Fernandez (Chi) 74 71 77
223 Peter Teravainen (USA) 75 76 72, Jerry Bruner (USA) 71 79 73, Adan Sowa (Arg) 72 78 73
224 Jeff Hawkes (RSA) 74 81 69, Jimmy Heggarty (NIr) 72 78 74, Nick Job (Eng) 73 74 77, Luis Carbonetti (Arg) 73 74 77, Gavan Levenson (RSA) 68 75 81
225 Mike Miller (Sco) 73 77 75
226 Adrian Morrow (am) 74 78 74, Denis Durnian (Eng) 77 74 75, John Chillas (Sco) 71 77 78, Simon Owen (Nzl) 75 73 78
227 Martin Gray (Sco) 74 72 81, Jim Rhodes (Eng) 75 78 74, Pete Oakley (USA) 71 79 77
228 Ian Mosey (Eng) 73 80 75, Bruce Heuchan (Can) 73 80 75, Tony Charnley (Eng) 76 77 75, Bertus Smit (RSA) 76 75 77
229 Noel Ratcliffe (Aus) 75 79 75, Mike Ferguson (Aus) 79 74 76, Ray Carrasco (USA) 73 78 78
230 Tim Rastall (Eng) 75 80 75, Manuel Piñero (Esp) 74 78 78, David Creamer (Eng) 71 80 79, Bill Malley (USA) 72 79 79
231 Bob Larratt (Eng) 76 77 78, Paul Leonard (NIr) 72 80 79
232 Jim Lapsley (Nzl) 78 77 77, Liam Higgins (Ire) 74 77 81, Emilio Rodriguez (Esp) 75 76 81
233 John Mashego (RSA) 76 79 78
234 Bob Shearer (Aus) 80 78 76,
235 Martin Poxon (Eng) 79 79 77, Victor Garcia (Esp) 79 74 82
236 David J Russell (Eng) 74 81 81, Steve Martin (Sco) 75 78 83, Philippe Dugeny (Fra) 73 78 85
237 Antonio Garrido (Esp) 73 84 80
239 Maurice Bembridge (Eng) 77 76 86
240 Liam MacNamara (am) (Ire) 77 79 84
245 Dermot W Morris (am) (Ire) 89 79 77
DQ John Benda (USA)