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Tour rookie McLardy targets top performance at Humewood

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After coming within a whisker winning his maiden Sunshine Senior Tour professional golf title, Andrew McLardy is primed for another shot at that achievement when the Nelson Mandela Bay Classic takes place at Humewood from Wednesday to Friday (May 15-17).

Although a handful of contenders will be missing, the fourth edition of the NMB Classic at the famed links course in Gqeberha has another top-quality field, including former champions Chris Williams (2021) and Doug McGuigan (2022).

Titleholder Adilson da Silva is campaigning overseas at this time, but Sunshine Senior Tour chief operating officer Neville Clarke said they still had a strong draw “are looking forward to another great week in Gqeberha”.

McLardy, who turned 50 in January, says he feels like a rookie on the tour and was disappointed when he fell just short of the title in the SA Senior Masters a few weeks ago in Middelburg (Gauteng), losing to James Kingston by one shot.

“I was leading by four going into the last day and lost by one after shooting a 70, but James played beautifully for his 65 and is, of course, a tough competitor,” McLardy said.

“I had a putt to force a playoff but just misread it and that was that.

“It’s a pity because it would have been a real feather in my cap to have won the first senior professional tournament I entered.”

Nonetheless, McLardy was happy with the level of his game, making only one bogey the whole tournament.

“That is a good sign because it means you are doing something right if you are not racking up a lot of bogeys,” he said.

“And if you had said to me you would have a shot at the title coming down the stretch, I would have taken it.

“But James is a very experienced campaigner, having competed on world tours, so, in the end, I was happy with my showing, albeit a bit disappointing.”

After many years on the regular Sunshine Tour, where he won five professional titles, as well as campaigning in the United States and Europe, McLardy is enjoying the fresh challenge of the Sunshine Senior Tour.

“I do feel a bit like the youngster here, but it’s great to be competing with some of the guys I have played with over so many years,” he said.

“This is great preparation for me to have a crack at the senior tours in the US and Europe, and it benefits me to be training as well as playing in tournaments.

“When you are doing that, instead of just training, that’s how you get sharp and improve.

“I was out of competitive golf for about seven years, so I am really looking forward to visiting Humewood again, which was in such great shape when I played a social round at the course about a year ago.”

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