Staff WriterPeter Jackson might not have been the bookies’ pick for the English Senior Men’s Amateur Championship, but the 59-year-old Woking golfer went and wrote his own script—beating close friend Andrew Smith 3&2 in a final that mixed competitive grit with genuine camaraderie at Burhill’s Old Course.
In the decisive moment, Jackson produced a beauty—a laser-guided iron to three feet on the 16th. Smith, the 2022 finalist, couldn’t find a birdie when it mattered most, and that was that. The handshake was warm, the smiles were genuine, and the champion’s grin was the widest of all.
“To me, and quite a few other people, this is quite surprising,” Jackson admitted. “I feel very lucky and incredibly proud.
“Andrew is a good friend of mine and we’ve done all sorts of things together, so it was slightly unusual to have a more serious round with him. We couldn’t joke as much as we normally do, but we’ll remain very good friends.”
This year’s English Senior Men’s Amateur Championship asked plenty of its contenders—two rounds of stroke play to qualify, then three match play bouts across two days before even thinking about a final. Throw in the Surrey sunshine turning the fairways into a low-key endurance test, and you’ve got a recipe for weary legs and fried brains.
Jackson, though, came out swinging—3-up after five and holding the lead with the grip of a bulldog on a steak bone. Smith clawed one back with a superb up-and-down on seven, then made birdie on eight to halve the gap, but any hopes of a full comeback were short-lived. Jackson responded with wins on nine and ten, pushing the margin back to four.
From there, the putter gods deserted Smith—two horseshoe lip-outs on the back nine leaving him staring at the inevitable. As they strolled past Dick Turpin’s Cottage, reputed hideout of the infamous highwayman, Jackson delivered the final blow.
“It’s all ended up being a blur,” he reflected. “Thankfully, I know a lot of players here, and although it isn’t a holiday nor party, it’s fun to share what can be a torturous week.
“Once you get through the stroke play, which I nearly didn’t, there’s a little bit more freedom in the match play.
“I’ve been lucky to get off to a good start in most of my matches, and that puts the pressure on the other player. At no point could I say I was comfortable, but there was a bit of a cushion, which helped me fall over the line.”
History buffs will note that Jackson becomes the first non-Stephen or Steven to lift the trophy. Stephen Jensen’s defence was derailed by a bad back, while last year’s winner Stephen Creed fell in the quarter-finals.
Jackson is no stranger to senior golf, having been on the circuit for four years and winning the West of England Championship. This latest triumph edges him closer to a bigger dream—pulling on an England shirt.
“I’ve worked quite hard at my game, and my lifelong ambition was to play in an England team,” Jackson said. “I haven’t played in too many tournaments like this, and I haven’t always responded to pressure well. Golf is a game where you need to be mentally strong, and that’s probably the hardest part of it.
“My wife has been very tolerant of my obsession with trying to get better at this ludicrous game, and I’m very pleased, but slightly surprised with how it’s turned out.
“I’m now hoping that dream comes to fruition.”
