2009

After receiving a special invite from The PGA of America, Michael Allen ended a 20-year victory drought in dramatic fashion making a clutch birdie on Canterbury's brutal 18th hole to win the 70th Senior PGA Championship and join Arnold Palmer as the only men in history to win the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy in their Champions Tour debut.

The PGA of America set up the course to play at Par 70. Only three players were able to break par for the 72-hole tournament with Michael Allen finishing at six under par 274. As in the past, the Canterbury course stood tall among the best players in the world.

Allen added his name to this illustrious list thanks to a rock-solid 3-under 67 in the final round that carried him to a two-shot victory over Larry Mize. This win didn't come easily. Allen strode to the demanding 18th hole at Canterbury with just a one-shot lead, but pulled out his driver and striped a 314-yard bullet into the middle of the fairway. That left him with only a sand wedge, and he hit that to 10 feet, making the putt. "I think my caddie wanted me to hit a 3-wood, but I just told him, 'I got this,'" Allen said. "I knew I wanted to hit a driver, and I hit it perfect."

The players Allen had to beat in the final round also were of high caliber. Mize (67) was a former Masters champion, followed by former Champions Tour Player of the Year Bruce Fleisher (67-277) and eight-time major winner Tom Watson, who had the low score of the final round, a six-birdie, two-bogey 66 that earned him a fourth-place finish.