IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bob Denney

May 24, 2009 561/624-8582

‘

MICHAEL ALLEN ADDS TO CANTERBURY GOLF CLUB LORE WITH A VICTORY IN THE 70th SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Two months ago, Cynthia Allen sifted through the mail while her husband was lounging on the couch in their Scottsdale, Ariz. home.

“Honey, there’s a letter from The PGA of America,” she said. “Maybe you ought to open it up.”

Michael Allen didn’t pay much attention at first, believing it was a reminder to pay his dues.

Cynthia decided to open up the envelope. It was a special invitation to the 70th Senior PGA Championship, the oldest and most prestigious event in senior golf.

“Michael’s head popped up from behind the couch,” said Cynthia. “He was surprised to get the invitation and it started him thinking.”

In the world of senior professional golf, where second chances and new careers are part of the landscape, there are stories like Michael Allen. He has paid his dues, and his week to remember came at Canterbury Golf Club, where many championship tales have originated.

The 50-year-old journeyman professional erased a 334-event winless slate on May 24 with a rock solid final-round 3-under-par 67 to capture the Senior PGA Championship. His final round performance and 6-under-par 274 total was two strokes better than former Masters Champion Larry Mize, a guy who had his own major magic in 1987 when he won at Augusta National with a miracle pitch-in.

Allen crafted his own Canterbury tale by finishing his final 54 holes 10-under par, and was the only player in the field to post three rounds in the 60s. Allen became the 14th player to win his Champions Tour debut and the 23rd to win the Senior PGA Championship in his first attempt.

Allen joined Arnold Palmer (1980) as the only players to win the Senior PGA Championship while making their debut on the Champions Tour.

“And I thought the only thing Arnold and I had in common was we love wine,” said Allen with a big smile.

Huddled around the media after her husband’s triumph, Cynthia Allen smiled broadly and raised a glass of champagne. Her husband had asked that the club bring down a few bottles of the bubbly to the media center – harkening back to 1964 when “Champagne” Tony Lema did the same after winning the Cleveland Open.

“He’s had it within him to be a winner,” said Allen’s caddie, Michael Maroney, who had also joined Cynthia in encouraging Allen to accept The PGA’s invitation. “I said to him, ‘Hey, this is a major and why not? Give it a shot.

“When I got to Canterbury, I spent nine hours Monday marking the course and writing every yardage from every spot I could in the book. Once he got it going in the second round, I knew he had a chance.”

A professional since 1988, Allen’s lone victory came in the 1998 Greater Austin Open on the Nike Tour (now Nationwide Tour).

"It's heavy, but it's a good heavy," Allen said after hoisting the 30-pound Alfred S. Bourne Trophy. "It's been a long time. It's been a lot of belief and a lot of hard work and it's wonderful for it to come through … I don't think I feel it quite yet."

Allen admitted he was so frustrated with his career that it almost came to an end.

"I got discouraged enough in the mid-1990s to quit," he said. "And I went and tried to do some other things . . . build homes, teaching, being a club pro, went through all The PGA of America stuff.

"But after sitting out there working for about three years you just kind of realize that it's hard to go out in the real world and make $100,000 a year. I can't make that money any other way in life. So, to me it's been a struggle, but it's a struggle I enjoy every day."

Mize, who started the day two shots behind the eventual champ, also shot a final-round 67 to finish at 276.

"I just caught the wrong guy on the wrong week," said Mize, who took the lead at 5-under with consecutive birdies on the seventh and eighth holes, but fell behind on the pivotal 12th hole when he made bogey to Allen's birdie.

Bruce Fleisher also shot a 67 to finish third and 2001 Senior PGA Champion Tom Watson was fourth following a 4-under 66, the best round of the day.

Allen became the 23rd player to win this event in his first appearance and the fourth player in Champions Tour history to win in his debut in a major tournament.

His $360,000 paycheck was the second-largest of his career, topped only by the $648,000 he won for a runner-up finish in the PGA Tour's Turning Stone Resort Championship in 2007.

Allen, the father of two girls, said while he grew discouraged, he never doubted his skills.

"I've always looked at my abilities like I should be competitive and be able to win," he said. "On the PGA Tour it's difficult because there are so many good players."

Allen was able to craft his memorable weekend by handling Canterbury's rugged back nine, which included a trio of challenging closing holes. He played the back nine in 7 under while being 1 over on the front side.

He never relinquished the lead after making a birdie on the 461-yard 12th hole when his 9-iron approach came to rest five feet from the hole and he made the putt. He fell into a tie with a bogey on 14, but grabbed the lead for good when he birdied the 549-yard 15th.

He was in the left rough off the tee but he punched out with a 5-iron then knocked his third shot to about eight feet.

Allen finished in style by making a birdie on the 18th hole. Caddie Maroney suggested a 3-wood would be the smart play off the tee.

"I said, 'I got this. I'm going to hit the driver and I'm smashing it.’ ” said Allen. “And I couldn't have hit it any better." He smashed his drive 316 yards down the middle leaving him a sand wedge, which he flew to 10 feet. He rolled in the putt and then raised his putter and let out a big breath.”

The Senior PGA Championship featured 23 major champions who have combined for 41 major championships and an international field of 38 representing 15 countries.

Since 1916, The PGA of America’s mission has been twofold: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the billion-dollar golf industry.

By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public’s interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.

###