Late last year during the PGA Tour’s playoff stop in New Jersey we were talking with Michael Allen when he mentioned that a Champions Tour Q-School application had just arrived at his house. “What am I going to do with that?” he smiled.
On Sunday one of the game’s most endearing journeyman got his answer, a victory in his first start on the 50-and-over circuit and a major championship for good measure. There are no shortage of reasons to like Allen, but his post-round interview says it best.
After being introduced as the Senior PGA champion, a title that was also won by Arnold Palmer: “If you refer to me and Arnie, the only thing we had in common before was we liked to drink wine.”
On his first victory in a Tour-sanctioned event in 334 attempts: “Three hundred and thirty-four? Seems like just yesterday.”
On his pre-final round meal Saturday night in Ohio: “Went over to Flemings and I drank some nice pinot noir. I figured red wine is good for your nerves. White wine is not good; I drank that Wednesday night, so you can see what happens. “
On leaving the Cleveland/Orlando NBA playoff game Friday night, which was won by a buzzer beater, with one second remaining: “It was one second. What could happen?”
Finally, when a scribe asked what he would do with his prize money Allen smiled: “I could buy you all champagne is what I would like to do.”
Tony Lema would be proud.
