Canberra’s Brendan Jones finds a new lease of golfing life on the US PGA Tour Champions

In 2011, Brendan Jones reached what at the time appeared to be his golfing zenith, reaching a career-high world ranking of 52.

His most recent tour victory, coming in 2023, was a win in the New Zealand Open.

With 19 professional tour titles to his name, including 15 on the Japanese circuit, Brendan is now on the verge of a golfing renaissance, a second life as a professional golfer.

To do this, he needed nerves of steel.

Brendan produced an incredible fight back at the Champions Tour Q School in Scottsdale, Arizona, to secure a place on the lucrative PGA Tour Champions in 2025.

Going into the final round, he spoke about the pressure he was under to make it through.

As he said going into the final round of the Champions Tour Q School, “It’s a horrible experience”.

“I’m quite lucky that I have other options. I can go and play in Japan, I can go and play on the Asian Tour, but it’s getting harder and harder to play with the young kids. I played on the main tour in ‘05 and ’06. It would be nice to come back and do it all again. Tomorrow, whoever keeps their nerves under control is going to be progressing.”

With the benefit of hindsight, that statement proved to be insightful.

With only the top five making it through Q School, his chances were dramatically slipping away at one stage in the final round.

He fell outside the top 10 with three bogeys in the opening eight holes.

What happened next was truly remarkable.

Brendan had six birdies in the remaining 10 holes to finish in a tie for 3rd to secure his playing card for 2025.

His blazing finish, including birdies on the 17th and 18th, meant that former Canberra junior Andre Stolz and fellow Australian Stephen Barr missed out by one stroke. Barr bogeying the last added to the pain of failing to automatically qualify.

The good news for Stolz and Barr is they are both eligible to play in the qualifiers in 2025.

The PGA Tour Champions, with prize money of over $100 million on offer next year for golfers over the age of 50, has provided an extended career to former household names on the PGA Tour.

There’s 55-year-old Ernie Els, Bernhard Langer at 67, 53-year-old Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker at 57. They are all earning a decent living playing on what effectively is a senior tour.

Next year, they will be joined by Brendan Jones, who doesn’t turn 50 until March next year, meaning he isn’t eligible for the first three tournaments.

Never mind, there are another 23 in which he can play.