As the tournament reached a dramatic conclusion in front of enthusiastic crowds at the Kilkenny resort, the congested leaderboard suggested a play-off was inevitable. But as Horne and his playing partner Scott Hend faltered on the back nine when leading, it was Kingston who pounced, with a succession of pinpoint irons that resulted in an astonishing five birdies in the last six holes, on his way to a superb round of 66.
And as the final groups reached the dramatic par-four 18th – statistically the hardest hole of the week – needing a three to reach -12 and force a play-off with Kingston, all were found wanting and it was a first Legends Tour victory since 2023 for the South African.
Earlier in the afternoon, the clubhouse lead was posted at -10 by Italian Emanuele Canonica and matched shortly thereafter by Simon Griffiths, who won the opening event of the season in Marbella before succumbing to a wrist injury in Barbados. Both carded immaculate bogey-free 65s, that ended up being good enough for a share of fifth place. Simon Khan matched that feat to move into the top-10 for the week.
After an opening day 66, Kingston laboured to a second-round 72 during which he was hampered by a back injury. But the old adage of ‘beware the injured golfer’ certainly rang true on day three as the 2022 Legends Tour Order of Merit winner shot a superb six-under 66 to make amends for his disappointing final round at the Barbados Legends where he led with 18 holes to play.
“It feels surreal at the moment” said an emotional Kingston after the round. “All day, I felt like I was a little bit behind the eight ball. I played well in the middle of the round, but I didn’t make any putts. And with nine holes to go, I really didn’t think I was in it but my wife kept saying to me, ‘come on, just like Italy a few years back, let’s make one more.’
“And that’s exactly what happened. It’s an absolute fairy-tale finish to make five birdies in the last six holes and obviously the birdie on the last was really special as I drove it straight down the middle of the fairway into a divot. I hit a really great second shot and it was great to top it off by making the putt. I had a little putting lesson from Michael Campbell yesterday and I saw him standing on the hill and he was looking over my right shoulder, so having the coach watching added a little bit of pressure. It was nice to see that one go down.
Having missed makeable birdie chances at 10,11 and 12, he might have thought it wasn’t going to be his day, but his game would soon ignite, starting on the 13th. “I hit a really good shot in there, made a downhill putt and then hit some really good iron shots coming in. I chipped it stone dead on 17 and then I knew I had a decent chance.
“This means a lot. I didn’t have my best season last year. I played decent at times, but didn’t get over the line. Barbados was frustrating as I really played well the first two days and got off to a terrible start in round three so this makes up for a lot. It just goes to show, you hang in there, you hit a couple of good shots, make a putt or two and all of a sudden things change. I’ve always said playing golf in Ireland is one of those places I really enjoy. People come out and they support us and they love the game. It’s been a tremendous week.”
At one point it looked like a straight shoot-out between overnight leader Horne and last month’s Barbados Legends hosted by Ian Woosnam winner, Scott Hend. The Australian eagled the 10th to get to double figures and followed it with a birdie at 13 but on an uncharacteristically inconsistent day he was unable to sustain the forward momentum and slipped back to -8.
Horne, similarly, was struggling to keep the bogeys – and worse – off the scorecard. His front nine included a double-bogey at two and a triple at four. And although he righted the ship to lead for much of the afternoon thanks to his seven birdies, late dropped shots at 14 and 16 derailed his challenge and he was unable to pick up the shot needed to force extra holes.
Peter Baker was another in contention and the former Ryder Cup player was left to rue failing to capitalise on the four reachable par-fives as he finished just a shot off the lead at -11. “I just played the par-fives badly this week which didn’t really give me much of a chance. I drove it poorly and probably got the most out of it I could so I’m pleased with that. I thought that 12 was the number before I went out and so it was. Then I saw James make the putt on 18 in front of me and obviously I called him every name under the sun! But well done to him. My game’s in a good place ahead of the Senior PGA next week, I just need to drive it better.”
Griffiths, meanwhile, was pleased with his return to form after resting his injured wrist “I had a little bit more feel today and it’s a great feeling when you’re playing well and you’re trying to move up the leaderboard. I was just too far away to catch them unfortunately but it’s been an amazing week. The course is immaculate, great layout, and the players have really enjoyed it here.”
The Legends Tour now heads to Greece for the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy.
