South Africa’s Darren Fichardt, with wife Natasha again acting as caddy, produced a composed and resilient performance to win the 2026 Staysure PGA Seniors Championship, the flagship event on the Legends Tour (formerly the European Senior Tour), at Trump International Golf Links just north of Aberdeen in Scotland.
The 51-year-old Fichardt sealed a super five-shot win for his second victory on the Staysure Legends Tour in some 10 months thanks to a final-round 68, finishing at 12-under-par 276 after rounds of 66-73-69-68.
SECOND OVER 50s WIN IN 10 MONTHS@euLegendsTour …..
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Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg closed with a 67 to finish second at seven under, while Wales’ Jamie Donaldson took third at five under. A host of players, including several Scots, featured in the top 20 on the windswept links.
The week featured testing Scottish weather — wind, rain and sun — that highlighted the character required for links golf. Host Colin Montgomerie, competing on home soil, finished tied for 18th at one over par (72-74-73-70).
The Winner’s Story: Fichardt Reflects on Resilience and a Career Milestone:
In his post-round interview after claiming the title, the South African spoke candidly about the challenges of the final day and the mental battle.
Fichardt opened by noting the loss of form from playing partners earlier and the different conditions: “I mean, I lost unbelievable player, both in part. But, you know, I thought just go out there and play solid in the weather was completely different today. So it was a little nervous about that. Didn’t know what to expect. I thought the guys were going to go really low today. And I went out birding the first two hours I thought, yeah, we go.”
Mid-round struggles tested him: “And then I, I had a three, 3023 pets in a row. And that just completely sidetracked me. And I started stumbling a bit sort of midway mid round. And then I reset and pulled myself together, which is good. And then add a nice, nice finish there on 18.”
Asked about appearing rock solid, Fichardt admitted the inner battle: “I think so many years playing this career. I think I had it pretty well. I was definitely not rock solid. The last six holes I was, it was solid. But I mean, prior to that, it was not good.”
A key turning point came on the 14th: “I think I sort of felt like all over the place, things when things weren’t going my way. And then when I got on 14, I had quite a testing part for Paul and I made that. So that was quite a when I made that, I said to my wife, okay, I think we’ve got it, okay.”
Reflecting on the elements and the allure of Scottish links golf, he said: “We’ve had wind, we’ve had rain, we’ve had sun. Is that why people love links golf and playing golf in Scotland? It definitely does. Test your test your character, that’s for sure. That’s for sure. But but yeah, I know it’s I mean, I read every single shot this week, you know, with low high left to right, right to left punches, you know, everything.”
On his emotions at the finish: “Well, very exhausted. I’ve come off quite a long stretch of of tournaments and travel and everything mentally exhausted and obviously very, very happy and pleased here.” The interviewer congratulated him: “Well, you deserved to win and congratulations.” Fichardt replied simply: “Thank you. Thanks.”
This victory marked Fichardt’s second Legends Tour title, following his 2025 win at the Vattanac Legends Championship, and underlined his strong form since turning 50.
Colin Montgomerie on the New Course and Home Support Tournament;
Image – EU Legends Tour
Tournament host Colin Montgomerie shared his thoughts in a post-round interview on the debut of the New Course at Trump International for the event and his own performance.
On the layout and facilities: “I think the greens are super, and the design is good, and I do hope the lads have enjoyed it. I’m getting feedback from them, and they appear to be, so that’s good. The weather today was exceptional, which was fortunate. Scoring’s much better today, but at the same time, yeah, I do hope they’ve enjoyed it. You know, it’s their second tournament to the Senior Open.
This is the second one, isn’t it? It’s the Senior PGA, and I do hope they’ve enjoyed it. I think everything down here works so well. I think that tent works brilliantly. I think the clubhouse facilities – I think everything’s good that way. It’s just, yeah, I think everything’s been super. Brilliant.”
On his own game: “Yeah, I’ve played okay, but I didn’t putt well at all. I was awful all week, yeah. And I played with Darren Fichardt the first two days and, of course, he holed everything, you know, holed them, walked them in. So that’s how you win, you know? So he’s done that very well. But at the same time, I mean, I did okay. Nothing special, but nothing…”
Acknowledging his age and a top-20-range finish: “Yeah, it’s okay. I’m the oldest… I was glad I made the cut, I think. The oldest player most of the time now. It’s not good, is it? Well, there you go. Yeah, I suppose, I suppose. We’ve done all right. We’ve done all right. Yeah, but that’s not going to change me either way, you know, whether I win, lose or draw. But it’s just for the lads to enjoy it. I think they have. I think they enjoy coming up here, and it’s something, you know, on some people’s bucket list, isn’t it, to play both these courses? And we’ve had the opportunity of doing that twice.”
On the Scottish support: “I think it’s quite nice to walk around the fairways as well. I think the support on the fairways – it’s very much amateur days – but at the same time, they see a lot more from there, behind the ball, as opposed to perpendicular to it, you know? And because you can’t really rope this off, you can’t imagine people – you can’t stop them walking around, you know, in that way. The Old Course is kind of the same thing. But it’s great. It’s good to have support, and good to see people coming out, seeing me still able to score under par around courses as big and tough as that.”
Fichardt’s triumph completed a strong Scottish double after his near-miss at Gleneagles, rewarding his consistent ball-striking and mental toughness on a true links test. The event, played over the New Course amid typical Aberdeenshire conditions, once again showcased why the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship remains a cornerstone of the Legends Tour calendar — a blend of elite senior competition, iconic venues, and passionate home support.
Congratulations to Darren and Natasha Fichardt, the 2026 Staysure PGA Seniors Champion and his wife/caddy.
