Golden oldies: When age doesn't matter in sport

Peter Senior celebrates winning the Aussie Masters. Photo / Getty

Peter Senior stunned the Australian Masters field and the rest of the golfing world yesterday when the 56 year-old held on to win at the Huntingdale course in Melbourne.

He's got to keep going for a few years to match Tom Watson who won the 2011 PGA Seniors title aged 61 or Mike Fetchick who won the 1985 Hilton Head Seniors on his 63rd birthday.

Former PGA major winner Jerry Barber was 77 when he became the oldest to compete on tour at the 1994 Buick International while he is being chased by Hale Irwin who was the oldest US Open winner at 45 and is still playing at 70 as the most decorated player in seniors golf history.

Earlier this year Davis Love III won the Wyndham Championship at 51 and Sam Snead was nearly 53 when he raised the Greater Greensboro trophy in 1965.

Other extraordinary feats by senior sportspeople include:

Nancy Lieberman who played pro basketball at 50.

Jack Hobbs was 46 when he scored a test hundred against Australia and Wilfred Rhodes played test cricket at 52.

Hooker Ned Hughes set an All Black record when he played a test in 1921 as a 40-year-old.

Jockey Frank Amonte was still saddling up aged 76 in Boston, America in 2012.

Martina Navratilova was nudging 38 when she won the 1994 Wimbledon crown and nearly 50 when she won the US Open mixed doubles in 2006.

Ken Rosewall won the 1968 French Open aged 33 and later won the 1972 Australian Open when he was 37.

The oldest driver to win a Grand Prix was Luigi Fagioli who was 53 when he shared a drive in 1951 and 46-year-old Juan Fangio became the oldest world champion in 1957.

Kiwi driver Kenny Smith continues to race at age 73, winning the Formula 5000 Revival championship in 2011. He won the New Zealand Grand Prix for a third time at age 62.

Ice hockey player Gordie Howe was 52 when he skated off for another game in 1980, Fred Davis played snooker at 78 and Stanley Matthews played football as a 50 year-old.

Eleven time world surfing champion Kelly Slater is 43 and still ranked in the top 10 going into the season-ending Pipeline Masters next week.