Golf: Waite claims top-three finish

Grant Waite. Photo / AP

Kiwi golfer Grant Waite finished in a share of third place at the US Senior Open in California on the Champions Tour.

Waite, a former PGA Tour winner, joined the Champions Tour through qualifying school after turning 50 in August last year and has enjoyed a consistent but unspectacular campaign this season.

Today's effort was his best result of the year - he entered the tournament in 75th on the money list - and his final round of 67 pushed him to seven-under for the week; he shared third place with Germany's Bernhard Langer.

The pair were three strokes back from champion Jeff Maggert (10-under), while Scotland's Colin Montgomerie claimed second at eight-under. The US Senior Open is one of five majors on the Champions Tour.

Kiwi golfing great Bob Charles was a regular on the senior circuit during the 1980s and 1990s and won 23 tournaments, the sixth-most in tour history.

On the PGA Tour, Danny Lee carded a frustrating one-over 71 in his final round at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut today as he slid to a share of 25th.

The best-performed Kiwi on tour this season began the day inside the top-15 and could have pushed for a top-five finish but his four birdies were scrubbed out due to five bogeys as he finished the event at seven-under. Bubba Watson beat Paul Casey in a playoff to win the tournament after they finished at 16-under.

Lee has regularly threatened to break through for a maiden PGA Tour victory this year but hasn't been able to put together four consistent rounds.

This week's finish was enough to bump him up to 57th in the FedEx Cup standings. Countryman Steven Alker also fired a 71 today as he dropped to a tie for 60th. Despite making the cut, Alker was tabbed to drop one place in the FedEx Cup standings to 174th.

Tim Wilkinson missed the cut this week and was projected to slide two spots in the FedEx Cup standings to 181st.

Meanwhile, on the second-tier Challenge Tour in Europe, Auckland's Ryan Fox finished in a share of 10th at the Scottish Hydro Challenge overnight.

Fox, who earned $8199 for his efforts, carded a three-under 68 to end the week at nine-under, seven strokes back from England Jack Senior who won the tournament at 16-under.

It was another strong effort from Fox after he finished in a tie for fifth at the Najeti Open in France last week in his first event on the tour this season.

On the Japan Tour, North Shore professional Michael Hendry finished in a share of 48th at the ISPS Handa Global Cup yesterday. Hendry ended the week at four-under, 10 strokes back from eventual winner Toshinori Muto who beat Angelo Que in a playoff to take the title.

Hendry, who won the tour's first event of the season in April, is firmly placed inside the top 10 on the money list.