Hensby and fellow Australian Richard Green finished second and third respectively at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Hensby (75) drawing within one of Canadian Stephen Ames with a birdie at the par-4 10th.

He had a chance to join Ames at nine-under with a birdie try at 12 but when that didn’t fall he followed it with consecutive double bogeys, Ames (73) making 18 straight pars to complete a wire-to-wire win.

Hensby’s runner-up finish is his best result in 11 career PGA TOUR Champions starts, the 51-year-old left to rue a putt that simply refused to drop.

“I hit a really nice putt there (at No.12), and it just didn’t go in,” Hensby said.

“It was unfortunate I just couldn’t put enough pressure on Stephen at that time because that was the time where I think that things could have changed, especially I would have been tied then.

“I knew he wasn’t going to make a mistake so I had to kind of try and push it a little bit.

“Then I got deflated a little bit and I was all upset with making a double. Then I got obviously a really bad lie in the bunker on the next hole but I hung in. I had some chances. I didn’t putt very well today, and that’s what you’ve got to do to win.”

It was almost the perfect start to Green’s career on the Champions Tour.

The medalist at Q school finished tied for third after posting a final-round 3-under 70. He was joined by Paul Stankowski, Robert Karlsson and Quigley.

“It feels awesome,” Green said. “It feels like a long career and maybe some deserved results around this course.

“I came here for a long time with the European Tour and played. Never really played that well, but had some tough days, and I feel like this week has been a bit of a reward for patience. Kind of understanding the course a little bit early on in the week, that it was a golf course that you needed to just hang in there.”

There are also two Aussies in the hunt with one round to play at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Astara Golf Championship in Colombia.

A third round of five-under 66 has earned Rhein Gibson a share of the lead at nine-under with fellow New South Welshman Brett Drewitt just a shot further back at eight-under.

Drewitt had two eagles – at the par-4 ninth and par-5 18th – in his round of five-under 66 as he chases a second Korn Ferry Tour title.

Gibson, 37, is also seeking a second Korn Ferry Tour victory having won the BMW Charity Pro-Am in 2019.

Matt Jones’s share of 10th is the best of the Aussies through three rounds of the International Series Oman on the Asian Tour while Dimi Papadatos will start the final round of the DP World Tour’s Singapore Classic six shots off the lead and in a tie for 21st.

Jason Day is tied for fifth and just three shots off the lead through 54 holes at the WM Phoenix Open.

Leading by one when he completed his first round, Day shot three-under 68 on Saturday – including a closing birdie from 16 feet on 18 – to draw within striking distance of defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Lucas Herbert falling to a share of 51st with a 73 in Round 3.