Bautista chased down the leaders at Willunga with a back nine 29 on Sunday to score a one-shot victory, ending a run of frustrating results.

The $36,000 winner’s cheque was the 26-year-old’s biggest payday on Tour and the 190.00 points he gained launched the Sydney professional from 55th to second on the Order of Merit standings, trailing only South Australia’s Lachlan Barker.

Thanks to one memorable Sunday afternoon, Bautista is on track for a major improvement to his 83rd place on last season’s Order of Merit when he went without a top 10 finish.

“Something personal happened in April/May last year and it just took me time to recover from it,” he said.

“It was very upsetting and I lost confidence. I’m a very confidence-based player. When it gets rolling, it’s good. But when I hit the floor, it isn’t good.

“It took me time to get back to where I want to be and here I am, holding a trophy.

“I’ll play the rest of the season here in Australia. Keep doing what I’m doing and keep playing as much as I can.

“I know I’m capable of winning the Order of Merit. I know I have got the game to do it and I can make the putts when I have to.

“I’ve just got to get the job done.”

Three other Tour winners this year – Ben Eccles, Simon Hawkes and Daniel Gale – round out the Order of Merit top five after five of 18 events for the 2023/24 season.

The consistent Andrew Campbell, who tied for second at Willunga, has improved his position to sixth, one ahead of Josh Greer who is knocking on the door of a win in his debut year, finishing T11, T9 and T2 in his last three starts.

Greer now leads the Rookie of the Year standings from Chris Crabtree and Connor McKinney.

The top three on the Order of Merit at the completion of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season earn cards on the DP World Tour in 2025. The winner of the Order of Merit also receives a spot in the field at The Open Championship.

Order of Merit standings through Webex Players Series South Australia

1 Lachlan Barker 240.90 (5)

2 Austin Bautista 209.29 (4)

3 Ben Eccles 205.13 (4)

4 Simon Hawkes 199.13 (4)

5 Daniel Gale 190.00 (2)

6 Andrew Campbell 156.91 (5)

7 Josh Greer 125.54 (4)

8 Michael Wright 125.29 (5)

9 Chris Crabtree 116.69 (4)

10 Haydn Barron 107.00 (2)