Four-time Order of Merit winner Brad Burns looks set for a tilt at a fifth PGA Legends Tour crown after a one-stroke win at the Southern Golf Club Legends Pro-Am in Melbourne.
Already a winner this season at the North Otago Legends Pro-Am in New Zealand, Burns recovered after a double-bogey mid-round to post 3-under 69 at Southern Golf Club for a one-shot win.
“Starting to get a little bit of form together so looking forward to them,” Burns said of the events coming up.
“There are some good tracks coming up and hopefully some good golf.”
Reigning Order of Merit champ Andre Stolz shared second spot with Martin Doyle, Grahame Stinson and Michael Long with Terry Pilkadaris one of six players to post 1-under 71 in his PGA Legends Tour debut.
HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED
Paired with Peter Fowler and starting from the 12th tee, Burns took little time to find his groove.
Birdies at 13 and 14 gave him a strong foundation, a foundation that suffered a minor knock with a dropped shot at the par-3 16th.
He birdied the par-5 17th to move back to 2-under but was back to level par when a wrong club selection led to a double-bogey at the par-3 third.
A birdie at the par-5 seventh got him back in red figures before closing out his round with back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 for a one-stroke win.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I played all right except for the double on three. I bogeyed another short par-3 as well but played quite nicely.
“I just hit the wrong club over the back. Chipped it on and three-putted. Pretty normal really.
“It’s a very good members track. The greens are fantastic, fairways are great, just a pleasure to play actually.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Brad Burns 69
T2 Grahame Stinson 70
T2 Martin Doyle 70
T2 Michael Long 70
T2 Andre Stolz 70
T6 Terry Pilkadaris 71
T6 David Diaz 71
T6 John Onions 71
T6 Robert Mitchell 71
T6 Michael Isherwood 71
NEXT UP
The PGA Legends Tour continues its Melbourne leg at Settlers Run Golf and Country Club on Tuesday to be followed by The White Glove Mover Legends Pro-Am at Albert Park Golf Course on Thursday.