One of the most spectacular golf courses in the country gave the field of PGA Legends Tour players everything they could handle on Thursday, Stinson and McKenzie conjuring something special to each post 2-under 69 to finish two strokes clear.

Grant Kenny, Chris Taylor, Terry Price and Scott Barr all shot even-par 71 to share third spot but it was Stinson and McKenzie who stood tallest.

Brilliant approach shots at 16 and 17 and a two-putt birdie on 18 elevated McKenzie to the top of the leaderboard while Stinson made his mark early with an eagle at his very first hole.

“I started on the eighth and I hit driver, 6-iron and had 90 metres for my third and I holed it,” said Stinson, who also made eagle at the par-5 second.

“I thought, This is going to be a good day.”

HOW THE WINNING ROUNDS UNFOLDED

McKenzie and Magenta Shores wrestled for the opening seven holes as the Champions Tour veteran peeled off seven straight pars to start.

His first birdie came at the par-5 eighth yet he gave it back immediately with a bogey on nine.

On the back of four consecutive pars McKenzie dropped to 1-over with a bogey on 14 only to catch fire late with three birdies in succession from the 16th hole.

Two-under after his first hole, Stinson also found birdies hard to come by.

Bogeys at nine and 14 saw Stinson fall back to even par through eight holes but he was back in red figures with a birdie at the par-4 16th.

His eagle on two was erased by bogeys on one and three but a closing birdie on the par-3 seventh clinched a second win inside a week.

WHAT THE WINNERS SAID

“It’s a big boys golf course. This one, you can’t hide anywhere,” said McKenzie.

“You’ve got to hit a lot of good golf shots and you have to have a bit of luck too.

“I just was hanging in there, but then I hit it into tap-in distance on both 16 and 17. Then hit it on 18 in two and two-putted.

“Three really nice holes and the rest just kept it in play without doing anything silly.”

“At the moment it’s going really good,” said Stinson.

“I’m playing good. I’m putting well even though I missed a little three-footer on the little temporary par 3.

“This is a tough golf course. I normally let the arms a bit loose and get into the driver but I just noodled it around here today just to keep it in play.

“I missed the first fairway and had to take bogey but other than that, it was pretty solid.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
T1        David McKenzie           69
T1        Grahame Stinson         69
T3        Grant Kenny                 71
T3        Chris Taylor                  71
T3        Terry Price                    71
T3        Scott Barr                     71

NEXT UP

The Central Coast swing wraps up on Friday with the Hahn Shelly Beach Legends Pro-Am before moving south on Monday for the two-day Sapphire Coast Legends Pro-Am at Merimbula Golf Club and Tura Beach Country Club.