The long-hitting Queenslander played his final 13 holes in 10-under-par to post a 6-under-par 66 and join Christopher Wood and Harrison Wills as the titleholders at Middlemount, the opening leg of the Central Queensland swing on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.

Wood and Wills were the first to 6-under before eventually being joined by Slater when he birdied his second last hole of the day to cap his charge into contention.

While Wood, who had seven birdies and a solitary bogey in his round, has been a prolific pro-am winner for more than a decade, Middlemount is victory number one for Wills, an infrequent pro-am entrant who collected nine birdies.

Turning point

Slater was near the tail of the field when he double-bogeyed the sixth and seventh holes, his second and third of the day, and was still at 4-over-par when he began the back nine.

The first signs of a remarkable turnaround came when he reeled off four consecutive birdies and an eagle from the 10th hole to move under-par for his round before another four-birdie streak came on the 18th through to the third.

Quick quotes

Slater said: “I was a bit rattled, that’s for sure. But anything can happen out there. That’s the approach I took to it. I’ve been working really hard on the short game. That’s the thing that’s let me down for several years, so it’s good to finally get that on track.”

Wills said: “Being from out here, all these little tracks like Middlemount are like a second home. It’s nice to be able to come out here, catch up with everyone and put a round together. I’m going to play a fair bit over the next couple of months and see what comes.”

Wood said: “I spent a good part of the first probably three or four years when I turned pro out here, coming out and supporting these events so it was good to come back after a few years off. The course is definitely a lot better than I can remember. I would’ve liked to have probably got off the tee a bit better, but I putted well and holed some good putts to get the momentum going.”

Leading scores

T1 Sam Slater 66

T1 Christopher Wood 66

T1 Harrison Wills 66

4 Ben Hollis 67

5 Jay Mackenzie 68

T6 Nathan Page 69

T6 Brendan Smith 69

T6 Lachlan Wood 69

T6 Cameron Bell 69

T6 Anthony Choat 69

Next up

The Central Queensland swing continues with the ABM Blackwater Pro-Am on Saturday and Sunday with Jay Mackenzie as the defending champion.