Scott Hend’s brilliant win at the True Thailand Classic was not only a highlight for the big hitting Queenslander but a reflection of the strength of Australian golf in 2016.

Hend was the fifth individual Australian to etch his name on a European Tour trophy for the season, the first time in the Tour’s history that five different Australians have claimed titles in a single season.

Marc Leishman began the roll with victory at the Nedbank Challenge in the first week of December, the same week Nathan Holman broke through on the Gold Coast at the Australian PGA Championship.

In the second week of February Marcus Fraser surprised everyone, including himself, when he hoisted the trophy at the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur while Adam Scott made it four
Euro victories with his WGC-Cadillac Championship victory a little over a week ago.

The last time five European Tour trophies were held by Australians was 1991 but that year Craig Parry won twice (Italian Open and Scottish Open) to join Ian Baker-Finch (Open Championship),
Mike Harwood (European Open) and Rodger Davis (Volvo Masters).

Hend’s second career European Tour title comes with 32 events still left on the calendar and it would be no surprise if there were more Australian triumphs to come, including from Hend himself.

After a disappointing week at the WGC event in Miami where the 42-year-old said he ‘wasn’t very patient’, Hend turned things around in Thailand displaying a cool demeanour all week.

Having gifted the tournament to Andrew Dodt last year with a careless bogey at the drivable par-4 17th in the final round, Hend made no such mental errors this time around, posting birdies at the penultimate hole in each of the four rounds.

In fact it was his two putt birdie Sunday at that very hole that sealed the win for Hend, the Australian taking the outright lead on the back of that effort and needing only a par at the last to confirm the victory.

While it was an exceptional performance from the veteran Queenslander there was less joy for the remaining 12 Australians who teed up at the Black Mountain Resort.

Kalem Richardson was next best on the leaderboard at T22 followed by Jason Scrivener (T54), Sam Brazel (T61) and Wade Ormsby (T67).

Richard Green, Terry Pilkadaris, Adam Groom, Unho Park, Nathan Holman, Jordan Sherratt, Andrew Dodt and Scott Barr all missed the weekend’s action.