Coffs Harbour members and sponsors went all out as they welcomed the Legends Tour to their course for the first time, the warmth of the reception matched by the presentation of the golf course.

A rookie with three wins to his name already, Boulton posted 3-under 67 in the morning wave and then had to wait. And wait. And wait.

In a field boasting greats of Australian golf such as Lonard, Mike Harwood and Terry Price, Boulton held little hope that his round of five birdies and two bogeys would be enough by day’s end.

When Lonard got to 3-under through eight holes, Boulton’s hopes faded even further.

Yet the two-time Australian Open champion was unable to find the go-ahead birdie and when he dropped a shot three holes from home, the door opened for Boulton to snare win No.4 of the season.

“I’m stoked. I played pretty good but wasn’t sure whether that was going to be good enough,” Boulton conceded.

After two weeks in Papua New Guinea playing in vastly different conditions, Boulton revelled in the condition of the Coffs Harbour layout, finding the quick greens very much to his liking.

“Total contrast,” Boulton said of the change from PNG. “We had some wet conditions and then super dry conditions and then coming here, the conditions were just pure.

“It took some adjusting to the greens here but overall, this is how golf courses probably should be. It was impeccable, really enjoyed it.

“I was pretty conscious of how I putted today and it paid off by making five birdies. That was the clincher, I think.”

Lonard’s 2-under 68 was the only other score under par on Friday with Peter Jones (71) taking outright third after dropping three shots on his final two holes.

The PGA Legends Tour moves further north on the New South Wales North Coast to Yamba for the two-day Findex Yamba Legends Pro-Am starting Saturday.

Final scores and prizemoney