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Victorian David Bransdon shrugged free of jetlag and tapped into the form that earned him a PGA TOUR Champions card to take out the Elgin Valley Beerwah Legends Pro-Am at Beerwah Golf Club.
The second event of the Sunshine Coast Series that will close out the 2023 PGA Legends Tour season, Beerwah brought together an exceptional field boasting major champions, PGA TOUR winners and European Tour winners.
Playing two groups ahead of the man whose father helped to build the golf course at Beerwah, Ian Baker-Finch, Bransdon was initially slow out of the blocks.
A bogey at his first hole – the par-4 third – was perhaps a carry-over from his flight home from Florida but he responded with four birdies in his next five holes on his way to a round of 6-under 66 and a two-stroke win.
“I felt like a human today,” said Bransdon, who was one of four Aussies to secure a PGA TOUR Champions card for 2024.
“I’d just got back from the States a couple of days ago and I hadn’t felt like a normal person until today.
“Back to what I was doing last week, hitting it good and rolling a few putts in.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
After his initial backward step, there was no looking back for Bransdon.
He was 3-under by the time he arrived at the 10th tee, adding just the one birdie on the back nine at the par-5 15th.
With the likes of Scott Laycock (68), Brendan Chant (69), Lucas Bates (69) and David McKenzie applying leaderboard pressure, Bransdon birdied his final two holes to take the win by two strokes.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Tricky, especially that back nine,” Bransdon said of the Beerwah layout.
“You’ve got to hit the straight ball because there’s quite a lot of penal bush around.
“Keep it in the fairway and hit it on the green.
“This has been a plan for seven years when I went to Japan at 43. It was my plan to play up there until I was 50. I fell six months shy of that but my goal was to play up there, keep playing so that I was still competitive.
“Once I turned 50 I’ve run with it pretty well.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 David Bransdon 66
2 Scott Laycock 68
T3 Brendan Chant 69
T3 Lucas Bates 69
T3 David McKenzie 69
NEXT UP
The Sunshine Coast Series continues on Thursday with the two-day, $30,000 Sunshine Coast Masters at Twin Waters Golf Club.
