On a day in which three players began with a share of the lead and contenders came and went throughout an absorbing afternoon, Buchanan (66) and West Australian Jordan Doull (67) both finished at 17-under-par, forcing an extension to their duel in the desert.

After a disastrous tee shot on the 72nd hole that led to a closing bogey, Buchanan took the first playoff hole by the scruff of the neck with a bomb down the centre of the fairway.

Doull was forced to scramble his way to the green after his tee shot missed the fairway left yet looked to have stolen the win when he made his birdie putt from just outside 15 feet.

Buchanan then had to make his own putt for birdie from six feet, finding just enough of the left edge to send the playoff down 18 for a second time.

The fairway again proved difficult to find from the tee, Doull’s hopes taking a hit when he was forced to play his second shot backwards to the safety of the fairway.

Although both players found themselves in the bunker to the right of the green, Buchanan had one shot up his sleeve, converting his putt from 10 feet for the birdie that would clinch victory.

Jack Buchanan is the #WAPGA Champion for 2024 🏆@CityofKalBould pic.twitter.com/JlwJmyigAp

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) October 13, 2024

“After I finished, I just accepted that no matter what happened, it was a good week,” said Buchanan.

“Lucky enough to get in a playoff and get it done.

“It was pretty nervy but it happened in the end.

“This means so much. Getting over that first hurdle makes you believe that you can do it more.”

Less than five months into his professional career, Doull began the day tied at the top with Elvis Smylie and Cameron John but it was Buchanan who quickly took the ascendancy.

Less than a year since turning professional, Buchanan made five birdies in his first seven holes to establish a three-shot lead only to three-putt the par-3 eighth and make double-bogey.

Playing his first event as a professional, Singapore’s Ryan Ang joined Buchanan at the top of the leaderboard early in the back nine yet suffered a setback of his own when he dropped shots at both 13 and 14.

Back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 saw Doull join Buchanan at 15-under, his South Australian opposite responding with a 20-footer for birdie at the par-3 13th to edge one clear once again.

It quickly became a two-man shootout as the pair traded birdies to keep the likes of Ang (65), Smylie (68), John (69) and Brett Rankin (69) at bay.

A birdie on 17 sent Buchanan to the 72nd tee with a two-stroke lead yet Doull’s birdie on 16 and Buchanan’s closing bogey gave the West Australian a putt to win on the final hole.

Heartbreakingly for Doull, he left his 12-foot birdie try short, sending the pair back to the 18th tee for extra holes.

Smylie looks set for a big season after his third-place finish while Ang impressed on debut, sharing fourth place with John.

No need for the putter on this one for Ryan Ang#WAPGA | #TheChaseIsOn | @CityofKalBould pic.twitter.com/oLsBpecCuj

— PGA of Australia (@PGAofAustralia) October 13, 2024

“I just wanted to make the cut to be honest and make the first paycheck,” said Ang, whose 65 was the low round on Sunday.

“Obviously exceeded my expectations by a lot, but really proud of how the work’s paid off and set a good start to the season.”

In the WA PGA All Abilities Championship played in conjunction across the weekend, Sawtell Golf Club’s Lachlan Smith celebrated his first All Abilities victory.

Final scores

Photo: Alex Verhagen/PGA of Australia

However, powered by the “nervous excitement” of playing his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia event with money on the line, the former amateur star detailed his trip from the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan to Kalgoorlie with a laugh.

“Started in Gotemba, which is about two and a half hours southwest of Tokyo,” said Stubbs ahead of his 7:25am tee time alongside Cameron John and Louis Dobbelaar.

“Then the drive to the airport began, 10 hour flight down to Melbourne at 8:30, overnight, landed at 8:30 in the morning in Melbourne.

“Got into Perth at 1:30pm and then I had five and a half hours there before I got to leave to come here to Kal last night and got in at 7:00pm.

“So it’s over a day of travel. But yeah, it’s worth it to be back here again at the WA PGA.”

Asked whether the long journey had taken a toll before he chases status on his home Tour via tournament invites, Stubbs was upbeat and headed for more practice in the West Australian sun after 14 holes to start the day.

“I’m a pretty good plane sleeper, so I slept like a baby on there, so I’m not too physically exhausted, but the body held up and I’ve sort of done everything I can last night and this morning to get it ready for the next few days,” he said.

Playing the WA PGA for a second time after a share of 50^th in 2023, the Victorian spoke of the anticipation of entering the next stage of a career after his time as an amateur where he claimed the Asia Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne and teed it up at The Masters and The Open.

“It’s a little bit sort of like a nervous excitement. It’s a big step,” the 22-year-old said when asked of potential butterflies.

“I have played a lot of professional events, but not with a card on the line or potentially money on the line yet. So it’s sort of going to be different in that respect. But yeah, I’ve played a lot of these events before and I feel pretty at home out here with a lot of these guys.”

Another player who feels right at home, especially this week, is defending champion Ben Eccles, who Stubbs might do well to chat with about the transition from amateur to professional.

Claiming the NSW Open as an amateur back in 2015, Eccles waited eight years before he won again with an emotional victory last year.

“A little bit of a different scenario. He obviously had a lot more success than I did,” the ever modest Eccles said when asked if he had advice for his fellow Victorian.

“I think looking back when I first turned, I sort of thought it was going to be pretty easy and I thought things were always going to be sort of on the up when I turned pro, and that’s definitely not the case.

“So my advice would just be, just take it in as it comes and just keep trying to get better each year and make smart decisions as well.”

Eccles’ words similar in sentiment to the approach to this week that Stubbs has laid out with his team.

“Not really too much of a goal setter of I have to finish in the top 10 to feel like I’ve had a good week,” Stubbs said.

“I’m more just little targets based, little things that I’m doing with my coach and my team back home that we set, little wins that aren’t necessarily a win of the golf tournament that I can feel like I’ve accomplished something here this week.

“On the golf course, just you’ve got to just play as best I can and I know my good golf is really good, so a win isn’t out of the question for me, I don’t think.”

The CKB WA PGA presented by TX Civil & Logistics is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.