With work being done on course, Redcliffe Golf Club is playing at an abridged par of 68, Hart’s bogey-free 7-under 61 putting him one clear of Dylan Gardner, Michael Sim and Lucas Higgins.

Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winners Blake Windred, Chris Wood and Cory Crawford are part of a five-way tie for fifth at 5-under with good friends Andrew Campbell and Simon Hawkes ties for 10th at 4-under.

Turning point

Two-under through his first eight holes, Hart made back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 but it would be a late surge that propelled him to the outright lead.

A birdie at the par-4 first got Hart to 5-under which he followed soon after with consecutive birdies at four and five to establish a one-stroke advantage ahead of Round 2 on Friday.

Quick quotes

“It was just very consistent,” was Hart’s Round 1 summary.

“Kind of kept it pretty simple, just kind of had the ball on a string and a few putts went in, which was nice.

“Just very consistent which has been a long time coming.

“I’ve had a bit of a back injury so I’ve put a lot of work into my short game, so that’s obviously paying off a little bit.”

Leading scores
1          Dillon Hart       61
T2        Dylan Gardner  62
T2        Lucas Higgins  62
T2        Michael Sim     62
T5        Jye Pickin         63
T5        Blake Windred 63
T5        Chris Wood      63
T5        Andrew Kelly    63
T5        Cory Crawford 63

July 15

Barbieri shoots 63 to win Tin Can Bay

New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri has produced an outward nine of 29 for the second time inside a week to win the Konami Gaming Tin Can Bay Pro-Am by two strokes.

Devoid of the 50km/h wind that buffeted Tin Can Bay Country Club 12 months ago, Barbieri backed up his victory at Emu Park Golf Club with a bogey-free 9-under 63 to finish two clear of Victorian Nathan Page and Queenslander Blaike Perkins.

A hole-out for eagle from 100 metres at the 386-metre par-4 fourth was the centrepiece of Barbieri’s front nine of 6-under 29, moving to 7-under with birdie at the par-5 10th.

The brakes were then somewhat applied, securing his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win of the year with closing birdies at the par-5 15th and par-5 18th.

Turning point

The hole-out eagle at the fourth marked the start of a run that yielded 5-under over the course of five holes.

After a par at five, Barbieri peeled off three straight birdies to build a buffer that would hold up over the course of a back nine of 3-under par.

Quick quotes

“Last year was 50k wind, so it was a bit different today,” said Barbieri.

“I’ve really enjoyed the course. It’s quite hilly, but the greens are always nice and fairways are nice.

“I had a hole-out there as well from a hundred metres. And then the rest of them was just sort of straight golf. Hit a couple close, made a couple long ones here and there, how 9-under would normally go.”

Leading scores
1          Nathan Barbieri            63
T2        Nathan Page                65
T2        Blaike Perkins               65
T4        Alex Simpson               66
T4        James Tauariki              66
6          Bradley Kivimets          67

Next up

$90,000 Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am at Redcliffe Golf Club, July 17-18

July 12

Duo shoot 11-under to share Biloela win

New South Welshman James Conran had to conjure an 11th birdie on his final hole to earn a share of victory with Victorian Nathan Page at the Biloela Pro-Am at Biloela Golf Club in Central Queensland.

Winner of the Heritage Classic on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia earlier this year, Conran was cruising to victory when he birdied the par-5 18th to reach 10-under with three holes to play.

There were whispers of 59 as he waited on the first tee but Conran had to quickly reset when he became aware of the birdie blitz being unleashed by Page.

That run of birdies would end at seven as Page posted 11-under 61, Conran converting a birdie putt from 10 feet at his final hole, the par-4 third, to match Page’s extraordinary score.

It is the best score either have recorded in a professional tournament, the pair left slightly perplexed that 11-under wasn’t enough for an outright win.

“I mean, it would’ve been good to nip it from him, but I can’t do much more than 11-under,” said Page, who finished second to Conran at the Heritage Classic.

“There’s no gimme holes, that’s for sure. You’ve got to earn every birdie, but they’re marginally easier to come across here than some other places, you could say.”

“There are a couple holes that are driveable, but you still have to hit good chips from the right angles into these greens,” added Conran, the pair pictured with Stephen Gibson (Elders Finance, Head of Broker), Randall Coulthurst (Elders Finance, Agri Relationship Manager) and Ron Dilger (Dyno Nobel, Plant Manager).

“But 11-under is still a joke.”

Turning point

When Page stood on the 12th tee at 3-under par, Conran was four strokes clear and showing no signs of taking his foot off the gas.

Page birdied the short par-4 12th to move to 4-under as Conran made one of his own to stay four clear.

But as Conran continued to add birdies, so too did Page, his birdie at 12 the start of a career-best seven-birdie run that would see the pair locked together at 11-under at day’s end.

Quick quotes

“In terms of processes, not at all whatsoever,” said Page of how Conran’s score affected his own game.

“But obviously, subconsciously, might bring a bit more out here knowing that there’s someone just there and you’re not cruising home to a two or three-shot win.

“You’ve just got to go up and hit your shot and whether you’re even par or 11-under, you’re still trying to hole every shot or hit every shot as good as you can.”

“I’d birded the par-5 18th to get to 10-under and I look at my phone and I was three shots ahead,” said Conran.

“And then I’m on the third tee, I look at my phone again and he’s 10-under and I realise that he’s got the par-5 still to play.

“I’m thinking, Oh my god, I’m about to lose.”

Leading scores
T1        Nathan Page                61
T1        James Conran              61
3          Nathan Barbieri            65
T4        Matt Jager                    66
T4        Riley Taylor                  66
T4        Joshua Holbrook         66
T4        Blaike Perkins               66

Next up
Konami Gaming Tin Can Bay Pro-Am at Tin Can Bay Country Club on Tuesday, July 15

July 9

Barbieri prevails at Emu Park

Morning fog that delayed the start of Round 2 would prove beneficial as New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri completed a wire-to-wire win at the JRT Group Emu Park Pro-Am.

The fog that blanketed Emu Park Golf Club on Wednesday morning forced groups to double-up in the afternoon, buying Barbieri crucial time after making double-bogey at the par-4 12th.

“When we finished that hole we had probably 20, 25-minute wait to tee off on the next hole so I almost forgot about it,” said Barbieri, pictured with JRT Group Executive Manager, Brad Neven.

“You can obviously dwell on it a bit if you’re straight to the tee, but I actually think it helped having a bit of a break and just sort of reset.”

The bounce-back was immediate, making birdie at the par-5 13th and then picking up shots at 16 and 17 to finish at 15-under, two strokes clear of Victorian Nathan Page (67) and New South Wales pair Alex Edge (67) and Kieren Jones (66).

Tied for third at the Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am, Barbieri shot 9-under 63 in Round 1 at Emu Park and followed it up with 6-under 66 in Round 2.

Turning point

Cruising to victory when he was 14-under having made back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11, Barbieri brought a host of players back into the mix when he made six at the par-4 12th.

He’d made bogey on the short par-4 the day prior, also, the only hole Barbieri dropped shots on across the two days.

A wait on the 13th tee gave Barbieri enough time to compose himself and go on to claim his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in almost a year.

Quick quotes

“I played well at Rockhampton and then these last two days have been pretty good,” said Barbieri.

“I played really solid tee to green both at Rocky and here and hit a couple of really close shots that had less stress in it.

“I holed a couple of good putts as well, made some good up-and-downs and got over the line.”

Leading scores
1          Nathan Barbieri            63-66—129
T2        Nathan Page                64-67—131
T2        Kieren Jones                65-66—131
T2        Alex Edge                    64-67—131
5          Bradley Kivimets          64-68—132
T6        Caleb Bovalina             67-66—133
T6        Lincoln Tighe               68-65—133

July 5

Hart wins Rockhampton for second time

A long-awaited Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title is in Tim Hart’s sights after the Queenslander claimed a second Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am title in four years.

Rising from his sick bed to trail Will Florimo and Nathan Barbieri by one after Round 1, Hart took the outright lead with a second straight 67 in Round 2 but saved his best for last, closing out a three-stroke win with a superb 7-under 65 in Saturday’s final round.

With birdies at 15 and 17, Lismore’s Sam Brazel pushed Hart to the very end, the 36-year-old prolific adidas PGA Pro-Am Series winner responding with birdies at 17 and 18 for a 17-under total to add to his 2022 victory.

“I still haven’t managed to get a win (on Tour) yet, so that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to this year with how consistent I’ve been playing,” said Hart.

“I’ve been doing a lot of mental work again this year and it just helps a lot out there to calm my nervous system down when I’m under pressure.

“I’m just starting to know how to control that a lot better than what I used to.”

Barbieri (68) and 2024 champion Chris Wood (68) shared third at 12-under, Doug Klein (68) outright fifth at 11-under.

Turning point
Leading Brazel and Jack Pountney by one at the start of the final round, Hart made birdie at the par-5 first yet found himself tied for the lead as Brazel began his day with an eagle.

There was a two-shot swing Hart’s way when he made birdie and Brazel dropped a shot at the par-4 fourth, Hart moving a further shot clear with a further birdie at the par-4 fifth.

He would head to the back nine with a four-stroke advantage, a comfortable buffer Brazel could never rein in.

Quick quotes
“I was feeling pretty good coming up here, other than being completely sick,” said Hart.

“I didn’t actually practise the day before the tournament because I couldn’t get out of bed, but maybe that could be a blessing for me.

“Trying not to try too hard, I guess, and not think about it too much.

“I came out here with a very relaxed sort of outlook on the week, knowing that I’ve played here and won here before.

“It was just a good head space that I started with and then managed to just finished it off nicely with a couple of birdies, which is really nice.”

Leading scores
1          Tim Hart                       67-67-65—199
2          Sam Brazel                   72-63-67—202
T3        Chris Wood                  69-67-68—204
T3        Nathan Barbieri            66-70-68—204
5          Douglas Klein               69-68-68—205
6          Jack Pountney              69-66-72—207
T7        Braden Becker              72-74-62—208
T7        Samuel Slater               69-70-69—208

Next up

The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues its Central Queensland swing on Tuesday with the two-day JRT Group Emu Park Pro-Am at Emu Park Golf Club.

June 22

Ford wins wild shootout in Clermont

Rookie Max Ford birdied his final three holes to claim a second straight adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win at the Bolt Off Clermont Pro-Am at Clermont Golf Club.

Ford was one of a number of players to flirt with 59 across the two days at the par-71 layout, posting rounds of 63-61 for an 18-under par total and a two-stroke win.

In-form Victorian Connor McDade had the chance to reduce the deficit to one and shoot 59 in Round 2 but could only manage par at his final hole, the par-5 eighth, taking three putts from just off the green.

Playing alongside Ford in Round 1, 59-year-old Legends Tour star Brad Burns had thoughts of shooting 59 when he was 9-under with three holes to play but finished bogey-par-birdie for a round of 62.

Burns would shoot 65 in Round 2 to earn a share of third alongside Harrison Wills (62) and Kieren Jones (64).

Turning point
Hopes of a second consecutive win were fading when Ford followed up an eagle at the par-5 14th with a bogey at the par-4 15th. But after par at the par-3 16th Ford once again when on a birdie streak, making three on the trot to close out his round and finish two strokes clear of McDade.

Quick quotes
“I’ve been taking advantage of driving it well,” said Ford.

“Especially on short golf courses, I think that’s the key and that’s showed.

“(The scoring) was unbelievable. I was refreshing the scores and I saw (McDade) had creeped up the leaderboard.

“I couldn’t believe the scores he was posting out there and gave me a bit of a run for my money, but it was nice to birdie the last two coming home to lock it away.”

Leading scores
1          Max Ford                     63-61—124
2          Connor McDade           66-60—126
T3        Brad Burns                   62-65—127
T3        Harrison Wills               65-62—127
T3        Kieren Jones                63-64—127
T6        Jay Mackenzie              64-64—128
T6        Nathan Page                64-64—128

Next up
Players now have a week off before the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series resumes with the 54-hole $60,000 Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro-Am from July 3-5.

June 18

Rookie Ford stuns with 10-under at Tieri

Rookie professional Max Ford has won his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series in impressive fashion, shooting 10-under 63 to win the JET Engineering Tieri Pro-Am at Tieri Country Club.

The reigning club champion at Royal Queensland Golf Club and the 2022 Riversdale Cup winner, Ford started with two straight birdies and never took his foot off the gas.

With a host of accomplished Tour players in the field, Ford never blinked, keeping a clean card and racking up 10 birdies to finish one shot clear of fellow Queensland Chris Wood (64) with Blackwater champion Connor McDade (66) third.

Turning point
Although setting a cracking pace of his own, Ford trailed Wood by a stroke as both players neared the end of their rounds.

Having started from the fourth hole, Wood was 9-under with two holes to play yet could only come up with two pars to finish.

Ford, on the other hand, birdied both of his final holes – the par-4 fourth and par-4 fifth – to reach 10-under and record a one-stroke win.

Quick quotes
“It was good to put it all together out there,” said Ford.

“It was good to take advantage of the short holes and I certainly did.

“I drove it really well. Pretty close to a couple of greens and then it’s just down to chipping and putting and I took advantage of that.

“Really stoked with it.”

Leading scores
1          Max Ford                     63
2          Christopher Wood       64
3          Connor McDade          66
4          Brad Burns                   67
T5        Nathan Page                68
T5        Kieren Jones                68
T5        Brendan Smith             68

Next up
The WA swing resumes on Friday with the Carpet Paint & Tile – Broome Furnishings Broome Pro-Am while the Central Queensland run moves on to Clermont for the Bolt Off Clermont Pro-Am starting Saturday.

June 16

Blackwater finishes with joint winners

A Sunday surge gave NSW professional Kieren Jones his first adidas PGA Pro-Series title as he shared top spot with Victorian Connor McDade at the ABM Blackwater Pro-Am.

After an even-par first round at Blackwater Golf Club, Jones started day two five shots out of the lead, but he fired a 7-under-par 65 to match McDade (69-68) on 7-under for the 36 holes, the former amateur star securing his second title in three weeks in Queensland.

First-round leader Riley Taylor (67-71) finished a shot behind the top two alongside Brendan Smith (73-65).

Turning point

Continuing his fightback from making an eight on the par-4 fifth hole in round one, Jones went birdie-eagle over his first two holes on Sunday and eventually caught McDade by picking up shots on his final two holes.

Meanwhile, the Victorian’s second round featured seven birdies and three bogeys.

Quick quotes

Connor McDade: “I’m loving it up here. It’s nice to play some summer golf in winter, but I guess I came up here to kind of get some wins under my belt and take that into the regular Tour season later in the year.

“I found it pretty tough out there around the greens to be honest so I was just trying to get the ball on the smooth surface as much as possible. Any time I missed a green, I felt a lot of pressure.”

Kieran Jones: “The day started pretty solid and then yeah, just had a few putts finally go in. It’s been a long time since they’ve gone in. The coach should be happy.

“I’ve been working hard on the short game. It’s been one of those things I’ve been battling with of late. The chipping went well this weekend, can’t complain about that.”

Leading scores
T1 Connor McDade 69-68 -137
T1 Kieran Jones 72-65 – 137
T3 Riley Taylor 67-71 – 138
T3 Brendan Smith 73-65 -138
T3 Ben Hollis 69-69 – 138
6 Samuel Slater 75-64 – 139
7 Brad Burns 71-69 – 140
8 Jay Mackenzie 69-72 – 141

Next up
The Central Queensland swing continues with the JET Engineering Tieri Pro-Am at Tieri Country Club on Wednesday.

Maxwell returns to Redcliffe Golf Club on Thursday as a largely unheralded defending champion competing for a $90,000 prize purse against former DP World Tour winners, players with current DP World Tour status and 22 former winners on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

The field was just as strong 12 months ago when Maxwell shot 64 in the final round to win by one stroke, including a hole-in-one.

But more on the significance of that ace later.

It was a timely win ahead of Maxwell’s first full season on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia but the 25-year-old has been on a journey of self-fulfilling belief dating back to the inability to play during the COVID-19 restrictions of 2020.

“I became very internally focused because obviously we couldn’t play golf and I was obsessed with golf and getting better,” Maxwell explains.

“I thought about the one aspect of golf that you can train when you’re not on the course and that’s mental.

“I went nuts. I think I went through four or five different sports psychs. I was reading books, listening to podcasts. I was just learning, writing, reading, meditating pretty much the whole of COVID.”

Two years ago, Maxwell linked with Dr James Clark at The Mental Switch, described as a “transformative coaching and mental resilience program”.

Like former US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick documents every shot he ever hits, a key component for Maxwell in training belief is to document how he feels after each round or practice session.

By writing it down, Maxwell is effectively building a bank of positive reinforcement that he can tap into when a particular shot needs to be executed.

“Our No.1 mantra is belief in how we obtain that and how we can protect that,” Maxwell says of his work with Dr Clark.

“You get that through the ways we practise and how we use our memories.

“When I was playing Redcliffe (in 2024), I was using memories from members comps, tour events, pennant matches from when I was a junior.

“It’s constant memory collecting and memory exporting into executing the shot.

“I’ll write down in my book my feels for the day. It changes every day. I just make sure I document it.

“It doesn’t matter if I read it or not. I just know that if you write it down on paper, it retains the memory stronger.”

Now, back to that hole-in-one.

At every level, golf is littered with stories of hole-in-ones that are followed almost instantly by disaster, blips that are soon forgotten in the retelling of golf’s perfect shot.

Trailing accomplished pro Aaron Pike by four strokes at the start of Round 2 at Redcliffe last year, Maxwell made birdies at 10 and 12 before his ace at the par-3 13th, his fourth hole of the day.

That he followed that with another birdie at the par-4 14th is testament, he believes, to the mental training he has committed to the past five years.

“Hole-in-ones are actually pretty dangerous in tournament golf,” Maxwell says.

“It sounds outrageous to say – you’re 2-under for one hole, it should be pretty good for you – but more bad can come from it if you don’t control it.

“Not only have you got to deal with your own emotions, usually a hole-in-one will get all the people who might be watching absolutely rowdy. All of a sudden you’ve taken on all these different people’s emotions.

“Having the right tools to retain your flow and all the memories to get back on track, I did really well. I was very proud of myself after that.”

The Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am tees off at 10am on Thursday with the second and final round to be completed Friday.

Draw

Days after shooting 68 to win the WS6 Broome Invitational, John had rounds of 68-69 for a two-round total of 7-under to win the $40,000 Pro-Am by two strokes.

Defending champion Peter Cooke and veteran Scott Barr led John by two after Round 1, John falling behind further with a bogey at his opening hole on day two.

A winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia last year, John would catch fire in the mid-point of his round as Cooke and Barr both fell back with rounds of 1-over 73.

Turning point

Starting his round with a dropped shot at the par-3 seventh, John hit back instantly with a birdie at the par-5 eighth.

He fell to 1-over on his round with bogey at the par-4 14th but would unleash a run of five birdies across six holes to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck.

The birdie blitz began at the par-5 17th and included further birdies at 18, two, three and four to build enough of a lead that a closing bogey would be inconsequential.

Quick quotes

“There’s no better feeling than winning,” said John.

“After last week, I fell a little bit too far behind in the Order of Merit with Braden (Becker) ending up being the one who beat me.

“I just set myself a goal to win either the Super 6 or win this one and to obviously come away both is pretty awesome.

“With the upcoming wedding and everything, the cheque’s definitely going to go to good use, that’s for sure.”

Leading scores
1          Cameron John              68-69—137
T2        Peter Cooke                 66-73—139
T2        Tim Hart                       70-69—139
T2        Scott Barr                     66-73—139
5          Joseph Owen               70-70—140
T6        William Bruyeres          73-71—144
T6        Daniel Fox                    72-72—144
T6        Adam Hatch                 76-68—144
T6        Braden Becker              75-69—144

Next up: Attention for the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series now centres on Queensland, beginning with the final round of the Bolt Off Clermont Pro-Am on Sunday.

June 15

Becker fires 62 to win Roy Hill Golf Classic

The sand scrapes and spinifex were no match for Braden Becker who shot 10-under 62 in Round 2 to win the Roy Hill Golf Classic at Port Hedland Golf Club by three strokes.

Winner of the Spalding Park Open in May, Becker is trying to complete the north-west portion of the Western Australian swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series and began Sunday’s second round five strokes off the lead.

After Will Bruyeres set the pace on day one with 6-under 66, Becker had just the one birdie in his first five holes before unleashing a run of six straight to surge into the lead.

He further distanced himself with birdie at the par-3 17th and closed with two more in his final three holes to finish three clear of great mate Cameron John (65) with Bruyeres (71), Jordan Doull (66), Adam Hatch (67) and Daniel Fox (69) tied third.

“Putter was hot, 21 putts today,” said Becker.

“On the sand, if you can get the putts to start online and you can judge the speed easy enough, they go in pretty easy.”

Turning point
Stuck in neutral with four pars in succession from the par-4 fifth, Becker’s round ignited with a birdie at the par-5 ninth.

Few players on tour can keep pace with Becker when he runs hot, a total of 10 birdies ensuring the runner-up in 2022 and 2024 left Port Hedland the champion.

“I holed a really nice putt on the ninth green, that was definitely the start of the run,” said Becker.

“I hit it really close from the bush on 10, hole a good 15-foot putt on 11, holed a 20-foot putt on the next hole, had a 12-foot putt on the next and holed a 15-foot putt on the next hole.”

Quick quotes
“I’ve been trying to do, what would you call it, the north-west crown,” said Becker.

“Port Hedland was the one that kept slipping by.

“I’ve had a few seconds up here; one year I came second and they put my name on the board!

“It was really, really nice to finally have my name up there legitimately.”

Leading scores
1          Braden Becker              71-62—133
2          Cameron John              71-65—136
T3        William Bruyeres          66-71—137
T3        Adam Hatch                 70-67—137
T3        Jordan Doull                71-66—137
T3        Daniel Fox                    68-69—137

Next up
Broome Golf Club is the next stop on the WA swing, hosting the non-Order of Merit WS6 Broome Invitational on Tuesday followed by the $40,000 Carpet Paint & Tile – Broome Furnishings Broome Pro Am starting Friday.

June 12

Dobbelaar’s unexpected Karratha bonus

Queenslander Louis Dobbelaar will target a spot on the DP World Tour after receiving an unexpected bonus for his Bennco Karratha Pro-Am victory at Karratha Country Club.

In addition to the lion’s share of the $35,000 prize purse, Dobbelaar received a $5,000 bonus to put towards fees associated with a qualifying school.

While his sights are set on adding to his 2023 NZ PGA Championship win on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia this summer, Dobbelaar now has the option of playing his way onto the DP World Tour through qualifying school.

“My coach and I, we haven’t really spoke that far,” Dobbelaar admitted.

“We were planning just to do Australia, but I know that my game’s ready to go overseas and I probably would orientate it more towards the DP World (Tour).”

Trailing veteran Scott Barr by one after Round 1, Dobbelaar surged to the front with an early run of three straight birdies.

He would drop shots at both 15 and 16 but birdie at the par-5 third and eagle at the par-4 fourth would build enough of a buffer to post 3-under 70 and 7-under total, one clear of Barr (72), Andrew Kelly (71) and Matias Sanchez (69).

Turning point

After making eagle at his second hole of the tournament – the par-5 12th on day one – it would be another eagle in Round 2 that separated Dobbelaar from the field.

With Barr playing steadily in the group behind, Dobbelaar’s birdie on three and eagle on four would see him pick up two strokes on his closest challenger.

Quick quotes

“I just made an eagle on the fourth hole, the driveable one here, and I saw that I was a couple, maybe three shots clear at that time,” said Dobbelaar.

“At that point I did check (the leaderboard) a couple times then on in.

“I missed a couple of short putts coming home, which wasn’t great, but kind of snuck over the line and got it done.”

Leading scores
1          Louis Dobbelaar          69-70—139
T2        Andrew Kelly                69-71—140
T2        Scott Barr                     68-72—140
T2        Matias Sanchez            71-69—140
5          Tim Hart                       72-69—141
6          Adam Hatch                 74-68—142

Next up: The northern leg of the WA swing continues on Saturday with the $30,000 Roy Hill Golf Classic Pro-Am at Port Hedland Golf Club.

May 22

Breakthrough win for Tan at Sun City

Rookie professional Silvester Tan scored his first career win in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series thanks to a round of 6-under-par 66 at the Peet – Yanchep Golf Estate Sun City Pro-Am on Friday.

Playing in just his fifth pro-am after turning pro following the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School – Final Stage in April, Tan beat Braden Becker by a single stroke, denying his fellow West Australian a third win of the WA swing in 2025.

It was the second victory in as many days for Tan, a former WA State Team member and graduate of Drake University in the US, who combined with veteran Brett Rumford to win the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands on Thursday.

Sun City Country Club was also the site of Tan’s win in the WA Amateur Championship earlier in the year before he ventured to Q School.

Turning point

Tan was level with Becker on 5-under-par until he birdied his final hole at Sun City, the 455m par-5 fourth.

His winning round included seven birdies with a solitary bogey at the par-4 12th.

Quick quotes

Tan said: “It (winning) feels good. I’ve put a lot of work in so it’s nice to see a round like this come together.

“I’ve played plenty of golf here. I won the State Am here a couple of months ago so I saw the course plenty when I played then.

“I kind of started pretty slow. It was wet and windy but stayed in it and hit a few good shots, made a few putts coming in, and picked up a bit of momentum.”

Leading scores

1 Silvester Tan 66

2 Braden Becker 67

T3 Josh Greer 70

T3 Brody Martin 70

T5 Louis Dobbelaar 71

T5 Dale Howie 71

T5 Aaron Dobson 71

T8 Simon Houston 72

T8 Connor McKinney 72

T8 Joseph Owen 72

Next up

The North Queensland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series starts with the Mercedes-Benz Tropics Golf Club Pro-Am at Tropics Golf Club in Townsville on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

May 18

Becker breaks duck at Spalding Park

More than a decade of trips north to Geraldton finally got their reward as Braden Becker stormed home to claim the $50,000 Spalding Park Open at Spalding Park Golf Club.

Trailing Andrew Crabb by four strokes heading into the third and final round, Becker and great mate Cameron John were the only players to break 70 on Sunday, both posting 5-under 67 as Becker finished at 12-under for a one-stroke win.

In a field laden with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winners, Becker unleashed a stunning run of six birdies and an eagle across eight holes to edge Tim Hart (71) by one, Lachlan Aylen (70) and Daniel Fox (71) sharing third.

A visitor to Spalding Park since his days as a trainee, Becker was beyond thrilled to wear the Spalding Park Open champion’s jacket.

“I think that’s maybe 11 years I’ve been coming up to the Spalding Park Open but I’ve been up here to Geraldton maybe 13 or 14 times for different events,” said Becker.

“I just love it up here. The greens are fantastic; you just can’t fault them.”

Turning point
Becker was 1-over on his round, 6-under for the tournament and trailing Hart by four when he arrived at the par-5 ninth.

An eagle there would spark a run that included six birdies in his next seven holes and a four-stroke lead as he walked off the 16th green.

Hart’s birdie on 16 and a double-bogey by Becker on 17 quickly reduced the advantage to one, par at the par-4 finisher enough to hold on for victory.

Quick quotes
“I felt like the breeze was going to die at some point, so I thought if I hang in there, we’ll see how we go through the turn,” said Becker.

“There’s always a couple of birdies through that middle section on the par 5s into the 11th.

“Fortunately, I made eagle on nine and then birdie on 10, birdie on 11 where I holed a good putt.

“Thirteen is probably one of the harder tee shots, second shots, just very punishing, and I hit it to five foot and made birdie there.

“That really settled me and then I saw the leaderboard and I was still tied for the lead at that point, so I just thought, I’ve just got to keep going.

“Hit a great shot into the par 3 and holed a good 20-footer; super happy with that one.”

Leading scores
1          Braden Becker  69-68-67—204
2          Tim Hart           70-64-71—205
T3        Lachlan Aylen   68-69-70—207
T3        Daniel Fox        71-65-71—207
5          Cameron John  70-71-67—208
6          Deyen Lawson 68-71-70—209

Next up
Haydn Barron and Curtis Luck are among those entered for the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands Golf Club on Thursday followed by the Peet – Yanchep Golf Estate Sun City Pro-Am at Sun City Country Club on Friday.

May 13

Bogey-free Brereton wins Wembley Pro-Am

Four birdies in his final six holes has propelled Darcy Brereton to a second win of the year at the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am.

Victorious on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series last month at Yenda, Brereton held off a field laden with Tour talent with a superb round of 8-under 64 at Wembley’s Old Course.

The 30-year-old finished two strokes clear of a seven-player logjam that included Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winners Andrew Martin, Cameron John and Daniel Fox along with DP World Tour winner Marcus Fraser, Andrew Kelly, Lachlan Aylen and Alex Edge.

Turning point

Starting from the par-4 ninth hole, Brereton was 1-under through his first six holes but headed to the front nine 3-under after birdies at 15 and 17.

He moved to 4-under with birdie at the par-5 first but it was his late charge of four birdies in five holes from the par-4 third that separated Brereton from the pack.

Leading scores
1 Darcy Brereton 64
T2 Andrew Martin 66
T2 Alex Edge 66
T2 Cameron John 66
T2 Andrew Kelly 66
T2 Daniel Fox 66
T2 Marcus Fraser 66
T2 Lachlan Aylen 66

Next up

There are tournaments across three states on Friday highlighted by Round 1 of the $50,000 Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open. The single-round pro-ams being played Friday are the Hahn Shelly Beach GC Pro-Am and the inaugural Pacific Harbour Pro-Am at Pacific Harbour Golf Course on Bribie Island.

May 12

Double success for in-form Sanchez

Riding an improved putting game, Matias Sanchez has become a back-to-back champion in the adidas PGA Pro-Am series after claiming the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro Am at The Western Australian Golf Club.

The winner of the Sanwell Cottesloe Open at the weekend, Sanchez shot a round of 6-under-par 64 to earn a one-shot margin over Daniel Fox (WA) and Tim Hart (Qld).

The Victorian’s hot streak in WA has included breaking the Cottesloe Golf Club’s course record with a 63 on Saturday.

Turning point

After starting his round on the ninth hole, Sanchez set up his latest victory with a run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine. Back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh completed the job.

Quick quotes

Sanchez said: “I just came out here and just tried to play my best golf and fortunately enough it was good enough.

“I’m just trying to be as free as possible out there and not try to think too much out there about what can go wrong or what might happen. I guess all you can do is just hit the shot that’s required so that’s what I was really trying to do.

“I’ve always been thought my putting was the best part of my game and it’s probably let me down the last two or so months, three months. It’s nice to see that it’s sort of coming back because the first half of last season it was really, really strong.”

Leading scores

1 Matias Sanchez 64

T2 Daniel Fox 65

T2 Tim Hart 65

T4 Jordan Doull 66

T4 Connor McKinney 66

T4 Samuel Slater 66

T4 Cameron John 66

9 Cory Crawford 67

Next up

The WA swing continues with the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am on the Old Course at Wembley on Tuesday.

May 12

Sanchez’s 63 sets up Cottesloe success

Matias Sanchez produced the third course record of the week in the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series on the way to winning the Sanwell Cottesloe Open at the weekend.

The Victorian professional’s record round on the Perth layout came on Saturday, a 9-under-par 63, highlighted by two eagles, which set up a three-stroke lead to take into the final day of the 36-hole event.

Sanchez lost the outright lead early on Sunday when Queenslander Louis Dobbelaar started with four straight birdies, but he managed to post a 3-under-69 to finish with a two-shot margin over Dobbelaar and Curtis Luck (WA), the duo shooting matching rounds of 67-67.

The 26-year-old’s course record was the third so far in the West Australian swing, following on from 63s by Hayden Hopewell at the South West Open at Bunbury and Braden Becker at the Kwinana Pro-Am.

Turning point

Searching for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory since 2023, Sanchez looked like he was losing his grip on the title on Sunday when he made a double-bogey on the par-5 14th and followed up with a bogey on the par-4 15th.

But he turned the event back in his favour by making a two at the short par-4 16th, his tee shot ending up just five feet from the hole.

Quick quotes

Sanchez said: “A three-shot lead can get mowed down pretty quickly so I just had to stay focussed on making birdies and hitting the best possible shots.

“It was pretty up and down most of the day. I didn’t hit the ball as good as yesterday but yesterday was pretty amazing. It’s hard to beat what happened yesterday.

“It’s nice to get a win. I haven’t really won in a while and it’s nice to see the game’s coming together.”

Leading scores

1 Matias Sanchez 63-69 – 132

T2 Louis Dobbelaar 67-67 – 134

T2 Curtis Luck 67-67 – 134

T4 Andrew Kelly 69-67 – 136

T4 Jason Scrivener 69-67 – 136  

T4 Cory Crawford 68-68 – 136

T4 Cameron John 66-70 – 136

T8 Joseph Owen 69-68 – 137

T8 Jarryd Felton 69-68 – 137

Next up

The WA swing continues with the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro Am at Western Australian Golf Club on Monday followed by the GMW & Radlink Wembley Pro-Am on the Old Course at Wembley on Tuesday.

May 9

Becker sets new course record at Kwinana

Braden Becker has played at Kwinana Golf Club a countless number of times but he’s never produced a competition round like he did at the Dunning’s Kwinana Pro-Am on Friday.

Capitalising on an “absolute hot start”, the West Australian set a new course record of 9-under-par 63 to capture the club’s adidas PGA Pro-Am Series title by three shots over Deyen Lawson.

How the record unfolded

Becker made a tap-in eagle on the 459m par-5 first before following up with a birdie from eight-feet at the second.

He then almost aced the par-3 third and picked up another birdie at the fourth to be 5-under-par through four and with thoughts of a sub-60 round in his mind. He turned in 30 after a birdie at the ninth and added in another three birdies on the back nine.

All up, Becker was -5 on the par-5s for the day.

Quick quotes

“I reckon I’ve played the pro-am here every year since 2013 and apart from that I’ve played here a bunch of times because I only live 20-25 minutes away,” Becker said.

“I enjoy playing with the members here. They’re a great group of members.

“After that hot start, I was thinking ‘the course record is definitely on and hopefully we can get to that magical break 60 number’.

“The greens were just so perfect out there. It’s always a pleasure to play here for that reason.”

Leading scores

1 Braden Becker 63

2 Deyen Lawson 66

T3 Lachlan Aylen 67

T3 Daniel Fox 67

5 Max Ford 68

T6 Jordan Doull 69

T6 Andrew Kelly 69

T6 Dale Howie 69

T6 Adam Hatch 69

T6 Louis Dobbelaar 69

T6 Sam Slater 69

T6 Cory Crawford 69

T6 Jason Norris 69

Next up

The Sanwell Cottesloe Open will be played over two rounds at Cottesloe Golf Club this weekend.

May 7

Zach’s max reward at Secret Harbour

Brisbane’s Zachary Maxwell is eyeing a fast start to the upcoming Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season after a one-stroke win at the TenGolf Group Pro-Am south of Perth.

Played over two days at The Cut Golf Course and Secret Harbour Golf Links, Maxwell compiled consecutive rounds of 3-under 69 to finish one shot clear of Sydney’s Nathan Barbieri (71-68) with Lachlan Aylen (70-70) and Deyen Lawson (71-69) sharing third.

Maxwell’s only previous adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win was a lucrative one last July, pocketing close to $15,000 after taking out the Optilease Redcliffe Pro-Am.

The 25-year-old had two top-20 finishes during the 2024-2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season and will seek to build on that at the 2025 PNG Open in August.

“It’s really good just to top the funds up and go home and focus on training,” said Maxwell.

“Not work as much and just get ready for Papua New Guinea and start the Australian season off.”

Turning point
The only player to break 70 in Round 1 at The Cut on Tuesday, Maxwell began day two ahead by a single stroke from a group of five players.

That advantage soon disappeared with a bogey at his opening hole before Maxwell responded with birdies at 16 and 17.

One-under on his round when he reached the par-5 11th, Maxwell gave himself a look at eagle before tapping in for the first of two closing birdies.

“It was a very pivotal moment of the round,” said Maxwell.

“We checked the live scores and I had to really show up and hit a good golf shot.

“I hit a really, really good 3-wood in there tight for eagle. Unfortunately lipped out the putt, but it was a very comfortable birdie and helped me finish the round off.”

Quick quotes
“It was quite beautiful being able to play those two courses,” Maxwell said of playing The Cut and Secret Harbour in consecutive days.

“Being a Queenslander, but it’s very good to come over here to Perth and appreciate some of these beautiful courses.

“I’m very grateful to not only be able to play them, but get a win while doing so.

“This is going to be my last pro-am before the season starts.

“I’ll go home and play the close ones and Rockhampton but my main focus will be going to Papua New Guinea and being very ready for that one.”

Leading scores
1          Zachary Maxwell          69-69—138
2          Nathan Barbieri            71-68—139
T3        Lachlan Aylen               70-70—140
T3        Deyen Lawson             71-69—140
5          Tim Hart                       70-71—141
T6        Scott Barr                     71-71—142
T6        Caleb Bovalina             70-72—142

Next up
Dunning’s Kwinana Pro-Am at Kwinana Golf Club, Friday, May 9

May 4

Hopewell equals course record to triumph in Bunbury

Back home from competing on the European Challenge Tour, West Australian Hayden Hopewell tied the Bunbury Golf Club’s course record to win the South West Isuzu South West Open on Sunday.

A brilliant 9-under-par 63 in the final round, the best score of the day by four strokes, gave Hopewell a two-shot margin over NSW’s Nathan Barbieri to earn the second win of his career on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series.

Fresh off his victory at the Axedale Pro-Am in Victoria, Andrew Martin led at Bunbury Golf Club after an opening 65 on Saturday but the Victorian had to settle for third place after closing with a 71.

Hopewell is currently on a break from the Challenge Tour where he is ranked 47th on the Order of Merit as he strives for a DP World Tour card for 2025/26,

Turning point

Starting his round from the 10th tee, the former Bunbury junior made his run early, making five consecutive birdies from the 11th hole. An eagle at the par-5 second propelled him to 8-under for the day through 11 holes.

His only dropped shots for the day came with a double-bogey at the par-3 seventh, but he then birdied the eighth and ninth to see off Barbieri’s challenge.

Quick quotes

“Today was a special round,” the 23-year-old said.

“I hit it solid and the hole just felt like a bucket. I was seeing every putt and they were just dropping. It was quite uncanny at times.

“I was stoked to finish off the round by holing a nice putt on the last to tie the course record. It was on my mind. Being a junior here for a bit, it holds a special place in my heart.”

Leading scores

1 Hayden Hopewell 70-63

2 Nathan Barbieri 67-68

3 Andrew Martin 65-71

4 Jason Scrivener 69-68

T5 Braden Becker 69-69

T5 Cameron Kelly 67-71

T5 Daniel Fox 70-68

T5 John Boulton 69-69

9 Scott Strange 70-69

Next up

The TenGolf Group Pro-Am will be played The Cut Golf Club and Secret Harbour Golf Links on Tuesday and Wednesday (May 6-7)

May 1

Perkins, Dobbelaar share the title at Bunbury

Queenslanders Louis Dobbelaar and Blaike Perkins kicked off the Western Australia swing of the 2025 adidas PGA Pro-Am Series by sharing the title at the Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am on Thursday.

Rounds of 6-under-par 66 gave the duo a one-shot margin over PGA Legends Tour member Scott Barr (WA) in a field full of Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia talent.

For Perkins, it was his first pro-am series title, while the joint win continued a resurgence of form for Dobbelaar, who regained his Tour card at the recently completed Qualifying School at Moonah Links.

Turning point

Perkins rattled off five birdies in six holes on the back nine but was brought undone by going out of bounds which led to a double-bogey on the par-4 18th, his 12th hole of the day.

However a three on his final hole, the par-4 sixth, ensured he kept a share of top spot.

Meanwhile, Dobbelaar, who started on his round on the 14th, had seven birdies and a sole bogey in his round. He birdied the back-to-back par-fives on the back nine, 12 and 13, to get to 6-under.

Quick quotes

Perkins said: “I was flying at 6-under through 10 and then hole 18 hit me. I knew I had to get a few more birdies then to catch Louis and made a really nice short putt on the last there to tie him. It’s my first pro win so I’m pretty stoked about it.”

Dobbelaar said: “I got off to a good start and played the tough holes well. Hit the ball really nice and had a lot of opportunities during the day. It’s great to play a course in really nice conditions like here at Dunsborough Lakes. It was a bit of a treat.”

Leading scores

T1 Louis Dobbelaar 66

T1 Blaike Perkins 66

3 Scott Barr 67

4 Braden Becker 68

T5 Jordan Doull 69

T5 Cameron Kelly 69

T7 Cameron John 70

T7 Tim Hart 70

T7 Aaron Pike 70

Next up

The WA swing reaches Bunbury Golf Club for the South West Isuzu South West Open over 36 holes this weekend.

Campbell was one of four players to shoot rounds of 6-under-par 66 on the Mackay region layout to share top spot in the final event of the five-round series, wrapping up the overall title and an additional $3000 bonus.

His 21-under-par total over Sarina, Mackay and Pioneer Valley was seven shots clear of runner-up, Victorian Lachlan Aylen.

The Coffs Harbour-based pro was joined by Queenslanders Cory Crawford and James Mee, as well as Victorian Andrew Kelly at the head of the Pioneer leaderboard.

Mee held the solo lead at 7-under until he bogeyed his final hole of the afternoon, the par-4 12th.

His share of the Pioneer Valley title was his second adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory for 2025, while Crawford, the 2024 Vic PGA campion on the Challenger PFA Tour of Australasia, and Kelly won for the first time this year.

On the packed leaderboard, another three players finished just a shot off top spot in a tie for fifth, while Mackay Festival of Golf champion Gavin Fairfax took a share of eighth after shooting a 68.

Turning point

The winner at Sarina to kick off the NQ Series presented by Mackay Regional Council, Campbell played a five-hole stretch of the Pioneer Valley front nine in 5-under-par, including an eagle at the par-5 seventh.

After two bogeys, and with challenges coming from all over the course, he then birdied 15, 16, 17 to ensure the double success.

Quick quotes

Campbell said: “To have three birdies coming home to end up tying for the lead was just a great way to finish off the week up here.

“It was a nice incentive to come up here and go for the series prize. It was going to test me and see where my game’s at, and it is great to know that it’s in a good place to start the season off.”

Leading scores

66 – Andrew Campbell, Cory Crawford, James Mee, Andrew Kelly

67 – Elliot Beel, Nathan Page, Brett Rankin

68 – Connor McDade, Anthony Choat, Jack Pountney, Alexander Simpson, Gavin Fairfax, Aaron Townsend, Mark Panopoulos, Will Florimo, Douglas Klein

69 – Leon Trenerry  Bailey Arnott, Sam Brazel, Jay Mackenzie, Lachlan Aylen, Jayden Cripps, Caleb Bovalina, Aiden Didone

Next up

The adidas PGA ProAm Series has events coming up in Queensland and Western Australia this week.

In WA, first up is the Bennco Karratha Pro-Am on Karratha Country Club (June 11-12).

In Queensland, the Foxleigh Mine Middlemount Golf & Country Club Pro-Am will be played at Middlemount Golf Club on June 12.

June 6

Bogey-free Fairfax claims title in Mackay

Rounds of 63-67 gave the Queenslander a 36-hole total of 12-under-par and his first pro-am title for 2025.

Tighe (NSW) produced the lowest round of the event, a 9-under-par 62, in the final round, which included a front nine of 30, to end up one shot behind after starting Friday in a share of 14th.

Host club amateur Josh Reid finished in impressive tie for seventh after shooting a 65 in the second round.

The pro-am, contested by a host of regulars from the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, was one of the features of the celebrations for Mackay Golf Club’s 100th anniversary.

Turning point

A two-shot leader after day one, Fairfax immediately set about consolidating his advantage with birdies at the first and third holes on day two, while his nearest challenger, James Gibellini, fell away.

Fairfax completed his 36 holes without a bogey and had the luxury of only needing a par on the par-5 18th to secure the one-shot win, his first title since Keysborough last March.

Quick quotes

Fairfax said: “I think I was 3-under through nine. I got both the par fives and then hit a good approach into the third, so that kind of got the momentum going a little bit.

“On the back nine, I kind of knew where I sat so I played away from a few pins. And being honest, I probably should have played a little more aggressively on the back nine.

“I did enough just to not put any damage on the card and I think that’s the main objective when you’ve got a lead and you’re trying to get it done.”

Leading scores

1 Gavin Fairfax (Qld) 63-67 – 130

2 Lincoln Tighe (NSW) 69-62 – 131

3 Douglas Klein (Qld) 66-67 – 133

4 Lucas Higgins (NSW) 69-65 – 134

T5 Alex Edge (NSW) 69-66 – 135

T5 Sam Brazel (NSW) 67-68 – 135

T7 Jack Munro (Qld) 71-65 – 136

T7 Josh Reid (Qld, a) 71-65 – 136

T7 Lachlan Aylen (Vic) 71-65 – 136

T7 James Gibellini (Qld) 65-71 – 136

Next up

The North Queensland swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series finishes with the Roy Powell Security Pioneer Valley Pro-Am on Sunday.

Andrew Campbell leads the standings in the North Queensland Series sponsored by Mackay Regional Council at 15-under-par, three ahead of Brendan Smith and four clear of Lachlan Aylen.

June 1

Campbell cashes in at Sarina

Coffs Harbour-based professional Andrew Campbell hopes to repeat his North Queensland Series win of two years ago after a three-shot win at the CMR Recycling Sarina Golf Club Pro-Am.

Victory at Sarina two years ago put Campbell on the path to claiming the North Queensland Series, a double he hopes to repeat in 2025.

Trailing Ben Henkel by three after Round 1, Campbell shot 6-under 64 in Round 2 for an 11-under total, three clear of Tropics Pro-Am winner Connor McDade (67), fellow Coffs product Jack Pountney (68), Will Bruyeres (65) and Brendan Smith (63).

“Fortunately, two years ago when I won this event, it set me up to win the Series prize,” said Campbell.

“That was my focus coming up here. I wanted to play good golf and put myself in a position to win that Series prize because that means, ultimately, I’m going to play five good rounds of golf.

“It’s almost like a tour event with an extra round. I just want to see where my game’s at and put myself in contention.

“There’s nothing like winning.”

Turning point
With ground to make up in Round 2, Campbell warmed into his work with two pars to start and then unleashed a birdie barrage.

He made four on the trot from the par-5 fifth and then made it six in seven holes with back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11.

A dropped shot at the par-4 12th was a slight stumble, one he regained with a birdie at the very next hole.

Quick quotes

“This win feels a little bit different to the rest,” said Campbell.

“It’s sort of been a little while since I’ve had a win and to come back here and get another win a couple of years since I won here… it feels a bit different.

“It’s really nice after having three months off and being stuck in Coffs where it’s been raining and really haven’t had much time to practise.

“Promising signs to start the season off.”

Leading scores
1          Andrew Campbell        65-64—129
T2        Jack Pountney              64-68—132
T2        Connor McDade          65-67—132
T2        William Bruyeres          67-65—132
T2        Brendan Smith             69-63—132
T6        Dillon Hart                   70-63—133
T6        Ben Henkel                  62-71—133
T6        Aaron Pike                   64-69—133
T6        Tim Hart                       67-66—133

Next up

After a couple of days’ rest, the North Queensland Series continues on Thursday for the two-day PIMS Mackay Festival of Golf at Mackay Golf Club.

May 28

McDade cruises home at Tropics

Melburnian Connor McDade has produced two superb days of golf to capture the Mercedes-Benz Tropics Golf Club Pro-Am by two shots, as the North Queensland Swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series got underway.

It is McDade’s first win of the year, however it is only his second event, and the win pockets him a nice $4,490 for topping the $25,000 event moving him to seventh on the National Pro-Am Order of Merit.

With rounds of 66 and 65, the Royal Melbourne Golf Club member finished at 13-under, clear of Brendan Smith (11-under) in second, and the in-form Jay McKenzie (8-under) in third.

Turning point

With Smith and McKenzie matching McDade’s final day 65, it was really the Victorian’s opening round that proved the difference.

His 6-under 66 on day one was the best round by two-shots on a day where only six players in the field carded a sub-70 round.

Quick quotes

McDade said: “It’s a nice hot start to the Troppo Tour, which is what I was looking for, so I’m stoked to put two hot rounds together.

“Brendan (Smith), he’s obviously a great player and has been for a long time. I don’t think he ever got within one shot of me at any time, but I just felt the pressure from him all day long. He had no let up and he was really trying to win the event, so that made it a lot tougher down the stretch.

“He (Smith) nearly holed his pitch shot on the last. He was really aggressive off the tee and put himself about 40-metres out from the green and nearly holed it. So that would’ve made it a little bit more interesting. But yeah, I made a really solid par on the last, so got it done.”

Leading scores
1 Connor McDade 131
2 Brendan Smith 133
3 Jay McKenzie 136
4 William Bruyeres 137
5 Lachlan Aylen, Dean Jamieson, Ben Hollis 140

Next up

The North Queensland Series sponsored by Mackay Regional Council begins with the 36-hole CMR Recycling Sarina Golf Club Pro-Am starting Saturday.