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Queenslander Elvis Smylie has a one-stroke advantage after John Lyras broke the course record on a day of low scores at the Lexus Townsville Classic at Townsville Golf Club.
Playing in the same group as Round 1 leader Andrew Campbell, Smylie began the day three back but had drawn level by the time the pair walked off the fifth green.
The talented left-hander edged one clear with a birdie on six, had Campbell draw level on seven before he took a one-stroke lead into the back nine with a birdie at the par-4 ninth.
He and Campbell both made birdie at the short par-4 10th before Smylie built a handy buffer with an eagle at the par-5 14th.
A final birdie at the par-5 16th saw Smylie sign for a round of 6-under 65 and two-round total of 10-under, one clear of Lyras (61) with Campbell (70) a shot further back in outright third at 8-under.
Now in his third year as a professional, Smylie is still chasing that elusive first win but knows he need not veer from the game-plan on Saturday to break through.
“I felt like I gave myself a lot of looks at birdies and a couple of greens are just tricky and hard to read,” said Smylie, who will shortly head to Europe to play on the secondary Challenge Tour.
“I felt like if I just keep knocking them close and giving myself chances, I’ll have a good shot tomorrow.
“I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing.”
In what may be a good omen as he seeks to close out a maiden win on Saturday, it was late in the round where Smylie made his move.
An aggressive tee shot set up an eagle from 12 feet on the par-5 14th and a monster drive on 16 left Smylie with just a 46-degree wedge into the final par 5 on the golf course.
“I felt like you have a really good chance at making some shots up against the field, especially 16,” Smylie said of the finish at Townsville.
“The wind was playing straight down fan today, so I was hitting a 46-degree wedge into there. I feel like if you are not making four, you’re losing shots against the field.
“My game-plan tomorrow is just go and attack the par 5s I have been and then leaving myself on the right side of the holes with the shorter holes.
“I feel like I’m driving it well so if I can give myself nice little chips from the right areas around the short par 4s, I think I’ll do a good job tomorrow.”
Lyras’s hopes of contending looked slim when he played his first four holes in 5-over par in Round 1.
The New South Welshman fought back to end day one at 1-over and then went on a tear on Friday.
He had 10 birdies and no bogeys to set a new benchmark of 10-under at Townsville, making birdie at each of his final four holes to keep the heat on Smylie.
“Very different round of golf, very different start,” Lyras said post-round.
“Hit two beautiful shots into number one and that kind of kick-started the round.
“It was still tough to make putts but I was fortunate to give myself a lot of really short birdie putts today.
“That was very important out there given the wind and how difficult it was to make putts from length.”
As a teaser to the large crowd that gathered on Friday afternoon, Lyras lit up the par-3 18th with a lasered 4-iron to close with a birdie and set a new course record.
“That birdie on 18 was phenomenal,” he added.
“I was tossing and turning between 4 and 5-iron and I just committed to hitting like a punchy, cutty 4-iron that held up against the wind.
“It couldn’t have come out any better and rolled in a really nice seven-foot putt for birdie.
“That was a cherry on top of a really good day out there.”
The final round will begin at 7:15am on Saturday with the Smylie and Lyras to tee off on the first hole at 12:15pm.
A new driver and a hot putter proved a potent mix as Andrew Campbell took a two-stroke lead after Round 1 of the Lexus Townsville Classic at Townsville Golf Club.
The reigning adidas PGA Pro-Am Series Order of Merit winner, Campbell opened with a round of 7-under 64 on Thursday morning, a score that held up as the day’s best at the completion of Round 1.
Queensland’s Dylan Gardner (66) is Campbell’s closest challenger with Elvis Smylie in a four-way tie for third with newly-minted professional Jye Pickin, Brock Gillard and Jack Pountney at 4-under 67.
Playing with Smylie, Campbell found himself two shots back of his playing partner when he made bogey at the par-4 12th but responded with birdies at 14, 16 and 18 to turn in 2-under.
He still trailed Smylie by a shot but there was a two-shot swing at the par-5 first when Smylie made bogey and Campbell made birdie.
It was the second in a run of five in the space of six holes, the highlight of which was a 35-footer that rolled in dead centre at the par-3 third.
“It was playing 180, I hit 7-iron pin high to about 35 feet left of it just on the green,” said Campbell.
“I took relief from a bare patch and obviously put it in the right spot. Aimed it just outside the left and it just motored straight in the middle of the hole.
“It’s a nice feeling to hole a long putt any time then I just kicked on from there, making two birdies after that.”
Campbell made a switch from a Titleist to a Callaway driver on the eve of the tournament, a move that created opportunities for the flatstick to do its thing on the green.
“For me, it’s a deadly combination when I can drive it good and putt it well,” Campbell added.
“I’ve been playing Titleist for the last couple of years and had a chat to Dan Cooper, the tour rep for Callaway. I’m at a position where I can test a few different things and I just brought it up with me and had a practice round yesterday.
“Didn’t miss a shot so it kind of spoke for itself and had to go in the bag.
“I just trusted it and it’s working well so I’m just going to keep rolling with it.”
A recent graduate of the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program based at Pelican Waters Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast, Gardner was quick out of the blocks.
He began with a birdie at the par-5 first and birdied four, six, seven and nine to play the front nine in 5-under 30.
Six straight pars followed into the back nine before a birdie on 16 and bogey on 18 saw him end the day two back.
A birdie at the par-4 eighth had Smylie in line to also finish Round 1 at 5-under par only to drop a shot on his final hole.
Veteran Sam Brazel made a late charge with four straight birdies on the back nine to reach 3-under par as defending champion Brett Rankin struggled to a 2-over 73 to be tied for 31st.
He insists the swing needs some tweaks but Nathan Barbieri’s putter proved the difference at the Total Tree Services Perth Sun City CC Pro-Am at Sun City Country Club.
Winner of Q School in April and with a maiden adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory at the Cottesloe Open, the New South Welshman is riding high on confidence and with a flatstick to match.
Barbieri’s round of 7-under 65 was enough to edge West Australian Ben Ferguson by a shot with left-hander Ryan Peake third at 5-under 67.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
After starting his round from the par-4 12th hole it took Barbieri just two holes to record his first birdie of the day at the par-3 14th.
He backed that up with a second at the par-5 15th and then closed out Sun City’s back nine with three straight pars.
Three birdies in the first four holes to start the front nine helped to separate Barbieri from the field, two further birdies at seven and nine enough to build the buffer he needed for a second win in the WA swing.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I started well. I was a couple under through four or five holes and then picked up a couple after the turn,” said Barbieri.
“I then had the easiest stretch with the short par-4 and the short par-5s and then just played steady from there.
“I made some really nice putts all day. Didn’t have any three-putts and the greens were quick, so the putting definitely took over today.
“I’ve been rolling it really nice pretty much since I got here. I’ve still got to fix the swing a little bit before the season starts but it’s been good.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Nathan Barbieri 65
2 Ben Ferguson 66
3 Ryan Peake 67
T4 Brady Watt 68
T4 Jordan Doull 68
6 Daniel Hoeve 69
NEXT UP
The $50,000 Lexus Townsville Classic begins on Thursday at Townsville Golf Club while the WA swing continues on Friday with the Urban Quarter Dunsborough Lakes Pro-Am at Dunsborough Lakes Golf Course near Busselton.
Reigning champion Brett Rankin is vowing to bring a Tour mentality to the defence of his Lexus Townsville Golf Classic at Townsville Golf Club starting Thursday.
The $50,000 54-hole event marks the start of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series North Queensland swing and boasts a field littered with Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia players.
The week of golf begins with a free junior clinic from 4pm on Tuesday which will be followed by a junior shootout competition and junior pizza party.
The Sponsors Day will be held in conjunction with a club competition on Wednesday with PGA Professionals to be involved in a Q&A and Calcutta at the club on Wednesday evening.
Round 1 of the Lexus Townsville Golf Classic tees off at 6:45am Thursday morning with the champion to be crowned on Saturday afternoon followed by a Shootout on the 18th hole
Rankin, who got up-and-down at the par-3 18th in regulation and then again at the first playoff hole to edge Shae Wools-Cobb 12 months ago, won the NT PGA Championship in 2019 and has been a dominant figure on the Pro-Am circuit for a decade.
With an 18-month-old daughter now at home in Brisbane, Rankin is more judicious with his scheduling and is treating his Townsville defence with the same mindset he takes into a 72-hole Tour event.
“For a one-day event, you try and make as many birdies as you can,” said Rankin, the 2019 NT PGA champion.
“You’re being super aggressive with the attitude of, well, if I don’t pull it off, I’ve got a new event tomorrow.
“With three days it’s more like a Tour event. It’s more like Tour golf. It’s a bit more like a chess match instead of a Big Bash event.
“I enjoy playing the two, three and four-day events more. You can play a bit smarter and play a bit more consistent.”
Four shots back at the start of the final round, Rankin believes it was that patient approach that proved so effective last year, coming home strong with a round of 6-under 65.
“There are a few guys that are quite good at making a lot of birdies, but they’re super aggressive,” he added.
“Sometimes you can just be a bit more patient and eventually they might slip up and consistency will come through at the end, which it did for me last year.
“I enjoy playing multiple days and I still love playing golf, too. You’re playing three or four days in a row, it’s quite exciting. It’s just fun to do.”
Not only does Rankin believe that the patient approach is effective in a three-day event, he says that the Townsville Golf Club layout also plays into the hands of those prepared to plot their way around.
“It’s a course that really bites you in the arse,” Rankin said.
“If you’re going with the aggressive play and you don’t pull it off, you can get into a lot of trouble.
“Just be a bit more cautious off the tee and get it in play and then try and score from that 100-120-metre mark instead of driving some greens and bringing out-of-bounds or water hazards into play.
“I’ve found that the more patient and safer you are off the tee, it normally plays to my advantage.
“Last year the greens were quite good, so you can just play smart off the tee, give yourself looks at birdies and eventually hole a few.”.
Given the growth of the Webex Players Series in recent years, the presence of Kelsey Bennett, Jordan O’Brien, Danni Vasquez, Sarah Yamaki Branch and Rhianna Lewis adds another element to the event.
Other players of note are 2016 Hong Kong Open champion Sam Brazel, rising stars Elvis Smylie and John Lyras and new additions to the pro ranks, Jye Pickin and Connor McDade.
Two late birdies and a judicious decision on the final hole has secured Brady Watt a one-stroke victory at the 50th playing of the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open in Geraldton.
A round of 6-under 66 gave Watt a one-stroke lead after Round 1 at Spalding Park Golf Club, an advantage he extended to three courtesy of a 4-under par round of 68 in Round 2.
Paired with Ryan Peake and Scott Strange for the final round, Watt was somewhat slow out of the blocks.
Six pars and a bogey in his opening seven holes gave the likes of Jordan Doull (64) and rwo-time champion Daniel Fox (68) a glimmer of hope that Watt could be reined in.
Birdies at eight, nine and 11 re-established Watt’s ascendancy, building a two-stroke buffer with further birdies at 15 and 16.
He dropped a shot at the par-4 17th to reduce the deficit to one but used a conservative approach to secure the par he needed for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in close to a year.
“It’s always hard to win wire-to-wire,” Watt said post-round.
“I felt a little nervous this morning but how the course was set-up was kind of tricky, so you’ve got to hang in there.
“I didn’t look at the live scoring too much. I looked after nine and saw that a few guys were going quite well so just tried to have a couple more birdies coming home, checked it on the last and managed to get it done.”
Although not quite wire-to-wire, it was a solid performance from PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit leader Chris Taylor to claim the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Legends Open.
One back of Terry Pilkadaris after Round 1, Taylor opened up a four-stroke buffer with a second straight round of 3-under 69 on day two.
Two early birdies in the final round saw that lead balloon to six early, Taylor completing a comfortable three-stroke win despite making bogey at each of the final two holes.
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
With Watt out in front, it did not take long for contenders to make their move in the final round.
New South Welshman Alex Edge made three birdies and an eagle in his first four holes after starting on the 10th tee while Cameron John threatened to make it three wins on the WA swing when he used two birdies and an eagle to draw within two of Watt.
As Watt struggled early, Doull made his move.
A week into his professional career, Doull started the final round seven shots back of Watt but had drawn to within one courtesy of an outward nine of 5-under 31.
He added three further birdies in a bogey-free round that would ultimately come up one shot shy.
Watt’s two birdies prior to the turn proved crucial in building momentum into the back nine.
He took advantage of the short par-4 11th to edge further ahead and following a dropped shot at 13, responded with birdies at 15 and 16.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I try to make as many (birdies) as I can while limiting the bogeys,” said Watt.
“I like playing quite aggressive so it’s hard sometimes to aim away from the pin but on the last, being in the middle of the fairway, it’s 100 metres, it’s actually hard to aim right of the flag and try to make a four.
“But that’s how you close out golf events and really happy that I did today.
“I got my card back at Q School and I’ve just been continuing to work and tie in these pro-ams to test how I’m going.
“It’s all starting to come back to where it can be so it’s exciting to get a win, especially at a place I’ve been coming since I was a junior.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Brady Watt 66-68-70—204
T2 Jordan Doull 68-73-64—205
T2 Daniel Fox 68-69-68—205
4 Tom Addy (a) 69-72-65—206
5 Scott Strange 68-69-70—207
T6 Cameron John 70-70-68—208
T6 Kim Felton 69-71-68—208
T6 James Marchesani 70-70-68—208
NEXT UP
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series moves on to Watt’s junior club, Sun City Country Club, on Wednesday for the Total Tree Services Perth Sun City CC Pro-Am where he is also the defending champion. On the east coast of the country, the Queensland run begins on Thursday with the $50,000 Lexus Townsville Classic.
Sydney professional Josh Clarke broke through for his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series victory by shooting a Sunday 65 to claim the Cowra Lamb Pro-Am by a single shot.
Coming off two top-three pro-am finishes in February and regaining his Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia card at Qualifying School in April, Clarke posted a 36-hole total of 9-under-par to overtake the first-round leader James Conran (66-68),
Matthew Docking (68-67) and Blake Windred (68-67) shared third place.
With the Asian Tour Qualifying School as his next major target, Clarke said he is seeing the results of plenty of time on the practice fairway with coach Blake Dowd at Castle Hill.
Former Australian amateur representative Jye Pickin made his professional debut at Cowra and finished in 12th at 3-under-par.
HOW THE LEADING SCORE UNFOLDED
Clarke rode a hot putter across the two days, collecting 13 birdies.
Six of those came on day one when he also mixed in three bogeys.
In his 6-under 65 on Sunday, which matched John Lyras for low round of the day, Clarke rolled in another seven birdies with his sole bogey coming on the 383m par-4 ninth which he also bogeyed in round one.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I putted pretty well on both days,” Clarke said.
“I didn’t hit it the greatest on day one but much better day two and still just holed heaps of putts whether it was pars or birdies and even a couple of bogey putts. I just putted really good.
“I’ve been continuing to work hard with my coach Blake who is now at Castle Hill. Working on the same type of swing stuff. Still trying to hit fades just control the flight a little bit better.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
133: Josh Clarke (68-65)
134: James Conran (66-68)
135: Matthew Docking (67-68), Blake Windred (67-68)
136: Jack Walden (69-67)
137: Andrew Evans (71-66), Nathan Page (70-67), Anthony Choat (69-68), Justin Warren (68-69)
(*all NSW)
NEXT UP
The next adidas PGA Pro-Am series event in New South Wales is the Northbridge Pro-Am in Sydney on July 26.
An eagle on his final hole has pushed Brady Watt three strokes clear heading into the final round of the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open in Geraldton.
A day after holing a gap wedge for albatross on the same hole, Watt had to be content with eagle at the par-5 ninth on Saturday to close out his round of 4-under 68 at Spalding Park Golf Club.
At 10-under par through two rounds Watt has a three-stroke lead from Ryan Peake (70), Scott Strange (69) and two-time Spalding Park Open champion Daniel Fox (69).
Kathryn Norris followed up her course record of 5-under 67 with a round of 1-under 71 to sit in outright fifth at 6-under, one clear of Cottesloe Open winner Nathan Barbieri (70) and Victorian Andrew Kelly (70).
Seeking his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win in close to a year, Watt began his second round with seven straight pars before trading a bogey with a birdie at 17 and 18 to complete his front nine.
Birdies at one and three continued that momentum into his back nine, momentum that he fully capitalised with his closing eagle on nine.
Three bogeys on his outward nine appeared to end Fox’s hopes of a third Spalding Park Open crown but after a birdie on nine lit up the back nine, keeping Watt within reach with four birdies in his final five holes as he played his final 10 holes in 6-under par.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Spalding Park Open the inaugural Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Legends Open is being played in conjunction.
PGA Legends Tour and adidas PGA Pro-Am Series players were paired together on Saturday and it was Order of Merit leader Chris Taylor who sits on top through two rounds.
One back of Terry Pilkadaris after Round 1, Taylor went bogey free in his second straight round of 3-under 69.
At 6-under par he is four strokes clear of Brendan Chant (69) with Jason Norris (74) and Pilkadaris (75) five shots off the lead in a tie for third.
The West Australian swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series continues over the weekend at the Mitchell & Brown Spalding Park Open, where Brady Watt leads after opening with a 6-under 66 that included an albatross on Friday.
Played over three rounds, Watt was out in the early groups and made immediate headway with a birdie at the par-5 first hole and truly came to life with the two at the par-5 ninth.
“Driver, gap wedge from 131, one bounce and rolled in I think, pretty simple,” Watt said describing the albatross.
Asked after his round about the level of excitement from his playing partners, Watt described the atmosphere with a laugh having not seen the ball go in from the fairway.
“Nah, we were talking about the footy, the whole way,” he joked. “It was actually pretty uneventful; we weren’t actually sure if it went in or not because of the shade.”
Watt continued to push on the back nine, where he mixed four birdies, including three straight from the 15th, against one bogey at Spalding Park Golf Club, a course the West Australian is extremely familiar with.
“I’ve been coming here since I was 15, back when Sean McKay was winning. Been here a bunch.”
Watt’s fellow West Aussies, Ryan Peake, Kathryn Norris and Josh Greer share second place, one shot back on 5-under, with four players another shot back, including Daniel Fox who initially was sharing the lead with Watt before a rules clarification post round.
On the fast rolling Spalding Park greens, and in high wins, an ant moved Fox’s ball that he then replaced, rather than playing from where the ball came to rest.
Played concurrently, the PGA Legends Tour at Spalding Park sees Terry Pilkadaris in front on 4-under, with Chris Taylor and Jason Norris in joint second on 3-under, while Murray Lott and Stephen Herbert are tied for fourth at 1-under.
“I’ve played Legends Pro-Am in Mount Gambia the end of last month or start of May. But I haven’t picked up the clubs since, so we just get up and go again. But no, good start,” Pilkadaris, who had his own hole-out moment of excitement, said.
“Birdied 10, 11 and then I holed my wedge for eagle on 13 and then nearly holed another shot on 15. I was 5-under through six. It was a good start. And then the putter went cold.”
That cold putter played its part with three bogeys in five holes on the front nine, Pilkadaris’ back nine, before he finished strongly with birdies at the seventh and ninth for 68.
Now coaching and running golf tours, Pilkadaris echoed the thoughts of both fields on the quality of Spalding Park.
“Best greens we put on anywhere in Australia. Unbelievable. They’re the best,” he said.
“They pretty fast. They’re quick and they’re roll true and they’re perfect.”
Victorian Cameron John has topped one of the strongest fields ever assembled for a one-day event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series to claim the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro-Am at The Western Australian Golf Club.
John’s bogey-free round of 7-under 63 was enough for a one-stroke win over Scott Strange (64) and Alex Simpson (64) with Deyen Lawson (65) outright third having won the 2022 Western Australian Open at the venue.
The 35-player field boasted current DP World Tour players in Jason Scrivener and Haydn Barron, former DP World Tour winners in Strange and Marcus Fraser, WPGA Tour of Australasia players in Whitney Hillier, Jess Whitting and Kathryn Norris and Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winners in Lawson, Jarryd Felton, Rick Kulacz, Daniel Fox and Braden Becker.
John joined that list of PGA Tour of Australasia winners in March when he took out The National Tournament at The National Golf Club.
For the former 2017 Australian Junior champion who required wrist surgery little more than a year ago, it marked a major breakthrough that he has now backed up with wins at Kwinana and WA Golf Club in the past week.
“It was something that I have wanted to achieve for quite a long time,” said John, who won the 2017 Interstate Teams Matches in a Victorian team that also included David Micheluzzi and Zach Murray.
“Obviously since we’re young and start playing the game, we all want to win at the professional level.
“To get my first Tour win was something special and definitely something that I will cherish for a long, long time.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Tied for sixth at the Sanwell Cottesloe Open on Sunday, John was out off the third tee on Monday afternoon.
A birdie at his opening hole was an ideal start which he followed up with a birdie at the par-5 sixth.
As the likes of Strange, Simpson and Lawson took front-running positions, John was forced to bide his time.
His third birdie didn’t come until the par-3 11th but then they came in a flurry, picking up shots at five of his next eight holes before closing out a blemish-free round with pars at one and two.
Strange had an eagle at the par-5 eighth in his round of 6-under 64 while Simpson had eight birdies and two bogeys to also earn a share of second.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“Really, really good,” John said when asked to sum up his round.
“I had seven birdies and no bogeys. It’s always good when you keep those bad ones off the scorecard.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Cameron John 63
T2 Scott Strange 64
T2 Alexander Simpson 64
4 Deyen Lawson 65
5 Jess Whitting 66
6 Nathan Barbieri 67
T7 Haydn Barron 68
T7 James Marchesani 68
T7 Jarryd Felton 68
NEXT UP
The adidas PGA Pro-Am Series now begins the northern run of its WA swing with the 50th anniversary of the Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open over three rounds starting in Geraldton on Friday.
Two eagles in a new course record of 8-under 64 propelled New South Welshman Nathan Barbieri to a one-stroke win at the 2024 Sanwell Cottesloe Open at Cottesloe Golf Club.
Two shots back of the course record 7-under 65 set by Curtis Luck and Braden Becker on day one, Barbieri ignited his round with an eagle at the par-5 eighth and then claimed a second at the par-5 17th for a two-round total of 13-under.
Playing on his home course on a rare trip back to WA from the US, Luck (67) held on for outright second with Becker (68) a further shot back in third at 11-under.
After missing out on retaining a full card by the narrowest of margins at The National Tournament in March, Barbieri went on to win Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Qualifying School in April.
Last week he teamed up with Josh Greer to win the WA PGA Foursomes Championship at Nedlands and is relishing spending an extended period in the winner’s circle.
“I won Q School a couple of weeks ago and I guess that was a bit of a monkey off the back because I’d never really won anything,” Barbieri said.
“Little win the other day with Joshy which was good.
“I had a good feel this week and thought that the course suited me and the greens were awesome so I was able to put two good rounds together.”
HOW THE WINNING ROUND UNFOLDED
Early in Sunday’s second round it appeared Luck would canter towards what would have been a popular win amongst the Cottesloe members.
He began the day with a birdie at the first and an eagle on four to reach 10-under early but a dropped shot at six brought a whole host of challengers into the mix.
Greer birdied three of the first five holes to get to 8-under and was suddenly within one of the lead along with Becker, Barbieri, Jack Pountney and amateur Connor Fewkes.
A long putt for birdie on eight saw Fewkes slip past Luck and get to 10-under before Luck hit back with one of his own to be 10-under at the turn.
Birdies at 10 and 11 got Greer to 10-under where he was joined by Barbieri, the pair now part of a four-way tie at the top with Fewkes and Luck.
Greer’s birdie on 12 gave him a one-stroke edge but it would be Barbieri’s eagle on his penultimate hole that would seal the deal.
In the Lyndsay Stephen Invitational run for the over-50s in conjunction, Jason Norris had rounds of 68-71 to win by seven shots from Tim Elliott and Brendan Chant.
WHAT THE WINNER SAID
“I played the first 14 holes not knowing (the leaderboard) and then I noticed a couple of people watching Josh ahead of me and I always want to beat him,” said Barbieri.
“I looked on the 15th fairway and saw that I was one back of him and Curto was a couple back but with the par-5s still to play.
“I knew I had to push a little bit but not too much because I still had a couple of chances. I chipped it from the left of 16 and then holed a good putt and then eagled the 17th.
“I wasn’t planning on that. I thought a couple of birdies might have done it but that gave me less stress playing the last.
“I honestly didn’t think it would be enough. I thought I might be going down to a playoff with Curto but lucky I guess.”
LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1 Nathan Barbieri 67-64—131
2 Curtis Luck 65-67—132
3 Braden Becker 65-68—133
T4 Deyen Lawson 68-66—134
T4 Joshua Greer 67-67—134
T6 Josiah Edwards (a) 68-67—135
T6 Cameron John 66-69—135
NEXT UP
The WA swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series stays in Perth on Monday for another new event, the Toro Australia – TQUIP Pro-Am at Western Australian Golf Club.
