For the second day in succession Marchesani turned a one-shot overnight lead into a three-shot advantage early in Sunday’s final round at Eynesbury Golf Course in Melbourne yet Becker refused to give in.

There was a two-shot swing at the 14th and when Becker birdied the final hole the pair were headed for extra holes.

Marchesani (68) produced a brilliant recovery shot to match Becker’s par at the first playoff hole but when his tee shot at the second extra hole found the penalty area left of the fairway his playing partner took the upper hand.

Becker’s 15-foot birdie try finished two feet from the cup but when Marchesani’s par attempt from 12 feet failed to drop Becker cleaned up his own par to claim the $8,987.50 winner’s purse.

“It’s a great feeling to get the win,” said Becker, who had seven birdies in his closing round of five-under 67.

“I’ve been on the road for almost 11 weeks and there’s been plenty of ups and downs but this feels surreal.

“I was a little lucky to even be in with a chance. I slammed my birdie putt on 17 past the hole about six feet and the par putt only just snuck in.

“Birdieing the last to make the playoff is what you hear all the time and it was certainly nice to make that putt.

“I feel for James. He’s a mate and he had played great all three days.

“It was a great battle all day and to have a Pro-Am in this tournament-type format on the last day is a credit to the club and Brad (Alton) the GM here. It really helps to keep you tournament-focused.”

One clear of Becker and George Worrall at the start of play on Sunday, Marchesani looked to be running away with the event after birdieing the first two holes to move to 11-under.

After a bogey on the ninth Marchesani dropped back to 10-under and when Becker’s birdie putt found the bottom of the cup they were all tied up with nine holes to play.

Marchesani birdied the 10th to move one shot clear and then both picked up a shot at the 12th to set up a head-to-head battle down the stretch.

Marchesani found trouble at the 14th and made bogey, Becker capitalising to supplant Marchesani as the tournament front-runner for the first time in 49 holes.

Refusing to yield, Marchesani peeled off back-to-back birdies at the 16th and 17th to regain the lead playing the last, Becker’s brilliant approach shot to five feet delivering the birdie he needed to force extra holes.

Becker’s striped 300-metre tee shot and Marchesani’s block to the adjacent fairway looked to have decided the outcome until Marchesani’s incredible recovery to the left fringe put him in position to match Becker’s par.

But his over-correction on the second extra hole would prove fatal to his chances, Marchesani unable to conjure the miracle par he needed to extend the tournament to a 57th hole.

Worrall’s two-under 70 was enough to secure outright third with Brady Watt (69) fourth at seven-under and veteran David Diaz (73) fifth at six-under.

Click here for final scores and prize money

Starting the second round with a share of the lead following a brilliant eight-under 64 on day one, Higgins began shakily in pursuit of the biggest win of his young professional career.

A bogey at the par-3 second saw Higgins play the first five holes in 1-over but late fireworks delivered a second round of five-under 67 and a two-round total of 13-under to win by one.

Even par through 11 holes, Higgins found some momentum with back-to-back birdies at the 12th and 13th holes, added a third in four holes at the par-5 15th and then shot to the top of the leaderboard with an eagle three at the par-5 16th.

Higgins required an up and down from the left-hand side of the 17th for par and then sealed the deal with a par on the tough 18th hole to edge Brendan Smith (67) by one stroke.

Co-leader after Round 1, Alex Simpson (69) finished outright third at 11-under with Tim Hart (64), Jay Mackenzie (66) and Nathan Miller sharing fourth at 10-under.

Higgins shot to prominence by taking the 36-hole lead at TPS Sydney at Bonnie Doon and credited his adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win at Southport Golf Club prior to Christmas for a crucial boost in confidence.

“I know I can compete out here but it was quite a dominant win and I played really well,” said Higgins, who also tied for the win at Windaroo Lakes last July.

“It was important for me to show that I can do this and I can be out here.

“I’m pretty happy to win such a great event,” Higgins added.

“I’ve heard a lot about this event and it’s great to be able to win in such a quality field.”

In the field of 60 professionals are many stars of Australian golf with triple crown winner Peter Lonard, US PGA Tour winner, Andre Stolz and Olympian Marcus Fraser to name just a few teeing it up in the popular adidas PGA Pro-Am Series event.

Also making a return is last year’s champion Matthew Millar whose victory at Wagga Wagga would complete an amazing run of four consecutive wins on the Riverina Swing but he will have to make up a six-shot deficit in Round 2 to do it.

Ideal conditions in the morning provided the opportunity for low scores and Simpson took full advantage.

Starting from the third tee, Simpson was making only steady progress at three-under through 13 but turned the tournament on its head with an eagle at the par-5 16th and then holing out with his second shot at the par-4 17th.

He added a fourth birdie at the 123-metre par-3 second – his final hole of the day – to set a mark of eight-under 64 that only one player would match by day’s end.

That man was Lucas Higgins (pictured), who thrust his name forward by taking the 36-hole lead at TPS Sydney at Bonnie Doon Golf Club.

Unlike Simpson, Higgins made his leaderboard impact early, playing his first six holes in five-under and then closing with three birdies in his final five holes to match Simpson’s Round 1 total.

Like Simpson, Brendan Smith had twin eagles in his round of seven-under round of 65 to be outright second with a quartet of players on six-under 66, Matthew Stieger, Lincoln Tighe, Nathan Miller and Damien Jordan all to start their second rounds just two off the lead.

The morning wave tees off at 7.30am with the leaders to begin their final rounds at 1pm AEDT.

Click here for live scores.

Kelly’s bogey-free round of five-under 67 was enough to edge Brock Gillard and Lachlan Aylen by a single shot with Matthew Buff (69) and Wade Lowrie (70) rounding out the top five.

Well down the leaderboard the day prior at Keysborough, Kelly began his afternoon round expecting little but armed with the knowledge of how to best make a score at a course with fast-running greens and some tricky pin positions.

“I played pretty terrible at Keysborough so my expectations were pretty low,” Kelly admitted.

“I’ve played this event for many years and I know that to score well you have to be a little bit conservative on some holes.

“Not to have a bogey always helps but I did leave another few birdies out there.

“The course just played so great. It’s always a fun event and to be able to play a course like this and with the support of the members throughout the day makes it a great experience.”

Starting his round from the sixth tee, Kelly picked up his first birdie at the ninth hole but it was a run of three birdies in four holes from the par-4 12th that provided the backbone of his round.

The conservative approach kept any dropped shots from blotting his card, the fifth and decisive birdie coming at the par-5 fourth.

A popular stop on the Victorian swing of the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series, Keysborough Golf Club was in immaculate condition in weather that was hot and humid, temperatures pushing beyond 30 degrees by 9am.

Splitting his time between infrequent tournament play and his teaching responsibilities at Peninsula Kingswood Golf Club, Fraser made a less than auspicious start, blasting his tee shot at the par-5 first wide of the fairway and an opening bogey.

The three-time DP World Tour winner quickly clicked back into gear, peeling off six straight birdies to be five-under through seven holes and the outright leader.

A seventh birdie at the 10th hole moved him further ahead of the field before falling back with a bogey at the par-4 13th, a birdie at the 195-metre par-3 15th ultimately proving to be the difference.

Fraser’s round of six-under 67 was one clear of Adam Burdett and Dale Crothers with Michael Choi (69) and Tim Walker (70) rounding out the top five.

“I didn’t hit it great today but I holed about 100 feet of putts which certainly made up for it,” Fraser explained post-round.

“At the Vic Open a few weeks back I took out my old putter and putted really well on the first day and then I just didn’t hole a thing for the last three rounds.

“I got the old putter back out yesterday and took it into the workshop and adjusted the lie angle slightly.

“I had a few putts on the practice green last night and it went straight back in the bag.”

Highlight of the day went to Glen Waverley Golf Course Teaching Professional Matthew Buff, who holed out from just inside 200 metres for an albatross two at the par-5 16th.

Next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the DeBortoli Heidelberg Golf Club Pro-Am at Heidelberg Golf Club on Friday.

Part of the Golf NSW Regional Open Series leading up to the $400,000 NSW Open at Concord Golf Club next month, the North Coast Open has attracted a field laden with talent, adidas PGA Pro-Am Series winners Deyen Lawson, Daniel Gale, Brett Rankin, Sam Brazel and Brady Watt among the leading contenders.

Playing alongside Brazel and amateur Conor Whitelock in Tuesday’s opening round, Perry is another of the fancied chances and has the memories of a Coffs Harbour victory to call upon.

The field for the 2012 Jack Newton Junior Subaru State Age Championship included now established professionals Cam Davis, Blake Windred, Travis Smyth and Harrison Endycott yet it was Perry who returned to Newcastle with the oversized trophy and a sense of belief that professional golf was a career option worth pursuing.

“I was 15 or 16 at the time. I was going around today trying to remember it all but there were only two holes that clicked into my mind,” Perry said after Monday’s pro-am.

“That was 10 years ago now but it unlocks that next chapter and you think, Let’s see how far we can actually go with this.

“I went home with a massive trophy and at the time it was the biggest thing that I’d won at the age I was at so it was a pretty cool thing.”

Since turning professional in 2018 that first win has proved elusive, a tie for third at the 2018 NSW Open an indicator that a win would come sooner rather than later.

He topped PGA Tour of Australasia qualifying at the end of 2018 to secure his immediate playing future but Perry doesn’t consider that a tournament victory on his resume.

He has seen first-hand the confidence that two-time ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia Anthony Quayle has taken from his tournament wins and is eyeing off more Coffs Harbour silverware to kick-start his 2022 season in Japan.

“I don’t want to be going back to Japan flat-footed,” explained Perry, who finished 66th on the elongated Japan Golf Tour moneylist in 2021.

“I definitely look at this week as one where if I play well I can definitely win.

“I play with ‘Quayley’ day in and day out and I’d like to think we’re of equal ability. It’s just the momentum and confidence you get from winning a tournament.

“Winning is hard, especially at the pro level, and when Quayley won he said it was that extra confidence you get from showing that you can do it.

“I look at guys like Quayley and Jed (Morgan) and I know I can do this, it’s just getting it all to come together at the right time.”

Tied for 22nd at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, Perry skipped the past two events as his partner Brittany gets closer and closer to the due date for their first child.

Given it is only a three-hour drive back home Perry felt comfortable making the trip to Coffs Harbour and is excited by what fatherhood will soon bring.

“Obviously it’s going to be different and my perspective on life will change, which will probably be a good thing.

“At the end of the day it’s not all about golf, it’s family so I think it will be really good.”

First groups tee off at 7.15am AEDT Tuesday with the 36-hole tournament to conclude on Wednesday.

In a virtuoso performance, Stolz, a winner on the PGA TOUR in his prime, literally rolled back the years as he rode a red-hot putter to a blistering back-nine of just 29, highlighted by an extraordinary run of four straight birdies from the 13th to the 16th holes.

For much of the day, the tournament was there for the taking. Overnight leader Sydney’s Alex Simpson and Queensland’s Peter Martin were locked in an arm wrestle for much of the front nine; however, neither could grab the tournament by its neck.

Playing a couple of groups in front, South Australian Anthony Choat, who came close here last year only to stumble late on the final day, made a move, and for a time it looked like he was the man most likely to claim a breakthrough win. Austin Bautista, a former NSW Amateur champion now plying his trade in the US, also attacked, eventually finishing at seven-under and safely in the clubhouse when it mattered.

Despite a slow start, Stolz soon became the man most likely. After bogeys on the second and sixth, the SParms PGA Legends Tour Order of Merit winner got on a roll with a pair of birdies on the seventh and eighth holes.

Then came that run home.

A birdie on 10 saw Stolz get to five-under before taking care of the stretch of holes the locals refer to as the Bermuda Triangle.

“I played amen corner or the Bermuda Triangle – whatever they call it – yesterday and didn’t capitalise on a couple of good shots,” said Stolz.

“Today, you know, I birdied them all. It was great.”

Striding the final fairway with the walk of a man in the zone, Stolz iced the cake with a kick-in birdie to get to 10-under, and with the chasing pack struggling, the tournament was over.

“I hit a lot of irons off those tees while the young guys were bombing it, but I’m a pretty good iron player, so if I’m hitting them all right it doesn’t bother me,” Stolz added.

“I can’t physically hit some of the shots they do, so I don’t even try anyway. I did out-drive them (playing partners Deyen Lawson and Neven Basic) down the last, so make a note of that,” he grinned.

Stolz has been impressive of late on the Legends Tour, recording a couple of handy wins against some worthy opponents; this week’s victory, however, was sparked by a missed cut at the recent Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.

“I’ve been playing good but playing on the old boys tour where the courses are a bit shorter and not set up as tough,” said Stolz.

“Playing the PGA a couple of weeks ago, well… I thought it had made me a bit soft, and I hadn’t been out here enough playing with the young boys.

“I feel like I am hitting the ball as good as I ever have.”

With the game coming into shape nicely, Stolz also admitted a change of putter had added another dimension to his growing confidence on course.

“I’ve got a brand new putter this week, too. I actually Googled where the nearest Drummond store was to me in Sydney,” he revealed.

“Went in, picked a putter off the rack, and Theo Corneo, a PGA Pro who is working there, said to me, ‘Is that how you putt? Can I give you a lesson?’

“I said, ‘Yeah, why not!’ We changed a few things, and they are now coming off alright.

“I like the feeling of optimism I have with this new putter. I feel like I am going to make it, something you feel confident within the 10-foot range, and that’s all you want some days.”

The win guarantees Stolz a place in the Golf Challenge NSW Open at Concord Golf Club, which he admitted he hasn’t played in several years.

“I did play one at Stonecutters, but didn’t play for five years, so it was a long while ago,” he smiled.