Two time
Australian PGA champion Greg Chalmers has notched an emotional maiden PGA TOUR
victory at the Barracuda Championship in Nevada, punctuated with a stunning 72^nd
hole eagle.

Chalmers, one of
the most popular players both in Australia and the US, hit the shot of a
lifetime to the 72^nd hole under intense pressure to close out the
win in the modified stableford scoring format.

After 385
starts in America, Chalmers became the second Australian to hoist the trophy
after Geoff Ogilvy in 2014.

The win not
only earns him a two year exemption back to the PGA TOUR after losing full
status last year but also gains him a place in The Open Championship in two
weeks’ time.

Chalmers felt
the nerves after taking the lead into the final round and as long hitting Gary
Woodland applied pressure from in front over the closing stages the left hander
made some mistakes.

Three back
nine bogies saw Chalmers head to the final hole with a lead of just one point
but when Woodland stumbled with an unlikely bogey he knew par would be good
enough to seal the deal.

Chalmers spoke
at length after winning the Australian PGA at RACV Royal Pines Resort in 2014
about needing to take the confidence he feels playing in Australia to the big
stage in America.

His final
round 63 on the Gold Coast that day, and the seven holes of extra time before
he finally overcame Adam Scott, looked to be a turning point for the affable
42-year-old but he struggled in 2015.

This year
hasn’t been much easier with Chalmers playing the bulk of his golf on the
secondary Web.com Tour where he has posted two
top-10 finishes and sits 74^th on the money list.

However,
victory in Nevada has swept away all the frustration, Chalmers clearly
emotional in the aftermath of the victory.

"In golf you
always have to think something good is around the corner," said Chalmers, as he
held back tears on the 18^th green.

"I thought my
game was close and today I got rewarded. Every time something could go the
wrong way during the week it worked out good for me."

"Today was a
battle but the first three days it went really well for me."

Chalmers said
he thought he would need a grandstand finish but after hitting his tee shot on
the 18^th was told about Woodland’s bogey.

"I thought I
was in trouble because I thought Gary would birdie the last," added Chalmers.

"But they told
me he made bogey and I just needed to make par and I crushed that drive and hit
the best shot….the only good shot I hit today, I think."

While Chalmers
was a popular winner he wasn’t the only Australian smiling on Sunday after
Lismore’s Rhein Gibson made an albatross on his final hole.

The incredible
shot won him $100,000 to donate to a charity of his choice but also helped him
to T25, his best finish of a tumultuous rookie season on the PGA TOUR.

Cameron Percy
also had a good final round, his 14 points for the day lifting him to T13, one
point ahead of Aaron Baddeley whose T17 finish has all but guaranteed his card
for 2017.

Former winner
Geoff Ogivly (T35), Rod Pampling (T44) and Cameron Smith (65^th) were
the other Australians to make the cut, Stuart Appleby and John Senden both
failing to qualify for the weekend.