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Rising WA star Hayden Hopewell has created history for a second time in taking out the $50,000 Mitchell and Brown Spalding Park Open in Geraldton.
Taking command of the tournament courtesy of a course record 10-under 62 on day one, Hopewell began the third and final round leading by two from Ryan Peake.
That lead was cut to one when Peake eagled the first to Hopewell’s birdie but that would be as close as anyone would get.
Hopewell’s birdie at three and Peake’s bogey saw the lead once again push out to three, Hopewell signing off on a tournament record total of 18-under par 198 and six-stroke win with a closing round of 7-under 65.
Two-under through nine holes of his final round, Hopewell showed his class to win going away, making birdies at 10, 11, 13, 15 and 16 to clinch his first adidas PGA Pro-Am Series win and move to the top of both the WA and National Pro-Am order of merits.
“It’s an honour coming up here and winning this event,” said Hopewell, the WA Open champion in 2020.
“I’m stoked with how I played, stoked with how the week went overall.
“The greens staff here have done an amazing job. The course conditions were perfect from start to finish. They should be very happy with how the course was presented this week.”
Admitting that he found it difficult to follow up his spectacular Round 1 performance, Hopewell said that the way he finished his second round of 1-under 71 provided the blueprint for his Sunday heroics.
“Having such a good first round, it’s always tough to back up a round like that,” he added.
“I held myself in there all the way to the end in Round 2 and that highlighted some stuff to me that I needed to take into the final round.
“I was a bit more calm and collected today which was a big key for my finish.”
As Peake struggled, it was 2022 winner Scott Strange who was moving up the leaderboard.
A front nine of 4-under 32 moved Strange to 9-under through the turn, picking up three further birdies at 11, 15 and 16 to finish outright second at 12-under.
Peake (74) had to settle for third while Victorian Cameron Kelly (69) snared fourth, Queensland’s Steve Jones (66) borrowing his wife’s putter to earn a share of fifth with South West Open champion Jose De Sousa (69).
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Spalding Park Open, and with major sponsor Mitchell & Brown confirming they are back on board, it promises to be an unmissable event.
The tour moves north to Karratha Golf Club on Thursday for the start of the NW Swing, the Bennco Group Karratha Pro-Am.
