With the course playing long and tough, Price’s 3-under 69 was good enough to edge Terry Pilkadaris (70), Brendan Chant (70) and Tim Elliott (70) by a single stroke.

A three-time winner on the PGA Legends Tour last season, Price was in contention last week at Rich River Golf Club before a poor decision led to a double-bogey on his penultimate hole.

He would ultimately finish in a tie for ninth four shots back of winner Peter Lonard, making sure not to make the same mistake twice at Settlers Run.

“It was probably course management,” Price said of the key to his winning score.

“I played at Moama last week and made a silly mistake on the second-last hole which cost me about six places.

“I had an opportunity to be silly again today and did not do that so that was probably the best thing that happened today.”

HOW THE ROUND UNFOLDED

A bogey on his opening hole – the par-5 ninth – was not how Price had hoped to start his round.

He would recover in impressive fashion, though, making four birdies in the space of five holes from the par-4 12th to vault to the top of the leaderboard.

A birdie at the par-4 second helped to further separate Price from the field, his buffer trimmed to a single shot with a bogey at the par-4 fifth.

WHAT THE WINNER SAID

“It was a tough start. I played the easiest hole first and made a bogey so it looked like being a long day.

“Came good after that. A bogey at the end which was not really pleasing but, in the middle, very nice play.

“The course was set up very tough. We played off some back markers and the greens dried out this afternoon so birdies were not plentiful. The course was a real challenge; you had to have your thinking cap on.

“Gardiners Run on Friday will be my last event down here and I’m really looking forward to having a hit there. Barb Kelly and the team down there do a fantastic job and have been great supporters of the Legends Tour so looking forward to getting back there.”

LEADERBOARD RUNDOWN
1          Terry Price                    69
T2        Terry Pilkadaris             70
T2        Brendan Chant             70
T2        Tim Elliott                     70
T5        Michael Long               71
T5        John Wade                   71
T5        Peter Fowler                 71
T5        Euan Walters                71
T5        Murray Lott                  71

NEXT UP

The PGA Legends Tour is in central Melbourne on Thursday for The White Glove Movers Legends Pro-Am at Albert Park Golf Course before moving on to Gardiners Run Golf Course for the Gardiners Run Legends Pro-Am on Friday.