The 1995 Ford South Australian Open champion, Elliott started his round from the third hole and began in steady fashion, reeling off six straight pars before picking up consecutive birdies at nine and 10.

There was a lone bogey on the back nine before the 59-year-old Victorian finished in a flurry, back-to-back birdies on his final two holes enough to finish one stroke clear of Andre Stolz (69) with Peter Senior, Euan Walters and Brad Burns sharing third with rounds of 2-under 70.

Given the border closures currently in place Elliott has remained in Queensland waiting for tournaments to play in, the victory going some way to easing any homesickness he may be feeling.

“I have been on the road longer than I expected due to the COVID situation back home in Victoria so it is good to get a win,” said Elliott, the Order of Merit champion in 2014 and 2016.

“The course was in great condition and I managed to play some good shots when it counted.”

With 29 Legends Tour players teeing it up, Stolz was seeking his sixth win of the season but conceded that he didn’t quite get everything out of his round that he would have liked.

“I hit the ball well but I left a few shots out there,” said Stolz, whose most recent win came at the Royal Queensland Pro-Am.

“The course was terrific and it was just great to see professional golf back in Cairns again.”

The SParms PGA Legends Tour now makes its way south for the 36-hole Rowes Bay Pro-Am starting on Monday.