Queensland’s Brett Rankin has claimed his third Onsite Rental Group Dysart Pro-Am victory by three shots at Dysart Golf Club with rounds of 67 and 64 for a tournament total of 131.

On a perfect Central Highlands afternoon the chase was on to catch overnight leader Paul Hayden who started the final round one shot clear of the field in the two-day Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series tournament.

Rankin got off to a fantastic start in his quest for his third win following victories in 2016 and 2017, making birdies on his first four holes and another on the 8^th to see him make the turn at 5-under 31.

Hayden made the turn at 3-under 33 and the pair were locked in a two horse race at 9-under par for the tournament heading into the final nine holes.

Hayden made birdie the 10^th and 11^th holes but a bogey on the 14^th resulted in a two shot swing as Rankin applied the pressure with a string of birdies on the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th holes.

An eagle on the par-5, 15^th hole for Hayden put him within one shot of Rankin but another bogey on the 16^th ended his chances.

Holding a two-shot lead standing on the 18^th tee Rankin made no mistake with his approach, securing par on the final hole to claim the 41^st Onsite Rental Group Dysart Pro-Am.

“I played well and gave myself a lot of opportunities for birdies,” said Rankin.

“I drove the ball well off the tee, which meant I didn’t miss many greens; this was the difference between yesterday and today’s round.

“I am thrilled to make this my third win here in Dysart. It’s a fantastic event and all of the volunteers do an amazing job.”

Paul Hayden finished in outright second place with rounds of 66 and 68 for a 10-under 134 tournament total.

Darren Beck, Samuel Rawlings and Dane McArdle tied for third place to complete the top five with 9-under 135 tournament totals.

Queenslander Tim Hart holds the lead for the Onsite Rental Group Mining Towns Series on 28-under par, holding a two shot lead over Brett Rankin on 26-under, while the next best placed professional is Darren Beck sitting on 22-under.

The next stop on the Onsite Rental Mining Towns Series will be Middlemount Golf and Country Club where play begins at 7.00am Tuesday morning for the Middlemount South Pro-Am.

Brett Rankin has dominated the field playing exceptional golf at the Lae Golf Club to be crowned the 2019 NKW Group Morobe Open champion.

Firing 3-under 69 in the final round for a tournament total of 20-under 264, Rankin claimed victory by four shots from his nearest competitor Brady Watt who completed the tournament alone in second place on 16-under 268.

On a perfect afternoon for scoring, the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series spectators were out in force in Papua New Guinea as they were treated to a final round master class of exceptional shot making from the leading groups.

Rankin made the turn at 2-under 35 but while a bogey on the 14^th hole threatened to derail the round, birdies on the 15^th and 16^th holes secured the win.

A trio of players including Jay Mackenzie, Watt and Martin Dive mounted a charge for the lead midway through the round however Rankin held his nerve throughout the day.

“I felt I was in control of the tournament throughout the day,” said Rankin.

“I knew I just needed to shoot in the 60’s today and that would be good enough to win the event.”

This result is the four-round tournament win breakthrough for Rankin who was thrilled to take the title.

“It is a great feeling winning the NKW Group Morobe Open in Lae here today. I have been fortunate to win many one and two-day pro-ams on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series but this is the first four round tournament,” Rankin added.

“I still played great today but I didn’t hole as many putts which was the difference in the score.”

Competitive amongst the front-runners for the duration of the tournament, New South Welshman Martin Dive rounded out the top three, finishing with a tournament total of 14-under 270.

Daniel Fox and Jay Mackenzie completed the top five sitting equal in fourth place at 12-under 272.

The week has been much more than just golf for Rankin and all of the professionals who have enjoyed both the golf course and the hospitality which is synonymous with the Lae Golf Club.

“This is my seventh trip up here for the Morobe Open and I must say the course is getting better with each year,” said Rankin.

“The conditions were heavy in the first couple of rounds following all the rain but yesterday and today the course was fantastic, full credit must go to all involved.”

“It’s been a fantastic event not only on the course but also off the course, the members of the Lae Golf Club are just so welcoming and the hospitality we are shown whilst here is nothing short of incredible, I always look forward to returning each year.”

As the leaders were battling it out Jacob Boyce made the highlight of the fourth round with an eagle on the 10^th hole driving the greenside bunker on the 305m, par-4 hole before proceeding to hold his bunker shot for an eagle 2.

Professional golf remains in Papua New Guinea next week with the SP Brewery PNG Open being staged at the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club as part of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

Brett Rankin has continued his outstanding Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series form at the NKW Group Morobe Open to take a dominant seven shot lead over the field in Papua New Guinea.

Recording the equal lowest score in round three of 6-under 65, Rankin extended his 1-shot lead from the previous day to sit on an 18-under 195 tournament total with one round to play.

“I got off to a slow start early in the round and I was 2-over through the first five holes,” said Rankin.

“Then something clicked and I finished with eight birdies over my final twelve holes, which was a great result.

“I’m driving the ball so well this week which has allowed me to be really aggressive with my shots into the greens.

“I’ve hit a lot of wedges and pitch shots over the last three days so this has certainly contributed to my good rounds.”

Perfect scoring conditions greeted professionals at Lae Golf Club where the competition remains tight among those sitting just off the lead.

With totals of 11-under for the tournament so far Brady Watt, Jay Mackenzie and Martin Dive sit tied for second place, one shot ahead of Cooper Geddes who rounds out the top five at 10-under the card.

“The course was good out there today,” said Mackenzie.

“I knew the greens were holding well which gave me confidence with my ball striking and I putted well which keep me in it.”

“I’m thrilled to be playing in the final group tomorrow and looking forward to the experience.”

Brett Rankin has moved into the lead of the Morobe Open at Lae Golf Club in Papua New Guinea after overtaking rookie Professional Jay Mackenzie in round two to sit one shot ahead of the field.

Heavy rain overnight delayed the start of play by four hours on Friday as players waited for the water to subside; when play finally got underway it was under clear skies with a light breeze blowing out of the west.

Rankin took the lead after firing 5-under 66 in round two of one of the richest events on the Ladbrokes Pro-Am Series, which along with his opening round of 7-under 64 made for a tournament total of 12-under 130 with two rounds to play.

The Brisbane based professional made eight birdies for the day and just the one bogey on the par-4 3^rd hole to make the turn at 1-under 35, finishing with a solid back-9 recording a score of 4-under 31.

“After the rain we had last night I knew the course was going to play a lot differently today than it did for round one,” said Rankin.

“I was happy with where my game was at before coming over here, and I’m pleased to be in the lead at the mid-way mark.

“Having played the course a number of times now I know there are a lot of birdies to be had but it’s really important to keep the ball in play, which is what my focus has been so far.”

Just one shot of the pace in second position is New South Welshman Martin Dive after shooting 5-under 66 along with his opening round of 6-under 65 for a tournament total of 11-under 131.

“I’ve played solid golf the last couple of days,” said Dive.

“I feel really comfortable on the course and I am looking forward to what the weekend brings.

“I think the back-9 is where you need to make your score on this course, there are a couple of reachable par-5’s which you need to take advantage of.”

The next best-placed professionals are overnight leader Jay Mackenzie and Victorian Anthony Marchesani who both sit on 8-under 134 for the tournament.

Round three gets underway on Saturday morning with the lead group including Rankin, Dive and Mackenzie teeing off at 12.50pm.

Queenslander Brett Rankin remained bogey free in his opening round to finish 7-under par 63 and hold a one shot lead early in the Coca-Cola QLD PGA Championship presented by Wippells Volkswagen.

He said it’s nice to get off to a strong start after some disappointing early rounds in his last couple of tournaments.

“I’m extremely happy with that, the last couple of weeks my first rounds haven’t been the greatest starts so it’s good to get out there and get a good start, my game actually feels really good,” said Rankin.

“It’s something I spoke to my coach Richard Woodhouse about, a bit of a mindset and a little bit of a set up change I figured out myself in the pro-am on Tuesday and that little tweak seems to have found the magic.

“I drove it really well, hit my irons really good and putted pretty solid so I’m really happy with the start.”

Finishing one shot behind at 6-under 64 was Queenslander Jake McLeod, ending his round on a high with a birdie on his final hole.

“I hit it pretty nicely, I was a few under after six holes I think and then made a bogey on the 7^th which was a bit disappointing,” said McLeod.

“I came back and played some good holes, I birdied 10 and 11, made some pars then birdied 16 and lucky enough to birdie 18 as well.”

Joining McLeod on 6-under 64 is New South Welshman Aron Price, whose putter went cold over his back-9.

“It was a good round, I birdied six of the first eight and was putting quite well then the putter dried up but after that I hit every fairway and every green and only made one putt which was a tap in,” said Price.

“It could’ve been a few better but I think everyone’s going to be in the same boat, there’s not much wind out here and if you can drive it well you’re going to have an opportunity on most holes.”

Joining the pair on 6-under par is New Zealander Kieran Muir who was blemish free for his 64 around the par 70 layout.

Matt Millar (ACT), Nathan Green (NSW), Nick Voke (NZ), Taylor Macdonald (QLD) and Rick Kulacz all shot 5-under 65.

Kulacz enters this week after carrying the bag for European Tour Professional Marcus Fraser who reached the second round of match play in last week’s ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth.

“Those bags are bloody heavy! I got a lot out of last week, it was quite enjoyable,” said Kulacz.

“Obviously he was contending there for quite a while, he got knocked out in the second round, I’d probably do it again if he asks me but I definitely prefer playing so we’ll keep it at bay for now.”

The afternoon field is now on course.