Coletta’s stunning Sunday at Cypress Lakes began at 9.17am, featured a course-record round of nine-under 61, an almost four-hour wait and then a playoff that went four holes with 54-hole leader Lincoln Tighe.

A par at the fourth trip down 18 secured his second PGA Tour of Australasia title, $45,000 in prize money and a rise to eighth on the Order of Merit.

With No.1 David Micheluzzi declining his exemption, Coletta is now eligible to enter the World City Championship in Hong Kong from March 23-26 along with Andrew Martin, Tom Power Horan, Deyen Lawson and Michael Hendry.

Coletta is also now in the field for this week’s New Zealand Open at the Millbrook Resort in Queenstown where he can further push for the Order of Merit exemptions and opportunities available at the end of the season.

For a player of such promise who came within a whisker of securing a PGA TOUR card in 2019, the opportunity to play his way back onto a main tour is now suddenly within reach.

“Absolutely, I keep an eye on it,” Coletta said of his Order of Merit hopes.

“The goals are very dynamic. Go back to July and I’m going back to Q School for Final Stage and I got Covid, didn’t get a category and didn’t really know what that meant at the time.

“I got in touch with Kim and Nick who have been great in giving me invites.

“I focused on Australia because I like it here, I’m comfortable here, can see my family all the time and the schedule is getting stronger and stronger. There are more events every year it seems like and they’ve got a long-term plan for the tour.

“When the season ends the season ends and I’ll see where I stand and take it from there.

“This definitely helps.”

Pursuing his career overseas on tours in Canada, South America and the United States made life difficult when Covid-19 swept the world.

He was unable to return to Australia during a tough time for his family, battling away on the Korn Ferry Tour where he missed his last 11 cuts in 2021.

With a win on Sunday he now has a full schedule to play on home soil to build towards a return to international golf.

“I knew it was deep down in me but it’s one of those games where when you’re playing good, you don’t ever see yourself playing bad again,” explained Coletta, who has three other top-five finishes this season including a playoff defeat at the Vic PGA.

“When you’re playing bad it’s the complete opposite. You feel like you’re in a rut; a big, deep rut that feels impossible to get out of.

“I’ve experienced both ends of it and I prefer this.

“I’ve been knocking on the door for a month now. I’m playing probably the best golf of my career in the last month so I was just hoping it would come at a good time, and it did.

“I’m just proud and glad that I’m back out here playing and winning.”

ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit (through TPS Hunter Valley)

1             David Micheluzzi               979.95 (12)
2             Cameron Smith  772.76 (2)
3             Andrew Martin  652.13 (11)
4             Tom Power Horan            483.15 (11)
5             Min Woo Lee     470.00 (2)
6             Adam Scott         456.05 (2)
7             Deyen Lawson    446.46 (12
8             Brett Coletta       408.76 (11)
9             Michael Hendry 401.93 (5)
10           Jason Scrivener  401.34 (2)

Must play minimum of four events to be eligible for the Order of Merit