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Australian Nathan Holman overcame a double bogey start and a bogey-bogey finish to win the Australian PGA at Royal Pines yesterday in a playoff over American Harold Varner 111, and South African Dylan Frittelli.
But it was the three-way bonus that was the icing on the cake – a start in next year’s British Open at Royal Troon, and the Bridgestone Invitational, as well as securing his European Tour card after failing at Q-School.
“It was a crazy day,” said the 24-year-old Holman after his first professional win.
Indeed it was crazy, as golf fans could be forgiven for thinking the leading contenders were trying to lose the title, rather than win it.
The final day started with Varner, Frittelli, and another South African Zander Lombard sharing the lead at 3-under, Holman at 1-under, with Swede David Lingmerth and Australian Matthew Millar on even par.
Varner bogeyed 2, 3, 10, and 15 with a birdie at 12 for his 75 – and even par.
Frittelli was 5-over after seven, but a birdie before the turn, and two birdies and a bogey on the way home for his 75 – and even par.
While Holman’s bad start and finish book-ended three birdies for his 73 – and even par.
Lombard fell off the pace early with four bogeys and a birdie going out, and two bogeys with a birdie on the way home for his 76 – and 1-over.
Unfortunately for Lingmerth and Millar, they saved their worst rounds until last, ending their campaign.
But two Australians – the 22-year-old Cameron Smith, and the 44-year-old leftie Richard Green, both had a sniff of victory but bogeyed at critical times.
In the play-off, Holman found the 18th green in regulation, but both Varner and Fritelli missed and ended up with bogey fives, to Holman’s par.
That was the second successive three-way play-off for the Australian PGA,
Last year Greg Chalmers beat Adam Scott at the marathon seventh play-off hole, after Wade Ormsby bowed out after three,
The trio had finished at 11-under, but in the interim Graham Marsh has dramatically redesigned the course, and over the last fours days Mother Nature has unleashed her venom.
That combination was tough making for plenty of tension-filled golf and that made riveting viewing with top class commentary from Channel Sevens Peter Donegan, Ian Baker-Finch, Wayne Grady, and Ossie Moore.
But all that quality work was undone by the Channel Seven bean-counters who bombarded viewers with commercials, quite often seven at a time – a sure way to kill off fringe golf-lovers.
And PGA Australia didn’t help the cause either.
In an amateur performance, the PGA insulted overseas visitors in the field by not having their head-shots, leaving a substitute silhoette to suffice with no bios, date of birth, or world ranking – just plain lazy.
Every overseas golfer played in Wednesday’s Pro-Am, the perfect opportunity to snap head-shots. But no – too difficult.
It’s hard enough to attract quality overseas golfers at this time of the year, so it requires Channel Seven and PGA Australia to play ball to make them feel welcome.
The final leaderboard:
Even par – Nathan Holman * 77 68 70 73, Dylan Frittelli 70 72 71 75, Harold Varner 111 – 74 73 66 75.
1-over – Zander Lombard 67 75 71 76.
2-over – Cameron Smith 78 69 70 73.
3-over – Dimitrios Papadatos 75 71 71 74, Richard Green 73 74 70 74, Matthew Millar 72 70 74 75.