Kiwi golfer Cathryn Bristow has secured a breakthrough win on the ALPG Tour, claiming the Moss Vale Golf Club Ladies Classic with a superb eight under 65 in the final round in Wollongong.
Bristow entered the final day of the two-round tournament tied for the lead on five under par with a group of 16 players all at one under or better.
She blew her rivals away, posting eight birdies and a bogey for a four shot victory over the Australian pair of Sarah Kemp and Nikki Campbell and Frenchwoman Joanna Klatten.
"It's probably the best two rounds I've ever put together," said Bristow.
"It felt effortless. I kept finding the right spots off the drive and put myself in good positions on the greens to make a few putts."
Teeing off in the final group of the pro-am, Bristow posted a birdie at the first hole and followed that with two more before the sixth tee.
The left-hander then stumbled with a bogey at the par-three sixth hole. However, she quickly got that shot back with a birdie at the seventh and a couple of pars to finish the front nine in three-under.
A steady start to the back nine saw her remain at three-under until she reached the 12th tee, where her round really took off.
From there she made five birdies in her last seven holes for the championship-equalling low round.
Her score of 13-under for the two days bettered last year's score of 11-under by Katherine Hull and it will ensure her a start in the Gold Coast RACV Australian Ladies Masters in the first week of February.
It will also help to secure her a start at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open at Royal Melbourne the following week, ahead of the NZ Women's Open in Christchurch.
While the field in Wollongong may have lacked quantity because of the Ladies European Tour qualifying school, there was no lack of quality with the likes of World No 74 Nikki Campbell and LPGA players Sarah Kemp, Sarah-Jane Smith and Danielle Downey in company.
"It may have been a relatively small field, but there was a lot of quality in this field, so I gain a lot of confidence out of this win," said Bristow.
"It's good preparation for the next five weeks and I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing against some of the world's best players in our major events."
It was her first win on the ALPG Tour after also collecting her first professional win on the US secondary tour midway through the year.
She paid tribute to her brother, Peter, who was her caddy for the event.
"Pete was a great help, and I had great playing partners for two days who kept it light out there, and we had a lot of fun."