Golf: Josh Geary matches record to win

Tauranga golfer Josh Geary shot 64 to win the 36 hole Men's Health Trust/Generation Homes Fairview Pro-Am. Photo/John Borren.

Josh Geary and Jared Pender made it a Tauranga one-two finish to the 36 hole Men's Health Trust/Generation Homes Fairview Pro-Am at Fairview Golf Club on Saturday.

Geary shot a sizzling 8-under 64 to equal his own course record to follow up his opening round of 67 for a tally of 131.

Pender walked off the course thinking he had won the lion's sheer of the $25,000 prize money after his second 66 only to find out his good mate had beaten him by a single shot.

First round leader Harry Bateman had the tournament in his grasp only to choke on the final two holes. He shot 65 on Friday to lead into the final 18 holes and was heading for a 66 and the title until he finished double bogey, bogey to lag two behind Geary in third spot.

The beautifully appointed course at Fairview, just south of Katikati, was a superb setting for the hot golf on show, with the top 12 golfers in the field all shooting two sub-70 scores.

Geary is in a rich vein of form and puts his consistency down to a stronger mental state.

"Even over the last two days I struggled with my swing a little bit but I had no bogeys over two rounds which is pretty good and does not happen too often," Geary said.

"I made a lot of birdies overseas but a lot of bogeys too as you don't get away with so much over there."

For Geary the course has many great memories going back to when he was 11 years old.

"I had a job here, when it first opened, picking up balls on the range.

"I shot 64 here this time last year playing with my coach James Cooper, who shot 66. But I had to give him three shots so I had to buy him breakfast.

"The course has come a long way from the early years, especially over the last three years, and Owen [Williams] and his team have done a great job. The course is looking good and there are great facilities now with a gym.

"I think they are heading in the right direction and I think in the next few years, if it is not already, it will be the best course in the Bay."

Pender is also having a good run after he shot 66 to win the Cambridge Pro Am last week. He made just one bogey on Saturday and is happy with where his game is.

"I am not playing great but I am playing pretty solid and I am putting alright. It has been pretty consistent," Pender said.

"It was probably a little bit harder today than it was on Friday with the rain we had and there were a lot of top pros around in the mix. Josh does a lot of practice out here and plays a lot out here on what I would say is pretty much his home course.

"The only unfortunate thing is we have another two dayer and one dayer and then that's it until February. I will try and find a little bit of work maybe in the next couple of weeks before I get back into it early in the New Year."

The top-class field will tee it up at Mount Maunganui from 8am on Tuesday in the Coombes Johnston BMW Pro Am that was washed out by the heavy rain on Thursday.