Daniel Pearce. Photo / NZ Golf
Two former Hawke's Bay amateurs, Daniel Pearce and Doug Holloway, provided all the drama before the former claimed his maiden Charles Tour title in an exciting final round at the Muriwai Open yesterday.
The drama that unfolded on the 18th green was seen throughout the day and started with the first tee shot by overnight leader Holloway.
The Te Pohue professional hit a poor three wood off the first tee, deemed unplayable and costing him a double bogey.
In contrast, Auckland-based Pearce chipped in for an eagle on the second hole to cruise into the lead.
Holloway's nervy start was accentuated with a bogey on the third hole, although he righted the ship on the fourth with his first birdie of the day.
Meanwhile, Pearce stretched his lead with a birdie on the par-five 6th hole.
Mark Brown, Josh Munn and Kieran Muir led the charging pack, solid on the front nine and nicely teed up for the back nine.
While Pearce made the turn with a three-shot lead, the fun was about to start. After seeing Pearce drop a shot on the 10th hole, Holloway pulled his six iron out to nail a hole-in-one on the par-three 11th.
Pearce's could only manage a shot 13m from the hole but, amazingly, rolled it in to maintain his one-stroke lead.
Pearce's buffer didn't last for much longer as a drive deep into the bushes on the 12th hole saw him fight hard for a bogey while Holloway birdied to recapture his overnight lead.
Munn was starting his charge, birdieing the 11th, 12th and 14th but bogeying the 16th before finding the birdie habit on 17th and 18th to post the clubhouse lead at 15 under par.
Muir eagled the 14th and then birdied the 15th hole to reach 16 under par for the round, one behind Holloway and Pearce, however a three putt on the 16th followed by a poor tee shot on 18 saw Muir settle for 14 under par.
Brown was the next to send the leaders a scare with a four-birdie blitz but was unable to sustain that in the last two holes, finishing 15 under par.
Holloway had dropped a shot at the 16th to tie at 16 under par for the lead with Pearce.
A birdie at the 17th saw him take the lead back from Pearce and after a drive straight down the middle of the 18th hole, in the box seat for his sixth Charles Tour title.
His approach, though, found a tough pot bunker while Pearce's looked as though it would roll back off the green only to nestle on the edge.
When Holloway duffed his first bunker shot and the second ran 4m past the hole a four-way playoff involving Munn, Brown, Pearce and Holloway beckoned. However, Pearce didn't falter, chipping a metre past the pin. When Holloway missed for a double bogey Pearce made good.
" I played solid out there, tried to do what I have been doing all week," he said, adding a few adjustments last week seemed to be working nicely.
"I tried to keep plugging away all day. I stumbled a bit on the back nine early but cruised home and didn't really make any mistakes," said the man who is married to Bay athlete Sarah Pearce.
"I had a few sneaky looks on the back nine and actually thought I had to hole that putt on the 18th to tie the lead. I was keeping a look but Doug was there or thereabouts, ahead of me on the back nine so I was just trying to stick with him or catch him."
Pearce said it was always tough to win the first title at home and in a good field.
"It's a massive relief too. I've put myself in position a lot of times before and haven't quite got there."
He now heads to China where he has conditional status on the PGA China Tour.
Alanna Campbell won the women's Open by six shots with a one-under par 71 on the last day.