New Zealand's challenge melted in the heat as Australian golfer Paul Sheehan won the Jacob's Creek Open in Adelaide yesterday.
Sheehan won a play-off against compatriot Michael Sim on the second extra hole when Sim posted a double bogey six.
Both had completed regulation in seven-under 281 after Sheehan jumped
into contention with a closing round of three-under 69 and Sim shot 71.
Four New Zealanders entered yesterday's final round at Royal Adelaide within four strokes of overnight leader Sim but all quickly came unstuck and drifted down the leaderboard.
Brad Iles, Michael Long and Phil Tataurangi were two back of Sim in a share of fourth place after the third round but all lost contact with the leaders as scores ballooned in strengthening winds in the final round.
Iles, in his fifth tournament as a professional, ended the event as the leading New Zealander, in a share of 23rd place on one-under 287.
He closed with a three-over 75, while Long signed off with 76 to be on 288, one ahead of David Smail.
Smail shot 75 to finish in a share of 29th, while Steve Alker managed 74 to tie for 34th on 290, alongside Tataurangi, who tumbled backwards courtesy of a 78.
That represented a 10-shot swing on his third-round 68 as Tataurangi contested just his second tournament since a serious back injury forced him off the PGA Tour in the United States in 2004. He missed the second-round cut a fortnight ago in the Panama Championship.
The Jacob's Creek Open is co-sanctioned by the Australasian PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour, as is the New Zealand PGA Championship starting in Christchurch on Thursday.
Sim, Tataurangi, Smail, Alker, Iles and Long are all confirmed starters in Christchurch.
- NZPA
