Amateur Ben Wallace, 18, was ahead of the pros at one stage in the Titirangi Open and won many admirers. Photo / Kenny Rodger
Hamilton professional Mark Purser, still in his first year in the paid ranks, picked up a cheque for $8421 when he won the AMP Open at Titirangi yesterday by one shot in a dramatic finish.
Purser, 23, who won the equivalent Tauranga tournament in April, seemed out of
contention when 18-year-old Auckland amateur Ben Wallace was five under for the tournament and leading Christchurch professional Tony Christie by three shots.
In the group ahead of them, Purser was one over after missing a very short putt on the fifth. He repaired the damage with a birdie on the 10th and finished one under when he birdied from inside a metre on the 15th.
Behind him, Wallace, who had started the day with a two-shot lead after a third-round 68, finally showed signs of feeling the pressure.
He dropped shots on the eighth, ninth and 14th and surrendered the lead to Christie when he had to play out backwards from the trees on the 15th and finished with a double-bogey.
Christie also had trouble and they came to the last at even par, needing birdies to match Purser. Neither came close and the young Hamilton pro took the win with a 72-hole total of 279, one under par with a final round of 69.
Hawkes Bay pro Doug Holloway, with a closing 67, and Wellingtonian Mark Brown (70) shared second with Christie (72) and Wallace (74).
"It really came down to a series of incredible up-and-downs for pars on the last few holes," Purser said. "I missed a very short putt on the fifth but I didn't let it affect me. I knew I just had to stay in the present.
"I haven't got a tour to play on at the moment. I'm going to try for the Aussie and Asian tours but I want to base myself here for the next few years. It's a matter of a gradual progression. You can't try to take over the world all at once."
Wallace won many admirers with his play over the four days. He has had to overcome serious health problems recently and has been lost to Auckland representative golf for the year because of a dispute with officialdom.
