Pearce survives final-day drama
NEW Zealand’s Daniel Pearce is the 2017 Coca-Cola Queensland PGA champion.
But only after one of the most dramatic days in the history of the 90-year-old event’s history unfolded at City Golf Club yesterday.
Pearce finally pocketed the title after firstly surrendering a nine-shot final round lead and then surviving a gruelling three-hole play-off against tenacious runner-up Matt Millar.
The title looked to be safely in Pearce’s keeping when he birdied the first hole of his round yesterday to stretch his overnight eight-shot lead to nine.
But no-one told Millar the fat lady was starting to warm up as he set out after Pearce.
Pearce’s round began to unravel on hole five where he recorded the first of four successive bogeys.
At the same time Millar dug in for the fight with the pair locked in a tense duel which eventually saw Pearce one-up after nine.
Pearce was finally collared on the 17th hole when Millar rolled in a
birdie putt to draw level with one championship hole remaining.
Both players bogeyed the 18th after finding the sand which sent the tournament into overtime.
Millar had a five-metre putt to make on the first extra hole to claim the trophy but wasn’t able to sink it.
The players shared pars on the second play-off hole before Millar faltered on his third trip down the 18th when his second shot from a fairway bunker found trouble short, right of the green.
Pearce, meanwhile, was in the heart of the green facing two putts to win the tournament.
But Millar looked to pull one more ace from his sleeve with his chip shot for par from the fringe behind the green falling centimetres short of the cup.
Pearce finally ended the stand-off with a tap-in putt to become the third Kiwi to win the tournament since City Golf Club became home of the PGA in 2009.
“I won, so I guess I’ve got to be happy,” Pearce said, summing up his day.
“I played great all week. “This is awesome for my confidence and hopefully I can build on this from here.”
Charlie Dann finished leading amateur at -9 with former Dalby junior Lawry Flynn at -5.