Sharing a prize

PRO-AM king Steven Jeffress was forced to split top spot with fellow Queenslander Brett Rankin and hot Victorian Brett Coletta at yesterday’s Qantas Golf Club Gold Coast Challenge.

The Gold Coast-based Jeffress fired five birdies at Links Hope Island to build on his first-round lead but even quality rounds of 66-67 for an 11under-par total could not shake the field.

Coletta (69-64) produced the best round of the new event to catch Jeffress with yesterday’s 10 birdies while Rankin’s underrated golf of the past year produced another good result with his 67-66.

Perth’s Australia’s Breanna Gill (68-70) was a two-stroke winner of the women’s event to also win the ALPG’s seasonlong ClubCar Series and $11,000 in total.

The seasoned Jeffress is a renowned performer on the pro-am circuit and yesterday’s success added to wins at Vir- ginia, Mt Coolum, Emerald and the City of Brisbane last year.

Hope Island resident Peter Senior (71-69) showed that, even at 58, he can show pros half his age how to compile a round. He finished at fourunder and in a tie for 20th.

The $60,000 Gold Coast Challenge’s success in its first staging augurs well for a repeat next year of the unique format which pairs a male and female pro with two amateurs.

“We’ve had positive feedback from both sides about trying something different and I’m sure the energy is there to stage it again next year because we don’t want it to be a one-hit wonder,” ALPG chief Karen Lunn said.

Senior played with LPGA pro Sarah Kemp (72-69) in a productive group.

For Coletta, it was a show of his class after illness forced his withdrawal from last year’s Queensland Open when he was unable to defend as champion. Gold Coast’s Michael Sim (69-66) finished fourth.