New Zealand’s Josh Geary has won the WA Open golf championship with a blistering seven-under-par 65 in the final round on Sunday to win by five shots.
Geary was in total command at Mount Lawley Golf Club in Perth to finish at 15-under for the tournament and comfortably claim victory ahead of overnight leader, 23-year-old Victorian Kris Mueck.
“I set out there with high hopes and played great all day,” said Geary.
“I kept within myself and managed to finish it off quite nicely.
“I was pretty relaxed, I tried to stay calm and not let the outside influences affect what I was doing.”
Geary’s first win on the PGA Tour of Australasia resulted in him joining an impressive honour roll of past WA Open champions including Gary Player, Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch, Brett Rumford and Stephen Leaney.
“It has been six or seven years now that I have been trying for a win,” said Geary.
“The highest hurdle is the first one. Now I have broken through I should be good for the near future.”
The win earns Geary, who attend PGA Tour of Australasia qualifying school earlier this year, a start in next week’s rich Perth International and secures his Tour card for the remainder of this season and 2014.
“It is huge from my career point of view,” said Geary.
“I have been hitting it well and putting great. My head is in a good place to I think I am ready for another couple of wins.”
Victorian Nathan Holman was outright third at nine-under in just his second professional tournament.
Next best on eight-under were Peter O’Malley (NSW), Kim Felton (WA) and Steve Jones (Vic).