Cessnock local Brendan Smith survived the hijinks and frivolity to storm home to victory at the Jack Newton Celebrity Classic at Cypress Lakes.
In a two-day pro-am like no other featuring fancy-dress professionals, celebrities from every spectrum of society and even a serenading former PM, Smith finished at 10-under 134 to beat fellow Jack Newton Golf Foundation graduates Brad McIntosh and Won Joon Lee by one stroke.
“It’s the first time I’ve played at the event and I had a ball,”
“The first night I was here I was wearing my Bulldogs jersey and had a dream come true when I had dinner with (former Canterbury great) Terry Lamb and I just couldn’t believe it,” the 23-year-old Smith said.
“Then today I played with (ex-Bulldog) Graeme Hughes – I thought ‘it can’t get better than this.'”
In an event where fun beats golf in the pecking order, Smith said he’d now be a regular starter.
“I’ll definitely be back next year,” he said.
“It’s perfect, it’s just before Christmas, it’s a great way to unwind.”
Scores blew out on the final day, Smith’s second round 65 a standout as the three days of partying and intense heat took its toll on the majority of the field.
Teenager Jake Higginbottom had a 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole which could have forced a playoff, only for the New Zealand Open champion to three-putt to fall to equal fourth at eight-under.
Ewan Porter scrapped his ‘Slash’ outfit of day one for the far more comfortable board shorts and singlet on Wednesday, though he actually played worse sans wig, tights and boots, with a second round 69 following his opening 67 to finish tied with Higginbottom and Aron Price.
Sarah Kemp was the leading female at two-under, three strokes ahead of Nikki Garrett who ditched her eye-catching Avatar body suit of day one for a much more sedate high-vis vest and hard hat.
A code-change may be in order for retired St George Illawarra skipper Ben Hornby as he took out the men’s section of the celebrity category with at plus six in the to-par format, where the highest positive score is deemed the winner.
Softballer Natalie Ward was deemed the female winner with a two-day total of plus seven, a strong effort considering organisers slashed ten shots off her handicap after a blistering opening day.
Having regaled the field with a stirring rendition of all five verses of Waltzing Matilda the previous night, 83-year-old former Prime Minister Bob Hawke found form with a round of minus four after a opening minus 12.