Greg Chalmers Wins The Australian PGA Championship After A Record Play-Off
Greg Chalmers, the 41 year old Australian, won his second Australian PGA Championship yesterday after the longest playoff recorded at any top-tier Australian tournament. The play-off lasted for seven-holes. Incidentally, he last won the tournament in 2011 when he made eight birdies which was the lowest round of that tournament. The last four editions of this tournament have been won by Australians with Baniel Popovic winning the tournament in 2012 and Adam Scott winning it in 2013.
The tournament, also part of the One Asia Tour these days, was started in 1905. It is hosted by the very prestigious 7, 378 yards stretched RACV Royal Pines Resort in Queensland. The champion receives the Kirkwood Cup, named after the Australian golfer Joe Kirkwood Sr. The total prize money at the tournament is AUD 1,000,000.
On the final day of the tournament fellow Australians Adam Scott, the defending champion, Scott Strange and Wade Ormsby were tied and leading the pack. Scott Strange soon left the leaders as his game dropped to a four-over-par 76. On the other hand Adam Scott and Wade Ormsby maintained their game to reach 11 under par. Greg Chambers soon joined them with a superb display of what was to come soon by a 64 under par. He slowly gained momentum and kept on getting better with every day. At the third hole, Ormsby was eliminated and Chalmers took the lead as Adam Scott bogeyed. Ormsby missed a putt from around five feet and Adam Scott three putted less than 30 feet to hand Chalmers his title. With this win the number of his professional titles reaches double figures at 10.
When quizzed about his achievements the champion was elated as well as exhausted, "Just phenomenal, I'm worn out", he said. The final leaderboard of the tournament was Gerg Chalmers, Wade Ormsby, Adam Scott all 11 under par. Michael Hendry of Australia was nine under par while Scott Stallings of the United States of America was eight under par.