Stolz back in winner's circle at Vic PGA
Australasian PGA Tour | 2009 Victorian PGA Championship | Round Four | 08 Feb 2009
Andre Stolz has had a triumphant return to the winner’s circle, claiming the Cellarbrations Victorian PGA Championship by two shots at Sanctuary Lakes today and moving to the top of the Australasian Tour Order of Merit.
Returning to competitive golf just nine months ago after a three year hiatus due to a devastating wrist injury, the 38-year-old father of four held onto his two shot overnight lead to claim his first title since winning the 2004 Michelin Championship on the US PGA Tour.
Stolz, from the Central Coast of New South Wales fired a final round five under 67 to finish on 17 under par for the tournament, two shots ahead of Queensland’s Stuart Bouvier who matched Stolz’s final round score to finish on 15 under, with South Australian Adam Bland and 2006 Victorian PGA Champion Cameron Percy a further shot back and tied for third place.
Stolz’s four sub-70 rounds of 68, 67, 69 and 67 for a total of 17 under 271 was particularly impressive considering the 45C+ heatwave conditions Saturday that turned into a cold, rainy final day, barely above 20C.
“It’s been an amazing week, the weather threw everything at us, but it feels good to have won a four round event again,” said Stolz who returned to the Australasian Tour at last year’s Cellarbrations NSW PGA Championship in November.
He finished T17 at the 2008 Australian Masters and came back to be one shot off the lead heading into the final round of the Australian Open in December, eventually finishing T6. Coming into this week’s event, he had a T10 finish at last week’s Subaru Open.
Stolz couldn’t really explain the dramatic re-surgence in his form, but put it down to history.
“I don’t know, normally when I play well, I play really well and when I play bad I’m horrendous, so things haven’t really changed. I either win or miss the cut a lot of the time. I can’t explain it. It used to annoy me but now I just go with it.”
Runner up, Queenslander Stuart Bouvier, who was tied for second place overnight, quickly recovered from a bogey at the second to record a five under final round and claim outright second place.
Also tied second overnight, Victorian Cameron Percy shot a final round four under and finished tied third alongside Adam Bland whose six under 66 saw him move up six places on the final day.
The rounds of the day went to Victorian’s Alistair Presnell and Scott Laycock. Presnell recovered from a disastrous third round 77 to shoot seven under 65 and move from T16th place to finish in a tie for fifth alongside Subaru Victorian Open runner up Laycock who was also T16th overnight.
The top ten was rounded out by Queenslander Andrew Bonhomme who finished seventh on 12 under, with New Zealander Gareth Paddison and Brad Kennedy tied eighth on 11 under and Victorian amateur Bryden MacPherson capping off a spectacular finish in just his second professional event to finish tenth on ten under par.
First round tournament record breaker Luke Hickmott finished just outside the Top 10 on nine under. He was T11 with Paul Sheehan and Stephen Dartnell.
The Australasian Tour heads to Perth on February 16th for the Johnnie Walker Classic at The Vines, before heading back to Victoria for the Moonah Classic beginning the week of February 23.
The Tour then heads across the Tasman to New Zealand for the HSBC NZ PGA Championship at the Clearwater Resort at Christchurch beginning March 2 and then to Queenstown for the Michael Hill NZ Open at The Hills GC from March 9.
Source – PGA Tour
