McIntosh makes amends with QLD Open win

BY Bruce Young | Von Nida Tour | 2005 Queensland Open | Wrap | 06 Nov 2005

23-year-old New South Welshman Brad McIntosh today further enhanced his growing reputation as one of Australian golf’s emerging stars when he won the Roadcon Queensland Open at the Ipswich Golf Club west of Brisbane. For McIntosh it was his second Von Nida Tour victory following his Toyota Southern Classic title in March of last year.

Brad McIntosh Audio Interview

McIntosh entered round four sharing the lead with Victorian David Diaz and as they made the turn today there was still nothing to split them after a birdie at the 9th from less than two metres by Diaz had seen them draw level. At the tenth Diaz pulled his tee shot left and took bogey and McIntosh established a lead that he would not relinquish. At the 11th, McIntosh threatened to run away with it as he made a birdie from three metres to move two ahead.

Their playing partner for the day was Tony Carolan who kept in touch until he bogeyed the 9th and from that point on the challenge to the leading pair would come from Peter Senior who was playing three groups ahead. Senior was slow to get going today but once he did the birdies came thick and fast.

At the 12th McIntosh was again some thirty metres past both Diaz and Carolan. When Diaz hit his long iron onto the par five some fifteen metres from the hole however and McIntosh missed the green from much shorter range and then missed a two metre birdie chance, the margin returned to just one.

Both players missed good opportunities to birdie the short par four 13th but at the 14th both drove it in the trees Diaz to the right and McIntosh left. Both made good pars, more especially Diaz who was forced to hole from just over two metres to keep the margin to one.

At the par five next, the 15th, McIntosh was wayward with his tee shot but such is his length that he was able to hit his second pin high and just off the edge of the green. He hit a beautiful little pitch after Diaz was short with his from thirty five metres and the birdie that McIntosh made at that point, opened up a two shot lead and changed his mindset for the closing three holes. “I had attacked with driver earlier in the week but with a two shot cushion I figured that if I could pick up three pars to finish then the others would need three birdies to beat me.”

At the 16th a perfect iron from the tee found the middle of the fairway for McIntosh and from there a short iron to two metres resulted in a birdie and the margin was three but now over both Senior and Diaz.

McIntosh made a fine par at the 17th after finishing in the right hand greenside bunker at the par three and when Diaz dropped a shot McIntosh knew his closest challenger, Senior, was already in the clubhouse and three behind.

An iron from the tee again at the last saw McIntosh left with an easy pitch which admittedly came up just short of the green to a front pin but when he two putted for par it was all over and he had won by three from Senior with Diaz alone in third just ahead of Carolan, Peter Wilson and a fast finishing Stuart Bouvier.

Senior closed with a brilliant 65 highlighting not only his class but the value he adds to events such as these. He is the highest money earner in Australian golf and yet continues to support the game at all levels.

The leading amateur was Jason Day, who overcame a viral infection early in the week to play the weekend with rounds of 66 and 69 to finish in a share of 7th place. The intentions are that Day will remain in the amateur ranks until the middle of 2006 but after a few months of performances less than that we have come to expect he now appears to be closing in on his best form again. He has been plagued by injury and illness this year but seems to be on the way back.

The Von Nida Tour now heads to Emerald Lakes Golf Club some 100 kilometres south for the Greater Building Society’s Queensland PGA Championship on the Gold Coast.

For McIntosh this is further indication of a young man headed for big things in Australian golf. The grounding he gained while playing collegiate golf in the US at the University of Houston was evident today. He has length to burn, a good golfing brain and as he has shown already a capacity to win.

His progress this summer will be watched with interest.