Golf: Barson wins Open on home turf

Golf NZ

Dominic Barson produced a stunning finale at his home course to win the UNLIMIT Taranaki Open in dramatic fashion on Sunday, holing eagle putts on the 18th in both regulation and the playoff to deny Cameron Harlock and claim the Summerset Charles Tour title at New Plymouth Golf Club, his second Taranaki Open title.

Squally wind and intermittent showers set the tone for a gripping final round, with hard rain periodically disrupting play and biting into the chill factor across Ngamotu Links as the field chased a closely-contested leaderboard throughout the day.

The final group traded blows from the first hole, with Harlock and Barson tied at 6-under and Jake Meenhorst two shots back. Harlock conjured a remarkable birdie on the opening hole after a wayward drive, while Meenhorst drew within one of the lead and Barson made double to slip back. However Barson responded with a birdie on the third to close the gap, only for the lead to continue shuffling hands as the early holes played out in the blustery conditions.

The pivotal stretch came at the turn and into the back nine. Birdies on the eighth from both Meenhorst and Harlock gave them a co-lead, but bogey on the treacherous par-3 ninth from Meenhorst and a fresh squall rolling back in off the coast saw Harlock make the turn with a one-shot advantage. What followed felt at the time like the tournament's decisive moment; birdies on 11 from Barson and Meenhorst combined with Harlock's own birdie for a two-shot swing in the leader's favour, stretching his cushion to three shots.

A bogey on the par-3 12th trimmed it back to two, but Harlock steadied admirably on the exposed stretches of 13 and 14 to head for home still in control. Then came the 15th. An errant tee shot left led to bogey, and the door that had been barely ajar swung wide open. Meenhorst rolled in a ten-footer to save par and breathe right down the leader's neck, while Barson too saved par to stay within a shot. All three traded pars on 16.

On 17, Barson's bunker shot slid past the hole but he drained his downhill eight-footer to ensure he'd have a chance down the last. The title would come down to 18, with Harlock leading by one.

All three found the fairway. Barson gave himself eight feet for eagle. Meenhorst played a sumptuous chip from the right side of the green to set up a three-foot birdie. Harlock rolled his eagle attempt to six feet for birdie. Then Barson crouched over his eagle putt and rolled it in to rapturous applause from his home crowd. Harlock coolly drained his birdie to force the playoff. Meenhorst made his to finish third.

Back down 18 they went. Harlock piped his drive down the fairway, Barson found the left side, almost exactly where he had hit from in regulation, and his second shot was near-identical in quality, leaving himself a 12-foot uphill eagle look. Harlock went long and left with his approach, handing Barson the initiative once again.

Harlock putted first and slid his eagle inches past the cup, leaving a birdie putt just outside comfortable range. Barson's eagle too slid just past and he tapped in for birdie, leaving Harlock needing to convert to extend the contest. He missed past the edge and Dominic Barson was champion; winning the UNLIMIT Taranaki Open at his home course with back-to-back eagles that will be talked about at New Plymouth Golf Club for a very long time.

In the Amateur field, Golf New Zealand Development Squad player Amy Tang took Top Amateur honours and in the Men's it was joint winners Louie Wright and Jackson Moorhead.

Barson said standing over his par putt on the 17th hole he knew he had to roll it in with Harlock’s power down 18 turning it into a birdie opportunity.

"It was outside the hole. I had to go in, otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance, because Cam, with how far Cam hits it, he's always gonna birdie the last hole."

His approach into 18 will live long in the memory not only for Barson but for those at Ngamotu Links that witnessed it.

“I've just absolutely pumped the best five-iron of my life, which was a good... It was a great shot. Flighted it, everything perfect,” he said.

Any win as a professional golfer is special, but to win on your home course in front of the members will rank highly for Barson, he said.

“You always like winning, but it's up there, because it's your home track, you know? So, it's always special when it's your home course."

Barson’s winning rounds of 69, 73, 68 and 71 reflected just how difficult a test the conditions at Ngamotu Links provided with just five golfers in the field finishing under par over four rounds.

Barson and Harlock finished regulation tied at seven-under-par, with Barson's closing 71 matching Harlock's own final round on a 69-73-68-71 card against Harlock's 71-70-69-71. Meenhorst took third outright at six-under after a final-round 70 for a 68-71-73-70 total. Kerry Mountcastle was the best of the rest in fourth at three-under, a closing 68 the highlight of his 70-74-73-68 week, while Mark Brown rounded out the top five at one-under after a 69-70-75-73 total.

James Hydes' brilliant six-under 66 on Sunday — the low round of the tournament — shot him 12 places up the leaderboard to share sixth with Mason Lee at even-par, Lee posting a tidy 71 in his own right. Tyler Hodge finished eighth at one-over after a closing 70, while Josh Geary ended the week at two-over in ninth.

Barrett has a hit in Open during week off

All Blacks and Hurricanes midfielder Jordie Barrett is full of praise for the Summerset Charles Tour field at the UNLIMIT Taranaki Open, after teeing it up at his second Charles Tour event and facing a true test of golf at Ngamotu Links.

Teeing off in the morning wave for the first round at New Plymouth Golf Club, Barrett was greeted by near-perfect conditions and, but for a double-bogey on the difficult par-3 9th — his 18th hole of the day — would have been confident of making a professional cut.

As it happened, he finished with a 4-over 76 and arrived for his afternoon second-round tee time to gusting winds and rain, with only two players in the morning wave having carded under-par rounds.

Barrett's chances of making the cut were soon dashed on the front nine, but he remained in high spirits after his round and complimented the field on handling the conditions.

"Yesterday I had four over, two doubles, and felt like I had it pretty good... today I made quad bogey on two, and then mentally going into a bit of a spiral. So strong fields and yeah, golf beat me today.

"It's cool to be playing off the back tees and playing it in these tournament conditions like all the pros."

No stranger to playing in front of spectators or with cameras rolling, Barrett said the change in dynamic from filming his own content for YouTube to the pressure of competition play was a challenge.

"Playing with your mates or even when I film my own stuff for YouTube, you're a lot more relaxed... [in a professional event] the ball's got to go in the cup, and there's a bit more on the line. So yeah, it's very challenging."

He hopes to transfer some of his experience on the Summerset Charles Tour to his rugby as the Hurricanes look to push on into the Super Rugby Pacific finals.

"It's why I try and play these events. Hopefully it can sort of improve my rugby game... gives you a good understanding of what golf's really like."

As for whether we'll see the name Jordie Barrett on a Summerset Charles Tour tee sheet in the future, he said he hoped it wouldn't be his final appearance on tour.

"Hopefully, if I can get my name back in here."