New Zealand golfer Nick Voke rarely looked as if he would allow anyone a chance to genuinely challenge at the Players Series Sydney event.
Voke controlled the PGA Tour of Australasia tournament at the Castle Hill Country Club in Sydney, until the final round before his control loosened as Australian Jake McLeod found his on Sunday.
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Matching fellow New Zealander Kazuma Kobori’s winning total of 25-under 12 months earlier, Voke’s final round of three-under 69 was enough to finish one-stroke ahead of McLeod (66) with Will Florimo (66), Travis Smyth (69) and fellow kiwi Tyler Wood (69) sharing third at 18-under.
What became a nerve-wracking finish that was a two-horse race from a long way out, Voke’s stranglehold on the tournament almost slipped through his fingers.
A four-stroke overnight lead grew by one after Voke made birdie at the par-5 first for the fourth straight day before McLeod clawed back that shot with a birdie at the par-3 fourth.
Voke once again stretched the lead to five with birdie at the par-5 fifth yet a mis-directed lay-up and birdie by McLeod led to a two-shot swing at the short par-4 sixth, narrowing the 30-year-old’s lead to just three shots with 12 holes still to play.
McLeod could only match one of Voke’s birdies at eight and nine as the lead moved out to four strokes at the turn, Voke’s advantage back out to five again with a birdie at the short par-4 12th.
A ridiculous putt from the back fringe down over a tier that hit the centre of the flagstick before dropping was Voke’s sixth birdie of the day and perhaps the putt of his life in the tournament wash-up.
“When I walked back to the caddie, I said, ‘Tom (Power Horan), good putt is inside eight feet’,” said Voke.
“He goes, ‘You’re a content guy, surely just hole it, give it a good roll’.
“As soon as I hit it, I was like, Oh, this looks pretty good.”
After the excitement of the following crowd settled, an unflappable challenger in McLeod again stayed in the fight with a birdie of his own from just outside 20 feet and the golden run of Voke took a stumble.
Voke dropped a shot at 14 and McLeod made birdie on 15. After taking iron off the tee at the short 16th, Voke hit his approach left of the green and had to make a putt from five feet to narrowly avoid a double bogey.
The tenacious Queenslander, who has been knocking on the door of a win all season, then converted his birdie chance from 15 feet and, after leading by five with five to play, Voke’s advantage was just one heading to the 17th tee.
“I was five back and I thought I was out of it,” McLeod admitted post-round.
“All of a sudden, coming up the last two I was one back.
“It changed pretty quickly. I’m proud of how I played.”
A superb tee shot gave McLeod another look at birdie at the par-3 17th but his 12-foot putt just slipped underneath the right edge as Voke again needed to make a clutch par save to stay one in front playing the 72nd hole.
With persistent rain dousing the final group as they played the 18t, both players had 78 metres into the par-5 for their third. Voke almost flew his shot into the hole before it released to the back edge as McLeod’s came to rest 15 feet short and right of the hole.
After Voke putted down to a foot, McLeod had a putt to force a playoff, his birdie attempt hanging agonisingly on the right edge, leaving Voke to merely tap in and claim victory.
With a flight to Queenstown and the New Zealand Open, Voke was left to ponder the difficulty of transporting his extra piece of luggage as he dried off the champagne sprayed by fellow Iowa State alumni Lachlan Barker and Tyler Wood on the 18th green.