15 Nov 2019 | Amateur golf |
Nesbitt, Wilson don Mid-Am crowns
by Mark Hayes
The crowns came in vastly different styles, but Daniel Nesbitt and Olivia Wilson are the new Australian Mid-Amateur champions.
Wilson dominated on the beautiful but smoke-covered Magenta Shores layout for the second straight day, extending her overnight lead by four to win the women's title by 10 strokes at 19 over par.
The New South Wales GC member probably needed to stumble to bring her rivals back into the fray, so it was effectively all over when she was even par through 13 holes of her third and final round.
Four late bogeys delayed the 31-year-old's celebrations, but in her first tilt at the event, her rounds of 84-75-76 were more than enough.
Adele Douglas, from the Bonville Golf Resort, carded 83-82-80 to finish second at +29, while rounding out a NSW trifecta, Cathy Stolz, of Shelly Beach, was third at +32.
But it was far from smooth sailing for Nesbitt, who represents The Links Shell Cove.
Nesbitt who duelled all day with playing partner Christopher Campbell, from nearby Port Kembla.
The pair started level at four over, but it was Nesbitt who led narrowly for much of the day as the tension grew.
His one-shot lead grew to two despite his own bogey when Campbell suffered a double-bogey as the pair played the 10th.
Campbell made seemingly key birdies on the 12th and 14th to draw square again.
When Nesbitt endured a double-bogey on the 16th, the momentum and lead were both gone.
But just when the title seemed within Campbell's grasp, he took a double of his own after bunker trouble on the 17th, just as Nesbitt struck with a critical birdie to regain his one-shot edge.
After Campbell parred the closing par-five, it was left to Nesbitt to tap in his superbly lagged birdie try and the title was finally his.
Three men shared third place, two behind Campbell at eight over.
Royal Canberra's Craig Whitehead and Palm Meadows gun Adam Hawkins impressed throughout, but they were joined late by Phillip Island's Mark Boulton who made a bogey on the fifth, but then poured in six birdies for the rest of his round and an event-best five-under-par 67.