Josh Geary wins DVS Clearwater Open in an emphatic fashion.
File photo. Josh Geary Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
Josh Geary wins DVS Clearwater Open in an emphatic fashion.
Geary birdied his final three holes in the third and final round today to win by two over the in-form amateur Sam Jones and perennial Jennian Homes Charles Tour contender Dongwoo Kang.
The victory is sweet for the 37-year-old, who has finished runner-up twice at Clearwater Golf Club at the New Zealand PGA Championship in 2009 and again at the 2011 New Zealand Open.
He started the final day in a share of the lead with Jones after a pair of 68s to be eight under. The win didn’t come easy, with the lead swapping hands a handful of times over the course of the final day.
He made eight pars and a bogey to open his round over the first nine holes to be in a three-way tie for the lead with Jones and Remuera’s Robby Turnbull with nine holes to play.
He finally made his first birdie at the par 5 tenth to poke his nose in front before making a great bogey on the tough par 4 13th to fall a couple behind at the time, after Jones made a couple of birdies of his own. Geary then showed his pedigree, bouncing back with a birdie on the par 5 14th to get back within one.
With the tournament hanging in the balance, Geary tied the lead on the 16th after hitting his tee shot to a couple of feet on the long par 3. He then took sole possession of the lead with a birdie at 17 after a Jones bogey, meaning he needed to par the last to get the job done after Kang posted nine under in the group ahead.
He hit the perfect tee shot and hit the final green in regulation, meaning he had two putts for the win. The Bay of Plenty-based professional only needed one, calmly rolling in the 30-footer to capture his seventh Jennian Homes Charles Tour title.
Geary says he’s relieved to get this one across the line.
“It was a funny week, I couldn’t get anything to drop with the flat stick over the first couple of days, and I thought I had shot myself in the foot during the back nine with a couple of bogeys. Sure enough, the putts seemed to drop over the last couple of holes. It was a long wait,” Geary laughs.
“Any trophy is becoming really hard to win these days. To win again and etch my name further into some New Zealand golfing history is always great. It was just nice to finish off those final holes strong, I’ve had a couple of hiccups in the past. I was just really proud of how I played the last couple of holes; I made some great swings when I needed to and holed a couple of good putts.”