Brown Survives Playoff to Claim Maiden Crown
Victorian Anthony Brown claimed the 2014 Mazda NSW Open Championship at Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club in Sydney’s west after a two-hole playoff against New Zealand’s Josh Geary.
It was a week that was meant to be for the Victorian. Chasing his first title in almost ten years on tour, Brown aced the par-3 6th in the opening round en-route to a tidy but uneventful one under par 71.
Brown got going in the next two rounds, carding a sparkling 65 on the Friday before firing a three-under 69 on moving day.
As the field battled winds that gusted up to 60 km/h the final day, Brown, who began the day three shots off the lead, quietly went about his business. A birdie on the last saw Brown as the clubhouse leader after carding a three-under 69.
All he could then do was watch and wait as the challengers faltered.
Newcastle’s James Nitties looked the biggest threat; however, a bogey on the 16th saw his run come to an end.
Meanwhile, the Kiwi Geary looked unflappable, but after a stumble on 17, it took a gutsy birdie on the last to tie Brown at 14-under 274 at the end of regulation play.
The sudden death playoff over the 18th hole was a tight affair, with both players making birdie on their first trip back down the par-five.
The second time down, however, Brown made birdie to claim his first title on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“It was a pretty tough week. It was stinking hot Friday, then today with this wind I am just relieved to be done,” the freshly crowned champion said.
“I came second in the Australian PGA Championship a few years ago. It’s about time I stood up and had a win. It feels great.”
“I knew if the wind came up it wouldn’t take an unbelievable round, it would just take a good solid round,” added Brown.
“I just had to keep on plugging, it was so tough, and it was hard to get the ball to hold on the green let alone hit it close.”
“I tried to stay patient and things seemed to flow.”
US Amateur champion Gunn Yang (KOR) finished fourth on 12-under and was leading amateur for the week.
Rounding out the top-5 was Rohan Blizard (NSW), Matthew Giles (NSW) and Michael Long (NZ) on 10-under278.
| Pos | Player | State/Nat | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Tot | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Brown |  | 71 | 65 | 69 | 69 | 274 | -14 |
| 2 | Josh Geary |  | 66 | 68 | 68 | 72 | 274 | -14 |
| 3 | James Nitties |  | 65 | 66 | 71 | 73 | 275 | -13 |
| 4 | Gunn Yang (a) |  | 69 | 69 | 66 | 72 | 276 | -12 |
| 5 | Rohan Blizard | | 70 | 70 | 69 | 69 | 278 | -10 |
| 5= | Michael Long | | 68 | 68 | 72 | 70 | 278 | -10 |
| 5= | Matthew Giles | | 70 | 68 | 68 | 72 | 278 | -10 |
| 8 | Daniel Valente | | 71 | 67 | 66 | 75 | 279 | -9 |
| 9= | Travis Smyth (a) | | 69 | 68 | 71 | 72 | 280 | -8 |
| 9= | Aaron Pike |  | 71 | 69 | 68 | 72 | 280 | -8 |
| 9= | Andrew Kelly | | 68 | 70 | 69 | 73 | 280 | -8 |
| 9= | Ashley Hall | | 71 | 68 | 68 | 73 | 280 | -8 |
| 13= | Ryan Lynch | | 69 | 68 | 72 | 72 | 281 | -7 |
| 13= | Jake Stirling | | 69 | 72 | 68 | 72 | 281 | -7 |
| 13= | Cameron Davis (a) | | 73 | 69 | 67 | 72 | 281 | -7 |
| 13= | Ben Campbell | | 69 | 75 | 65 | 72 | 281 | -7 |
| 13= | Matthew Millar |  | 68 | 67 | 73 | 73 | 281 | -7 |
| 18= | Ewan Porter | | 72 | 71 | 72 | 67 | 282 | -6 |
| 18= | Gavin Reed |  | 77 | 65 | 69 | 71 | 282 | -6 |
| 18= | Michael Foster | | 71 | 71 | 68 | 72 | 282 | -6 |
| 18= | Gavin Fairfax | | 71 | 70 | 66 | 75 | 282 | -6 |
| 18= | Nathan Green | | 67 | 68 | 70 | 77 | 282 | -6 |
| 23= | Andrew Evans | | 68 | 72 | 73 | 70 | 283 | -5 |
| 23= | Harrison Russell | | 69 | 69 | 72 | 73 | 283 | -5 |
| 23= | Ben Eccles (a) | | 73 | 66 | 69 | 75 | 283 | -5 |
| 23= | Chris Gaunt | | 69 | 68 | 69 | 77 | 283 | -5 |
| 27= | Marcus Cain | | 69 | 73 | 73 | 69 | 284 | -4 |
| 27= | Ryan Haller | | 68 | 72 | 73 | 71 | 284 | -4 |
| 27= | Peter Lonard | | 69 | 69 | 73 | 73 | 284 | -4 |
| 27= | Grant Thomas | | 68 | 76 | 67 | 73 | 284 | -4 |
| 27= | Benjamin Clementson | | 69 | 69 | 72 | 74 | 284 | -4 |
| 27= | Lincoln Tighe | | 71 | 69 | 68 | 76 | 284 | -4 |
| 27= | Justin Warren (a) | | 65 | 67 | 74 | 78 | 284 | -4 |
| 34= | Fraser Wilkin | | 71 | 71 | 73 | 70 | 285 | -3 |
| 34= | Jason King | | 73 | 67 | 72 | 73 | 285 | -3 |
| 34= | Jim Cusdin | | 71 | 70 | 71 | 73 | 285 | -3 |
| 34= | Adam Crawford | | 71 | 71 | 69 | 74 | 285 | -3 |
| 34= | James Gibellini | | 68 | 70 | 72 | 75 | 285 | -3 |
| 34= | Steven Jones | | 64 | 76 | 69 | 76 | 285 | -3 |
| 40= | Tarquin MacManus | | 73 | 69 | 73 | 71 | 286 | -2 |
| 40= | Daniel Fox | | 67 | 76 | 72 | 71 | 286 | -2 |
| 40= | Pieter Zwart | | 68 | 70 | 76 | 72 | 286 | -2 |
| 40= | Ryan O'Flaherty | | 73 | 71 | 70 | 72 | 286 | -2 |
| 40= | Kristopher Mueck | | 70 | 68 | 75 | 73 | 286 | -2 |
| 40= | Harrison Endycott (a) | | 69 | 72 | 72 | 73 | 286 | -2 |
| 40= | Peter Martin | | 73 | 71 | 66 | 76 | 286 | -2 |
| 47= | Suguru Kugai (a) |  | 72 | 67 | 74 | 74 | 287 | -1 |
| 47= | Peter Wilson | | 72 | 71 | 70 | 74 | 287 | -1 |
| 47= | Richard Gallichan | | 72 | 68 | 72 | 75 | 287 | -1 |
| 47= | Bradley Hughes | | 69 | 71 | 71 | 76 | 287 | -1 |
| 47= | Peter Lee | | 71 | 71 | 68 | 77 | 287 | -1 |
| 52= | Charles Wright (a) | | 73 | 69 | 73 | 73 | 288 | EVEN |
| 52= | Peter Poposki | | 73 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 288 | EVEN |
| 52= | Daniel Gale (a) | | 71 | 71 | 72 | 74 | 288 | EVEN |
| 52= | Luke Whitbread | | 70 | 71 | 72 | 75 | 288 | EVEN |
| 52= | Leigh McKechnie | | 72 | 67 | 71 | 78 | 288 | EVEN |
| 52= | Dale Brandt-Richards (a) | | 71 | 69 | 69 | 79 | 288 | EVEN |
| 58= | Jarrod Freeman (a) | | 71 | 71 | 75 | 72 | 289 | 1 |
| 58= | Kieran Muir | | 69 | 70 | 76 | 74 | 289 | 1 |
| 58= | Simon Hawkes | | 73 | 68 | 70 | 78 | 289 | 1 |
| 58= | Daniel Pearce | | 73 | 71 | 66 | 79 | 289 | 1 |
| 62= | Wayne Perske | | 73 | 70 | 75 | 72 | 290 | 2 |
| 62= | Christopher Thorn | | 73 | 71 | 71 | 75 | 290 | 2 |
| 62= | William Flitcroft (a) | | 74 | 70 | 71 | 75 | 290 | 2 |
| 62= | Kota Kagasaki | | 75 | 67 | 72 | 76 | 290 | 2 |
| 62= | Andre Stolz | | 72 | 69 | 71 | 78 | 290 | 2 |
| 67 | Kim Felton | | 74 | 68 | 74 | 76 | 292 | 4 |
| 68 | Mitch Davis | | 71 | 72 | 75 | 76 | 294 | 6 |
| 69 | Mitchell Brown | | 76 | 68 | 75 | 76 | 295 | 7 |
| 70 | Nick Cochrane (a) | | 75 | 69 | 79 | 76 | 299 | 11 |
| Players who failed to make the cut | ||||||||
| 71= | Mitchell A. Brown | | 76 | 69 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | Blake McGrory | | 72 | 73 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | Anthony Houston | | 75 | 70 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | Kevin Conlong | | 72 | 73 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | Jamie Hook | | 72 | 73 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | Nathan Mann (a) | | 71 | 74 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | Clayton Bridges | | 75 | 70 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | Ben Ford | | 73 | 72 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | Corey Jones (a) | | 73 | 72 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 71= | David Micheluzzi (a) | | 75 | 70 | 145 | 1 | ||
| 81= | Troy Cox | | 76 | 70 | 146 | 2 | ||
| 81= | Callan O'Reilly | | 70 | 76 | 146 | 2 | ||
| 81= | Troy Moses (a) | | 73 | 73 | 146 | 2 | ||
| 81= | Mark McFadden (a) | | 73 | 73 | 146 | 2 | ||
| 85= | Ben Russell | | 71 | 76 | 147 | 3 | ||
| 85= | Paul Maiolo | | 72 | 75 | 147 | 3 | ||
| 87= | David Klein | | 73 | 75 | 148 | 4 | ||
| 87= | Jackson Bugdalski (a) | | 74 | 74 | 148 | 4 | ||
| 87= | Blake Windred (a) | | 73 | 75 | 148 | 4 | ||
| 87= | Mitchell Gannon (a) | | 76 | 72 | 148 | 4 | ||
| 87= | Daniel Griffin | | 78 | 70 | 148 | 4 | ||
| 87= | James Betts | | 68 | 80 | 148 | 4 | ||
| 87= | R.J. Caracella | | 71 | 77 | 148 | 4 | ||
| 94= | Neil Sarkies | | 79 | 70 | 149 | 5 | ||
| 94= | Sven Puymbroeck | | 80 | 69 | 149 | 5 | ||
| 94= | Rika Batibasaga | | 77 | 72 | 149 | 5 | ||
| 94= | Josh Knott (a) | | 73 | 76 | 149 | 5 | ||
| 98= | Peter Welden | | 77 | 73 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 98= | Alex Edge | | 76 | 74 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 98= | Ricky Kato (a) | | 76 | 74 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 98= | Martin Dive | | 74 | 76 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 98= | Dakila Falcon | | 73 | 77 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 98= | Josh Armstrong (a) | | 77 | 73 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 98= | Jacob Rennie | | 74 | 76 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 98= | Jordan Zunic (a) | | 78 | 72 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 98= | Dylan Perry (a) | | 76 | 74 | 150 | 6 | ||
| 107= | Tim Hart | | 78 | 73 | 151 | 7 | ||
| 107= | Alex Henderson (a) | | 79 | 72 | 151 | 7 | ||
| 107= | Josh Cabban (a) | | 77 | 74 | 151 | 7 | ||
| 107= | Angus Radford (a) | | 78 | 73 | 151 | 7 | ||
| 111= | Andrius Belkus | | 78 | 74 | 152 | 8 | ||
| 111= | David Randall (a) | | 79 | 73 | 152 | 8 | ||
| 111= | Nathan Park | | 74 | 78 | 152 | 8 | ||
| 114= | Corey Wittenberg (a) | | 77 | 76 | 153 | 9 | ||
| 114= | Dale Williamson (a) | | 79 | 74 | 153 | 9 | ||
| 114= | Andrew Kirkman (a) | | 69 | 84 | 153 | 9 | ||
| 117= | Will Barnett (a) | | 76 | 78 | 154 | 10 | ||
| 117= | Brendan Smith | | 78 | 76 | 154 | 10 | ||
| 117= | James Grierson (a) | | 76 | 78 | 154 | 10 | ||
| 120= | Brayden Petersen (a) | | 80 | 75 | 155 | 11 | ||
| 120= | Jason Hatton | | 77 | 78 | 155 | 11 | ||
| 122= | David McKendrick | | 76 | 80 | 156 | 12 | ||
| 122= | Mitchell Norbis (a) | | 76 | 80 | 156 | 12 | ||
| 122= | Jaques Neilson (a) | | 80 | 76 | 156 | 12 | ||
| 122= | Todd Ostler (a) | | 82 | 74 | 156 | 12 | ||
| 126= | Darren Burger | | 82 | 75 | 157 | 13 | ||
| 126= | Joel Shields (a) | | 76 | 81 | 157 | 13 | ||
| 128 | Sam Newbrun | | 77 | 81 | 158 | 14 | ||
| 129 | Jack Carmichael (a) | | 84 | 76 | 160 | 16 | ||
| 130 | Nammchul Kim (a) | | 82 | 81 | 163 | 19 | ||
| 131 | Matthew Wittenberg (a) | | 83 | 81 | 164 | 20 | ||
| 132 | Daniel Bringolf | | 80 | DSQ | DSQ | |||
| 133 | Adam Blyth | | RTD | RTD | ||||