24 Jul Gardner shares maiden win at McLeod
The variety found within the McLeod Country Golf Club layout in Brisbane’s western suburbs brought the best out of a Tour-quality field, Gardner, Barbieri and Rankin tied at the top with rounds of 6-under 65, one clear of Heritage Classic champion James Conran (66) with Corey Lamb fifth (68).
Rankin made a birdie from 15 feet at his final hole, the par-4-fourth, while Gardner made a three-putt bogey on his closing hole, relieved that his 65 from the morning wave held up at day’s end.
“Feels like I needed it before going into the Tour season, get that win,” said Gardner, a graduate of the Membership Pathway Program who has been top 10 in recent adidas PGA Pro-Am Series events in Rockhampton, Tin Can Bay and Redcliffe.
“Haven’t really had a win since during my traineeship, so it was definitely good.”
Back during a break in the Asian Tour season, Rankin knows that winning Pro-Am Series events can translate into good performances in four-rounders.
“I’ve won quite a few by now,” said Rankin.
“I still enjoy winning. It’s kind of why you practise every day, right? You always want to win.
“My coach and I, we’ve always said that I’ve always played pretty well after a stretch of pro-ams when I’m playing competitively week in, week out.
“It’s good to play the next few weeks and play some pro-ams and get ready for a pretty busy schedule at the back end of the year.”
Turning point
Gardner’s three-putt bogey at the par-3 sixth set the target at 6-under for the players in the afternoon.
Bogey-free, Rankin was 5-under through 11 holes but had to wait until his final hole to match Gardner, holing a 15-footer for birdie at the par-4 fourth.
Conversely, Barbieri was 3-under through 13 in his round, making birdie at three of his final five holes to add to recent wins at Emu Park and Tin Can Bay.
Quick quotes
“I felt like it’s all been moving in the right direction for quite a while now,” said Gardner.
“Just a lot more consistent in the last six months, so I knew it was eventually going to happen.
“The last two years since I’ve been playing the Pro-Am Series and a few Tour events, the standard’s been going up each year.
“You can’t really get away with not being at your best all the time.”
“The game feels good, really solid,” said Barbieri. “And the putter’s working the wand right now.
“This is obviously just the start. I want to obviously play well at the start of the Tour season, that’s the main focus, but these are really good to play and keep you competitive.”
“I was pretty filthy on the par 5,” Rankin said of his par on the third.
“I hit a decent second shot in and it just took a wicked bounce and finished in a pretty horrible spot. I actually did really well just to make par.
“I was a bit dirty but I was able to bounce back straight away after a bit of frustration on the previous hold to make a nice, solid birdie on four.”
Article by Tony Webeck.
Read on PGA website. Click here.