Tim Wilkinson Wins 20th Carrus Tauranga Open

Former PGA Tour player Tim Wilkinson has capped a commanding week at Tauranga Golf Club with a seven-shot victory at the 20th Carrus Tauranga Open, closing with a four-under 66 to finish at 20-under.

Wilkinson began Sunday with a two-shot advantage and ultimately pulled clear of the field, completing rounds of 63, 66, 65 and 66 for a 260 total.

Defending champion Josh Geary and Kerry Mountcastle shared second at 13-under, while South Africa’s Nash de Klerk secured leading amateur honours after finishing in a tie for fourth.

Despite the eventual margin of victory, Wilkinson’s final round was far from straightforward.

A birdie at the second got him moving before consecutive bogeys at the fourth and fifth brought the chasing pack closer. An eagle at the par-five sixth immediately repaired the damage, followed by another birdie at the eighth.

A double bogey at the par-three ninth then saw Wilkinson make the turn in even-par 35 and ensured there was still work to do over the closing nine.

“A struggle. It was tough work out there today,” Wilkinson said.

“I started off pretty solid, hitting the ball well, and then I struggled in the middle of the round. But the back nine, I had some really solid shots, made a couple of good putts and it was good.”

Wilkinson responded in the manner that had defined his week.

He played the back nine in a bogey-free four-under 31, making consecutive birdies at the 12th and 13th before adding another at 16.

With the tournament firmly in his control, Wilkinson still had one final target in mind.

“I thought today, if I got out there and got to 20-under, which I eventually did at the very last, that it’d be tough for the guys behind to catch me, especially on a day like this.

“My speed putting was terrible today, so it was a real struggle. But it was good to get it done because it was a tough day and you had to keep concentration.”

A final birdie at the 18th took Wilkinson to exactly 20-under and put the finishing touch on a week in which he had been at the sharp end of the leaderboard from the opening round.

Wilkinson shared the first-round lead following a seven-under 63, remained one shot off the pace through 36 holes and moved two clear with a third-round 65 before completing the job on Sunday.

Even with his advantage growing throughout the final round, Wilkinson said he never felt completely comfortable.

“I didn’t feel comfortable all day,” he said.

“I didn’t play particularly freely today, which is something I’m a little bit disappointed in, but I hit some good shots and made some good putts when it mattered, so that was important.”

Behind Wilkinson, Geary produced a two-under 68 to climb into a share of second and complete a strong title defence at 13-under.

Mountcastle joined him after a final-round 71, having begun the day just two shots behind Wilkinson following rounds of 65, 66 and 65 across the opening three days.

Nash De Klerk claimed the men’s amateur honours after an impressive week against the professional field.

The South African completed rounds of 67, 65, 68 and 70 for a 10-under total of 270, finishing in a share of fourth overall.

In the women’s amateur field, Chloe So completed a seven-shot victory after a closing four-over 76.

So began the final round with a three-shot advantage and finished the championship at 11-over following rounds of 75, 75, 73 and 76.

The All Abilities Invitational was also decided across the weekend, with Daniel Robinson claiming the Gross title.

Robinson completed rounds of 82 and 86 for a 168 total, three shots clear of Guy Harrison on 171.

Andrew Woo secured the Net title after rounds of 79 and 72 for a 151 total.

For final leaderboard click here.

Picture above: Tim Wilkinson with trophy (Photo: BW Media).