New Zealand's Greg
Turner claimed his first title in more than two years when he won the Australian
PGA by two strokes at the Victorian Golf Club on Sunday.
Turner, whose last
triumph was in the 1997 British Masters, fired a final round of even-par
72 to finish the tournament at 10-under-par 278, two shots clear of Australian
Shane Tait.
Craig Parry was among
a group of three players tied for third, three shots behind Turner, after
he threw away the lead.
Parry, who won the
Australian PGA in 1992, started the day three behind Turner but drew level
by the fifth. He took the lead after birdies at the 13th and 14th before
his game fell apart with a bogey at the 15th and a double-bogey at the
17th.
"I feel like a very
rank amateur at the moment, like an 18-year-old that just throws away a
tournament," Parry said. "I know Greg won the tournament but I was in a
position to actually close it out."
Turner, who played
a key part in the international side that beat the United States to win
the Presidents Cup in Melbourne, collected his 11th career title and his
sixth on the Australasian circuit.
"It was a tough day.
I didn't feel particularly comfortable at any stage with my game so when
you're in that circumstance it's going to be a battle...it sort of fell
for me," he said.
278 G Turner (Nzl)
68 68 70 72
280 S Tait 69 71
71 69
281 C Parry 71 70
68 72, N O'Hern 71 66 72 72, R Allenby 70 71 71 69
282 A Wall (Eng) 73
66 73 70
283 B Partridge 69
70 76 68, G Ogilvy 71 67 77 68, D Smail (Nzl) 71 69 73 70, G Coles 70 73
67 73
284 P Fowler 71 73
75 65, T Christie (Nzl) 70 70 71 73
