Tony McFadyean is the 2026 Aglime Sand Greens Champion of WA after defeating six-time winner Adam Davey in a playoff.
The duo each carded rounds of 73 and 69 for a two-under-par 36-hole total at glorious Katanning Country Club to take the championship to extra holes.
In truth, McFadyean looked to have had one hand on the trophy as he held a two-stroke lead over playing partner Davey standing on the final tee.
However, a calamitous double-bogey six for McFadyean left the door wide open for his rival, who duly secured the rock-solid par required to force a playoff.
There are few steelier competitors than Davey and he seemed destined for a seventh State Sands crown at the first extra hole — the short par-four 1st.
McFadyean’s tee shot found the front bunker and his rescue attempt stopped well short of the pin. Davey, meanwhile, knocked a masterful chip-and-run from the rough to within five feet.
When McFadyean’s long birdie attempt just stayed up, it was Davey’s turn to look like the odds-on champion. Agonisingly, though, his putt caught the right edge and horseshoed out to extend the contest further.
Adam Davey was just a whisker away from a seventh State Sands title
Back to the 18th tee they went, with both players missing the fairway left. Playing first, and tangling with low-hanging tree branches, McFadyean produced what may have been the iron of his life to within just a few feet.
Faced with a rotten lie, Davey made a brave attempt to scuttle one all the way to the raised green only to see it pull up just short.
When he failed to get up and down, McFadyean was left with two shots for the title. He needed just one, his birdie putt never looking like missing.
Birdie blitz paves way to success
The foundation for McFadyean’s victory was his superb start to Round 2 as he blitzed to six birdies in his opening 10 holes and only dropped his first shot of the day at the 11th.
Despite Davey’s doggedness, McFadyean was two clear at the turn and his lead stretched to three when Davey double bogeyed the par-four 15th.
Davey bounced back with a crucial birdie at the 17th, however, before McFadyean’s nightmare double on 18 condemned him to the playoff that he was mightily relieved to win.
“I got a little bit tight during those last eight holes because I couldn’t do anything wrong in the first three hours of the day!” McFadyean told GolfWA.
“My record in playoffs is pretty average, and that’s always in the back of your mind, but I stuck to my game plan and hit a great shot into the 18th [on playoff hole two].
“There are some big names on this trophy — including my former boss Mike Dennis, who has won it six times. It’s so good to get my name on this.”
A member of grass greens club Greenbushes GC, McFadyean’s added that success on sand greens has come as something of a pleasant surprise.
“I’m not overly good on sands,” he said. “I’ve played my whole golf career on grass and haven’t played a lot on sand. I came down with a mate from Perth just have a good time and meet some good people. This event’s great for that.”
Connor Fewkes led the championship after 18 holes en route to a 4th place finish
Elsewhere in the field, perennial contender Gillam Jones (Mukinbudin GC) was once again well in the mix, finishing just a stroke off the playoff after rounds of 72 and 71.
Former WA state captain Connor Fewkes (Mount Lawley GC) took outright fourth at level par, one shot ahead of his brother Josh Fewkes (Hartfield CC) and Evan Sewell (Busselton GC).
View all the scores from the Sand Greens Championship here.
Keep up with the latest WA golf news via the GolfWA news section and our Facebook and Insta accounts. You can also subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter here.
