Haydn Barron became a champion on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia for the first time by holding off a surging Jimmy Zheng to win Webex Players Series Murray River.
Despite the putter shaking in his hands as he stood over a 90cm-long putt on the 72nd hole to close out a one-shot victory, Barron found the bottom of the cup and let out a roar as he finally cashed in after several close calls.
The Western Australian Golf Club members, who spent months away from the game in 2025 due to illness and injury, finished at 22-under-par thanks to a final round of 2-under-par 69 in the windiest conditions of the week on Cobram-Barooga Golf Club’s Old Course.
New Zealander Zheng flashed home with a 65 while James Marchesani (66) and Declan O’Donovan (71) shared third spot at 19-under-par.
Barron’s near-misses since turning professional four years ago have included three runner-up finishes, but he made sure this one didn’t become number four by closing with three straight pars after Zheng had set the clubhouse target.
“I kind of just tried to look up at the hole, look back down my putter and just take it away. I saw the putter head shake side to side,” Barron said of his winning putt.
“It’s funny, I’ve had that a few times. Getting through Q School, I had that as well and somehow always seemed to manage to find the middle. It was just looking longer and longer.”
The win lifts the former Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Rookie of the Year to fifth on the 2025/26 Order of Merit.
“I think I’ve been going well all year really,” he said. “I’ve been up there with plenty of top fives and top tens and just kind of really feel like I was ready to elevate myself to the winner’s circle. I’m just so happy with it.”
Barron’s success means WA golfers have now won three Webex Players Series events on the bounce after Connor McKinney and Jordan Doull topped the Webex Perth and Webex Victoria fields in January.
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