Justin Warren shed the weight of seven years of near misses with a clinical two-stroke victory at the CKB WA PGA Championship presented by TX Civil and Logistics in Kalgoorlie.
The New South Welshman (pictured above) rounded at the championship with a stunning five-under-par 67 to post an 11-under-par total that left him two strokes clear of Daniel Gale.
A foot injury that kept Warren out of the game for eight months last year, allied with his commitments on the Asian Tour, meant that he had lost status on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and was only teeing it up in Kalgoorlie after earning a tournament invite.
He made the most of the opportunity, with his maiden tour victory guaranteeing domestic tour status – and entry into the Australian PGA Championship and men’s Australian Open – for the next three years.
Warren had racked up 11 previous top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour of Australasia without ever sealing the deal, making his victory in Kalgoorlie an emotionally charged event.
“Just being so close so many times [I] just always wondered, is it ever going to be my turn?” said Warren. “Just the way I played today, the way I putted, the way I held myself together all day, I’m so proud of myself for that.
“It was an incredible day and when that putt went in the last, all those years of hard work, all the missed opportunities, all the putts that lipped out and it just brewed into that moment there.
“I didn’t expect to be so emotional. It’s just so special.”
Curtis Luck was the top WA player, finishing in a share of third place
Victorian Jasper Stubbs matched the low round of the week with a seven-under-par 65 to finish in a share of third with West Australian Curtis Luck and American debutant Austin Gean two strokes further back of Gale.
Sunday also saw the conclusion of the 36-hole CKB WA PGA All Abilities Championship, South Australian Steven Alderson winning by 14 strokes with rounds of 76-80.
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