Sam Jones wins second Charles Tour event
Sam Jones wins second Charles Tour event
Sam Jones posted his second win on the Charles Tour when taking out the Muriwai Open in Auckland in a playoff last month.
Jones beat Josh Geary on the second extra hole after starting the final day of the Autex-sponsored event two shots behind him.
Jones, from the Manaia Golf Club in south Taranaki, knew he needed to hang tough on the final day that presented the same easterly gusts that challenged the players all week.
The 26-year-old amateur opened with even par on the front nine, making a bogey at the tough par four fourth and a birdie at the par three eighth.
Caption: Sam Jones with his trophy after his win in the Muriwai Open in Auckland last month. It was his second win on the Charles Tour. Photo credit: Golf New Zealand.
Jones was clinical during his closing nine, making seven pars and two birdies to catch Geary after regulation play at nine under par, meaning a playoff was needed to separate the pair.
Both bogeyed the first extra hole, but it was Jones who was able to shake that off and make a solid par on the second playoff hole to get the job done.
He said it was incredible to get over the line a second time on New Zealand’s professional tour after his first win in the Carrus Open in Tauranga last year.
“I was thinking this morning about how well the Golf New Zealand national academy has performed in these events over the last couple of years and I wanted to be the first to win two of these,’’ Jones said.
``Obviously, Kazuma (Kobori), Mako (Thompson), and Jimmy (Hydes) have won one, but to get two is just incredible.”
Jones stood on the 16th hole two shots behind Geary with three holes to play but never stopped believing as the closing stretch at Muriwai Golf Links could trip up anyone.
Jones calmly rolled in a 10 foot birdie but on 16 to reduce the deficit to one and parred the final two to tie the lead.
Prior to the tournament, Jones had not broken 70 around the tough Muriwai Links. He believed he was a much better player now and said sticking to his solid game plan was the key to putting himself in the mix once again.
“With these finishing holes, anything can happen,’’ he said.
``I just stuck to my game plan and hit irons on both the par fives on the back nine and laid my second up on 14 as I have the entire week. I just tried to keep the ball in front of me and avoid trouble where I could.
“I made a great par on 15, rolled in a nice birdie on 16, and unfortunately, Geary missed a couple coming in. That’s the reality of it -- it was tough putting in the wind but thankfully, I was able to get the job done.”
Jones also says the winning feeling this time feels a lot different to his first, although both victories had their own weather challenges.
“The first one, I was three clear playing the last, so I felt as though I had that one sealed. This one was a lot closer but I feel like I stole it a bit because I was a couple back with three holes to play. I just told myself that I had nothing to lose; that was my mindset in the playoff. I’m stoked to get it done.”
Geary still takes home the winners cheque as he finished as the leading professional. Momoka Kobori finished as the leading woman two shots back at seven under, tied with James Tauariki.
The Charles Tour, sponsored by Jennian Homes, takes a break over winter. The Christies Floorings Mount Open in Tauranga is the next event at the end of September.