Back-to-back NorCo titles for Kirkman
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Back-to-back NorCo titles for Kirkman
A SOLID second but unspectacular round at Coffs Harbour Golf Club on Sunday was enough to earn Andrew Kirkman consecutive wins in the ANZ North Coast Amateur Open.
The Kempsey golfer started his round seven strokes behind overnight leader Billy Flanagan.
In fact, there were six players ahead of Kirkman when he teed off but when the day called for solid golf to be played it was the reigning champ who held his nerve best.
“I had a solid 1-under and I didn’t really do much wrong and just hung around there and it turns out it was good enough,” Kirkman said.
Flanagan led by three strokes ahead of fellow Coffs Harbour member Dave Newick but a series of early double bogeys by Flanagan gave those on the leaderboard, including Kirkman, hope.
“I was 6-over total through seven holes and then I saw the buggy come past with the scoreboard and the last group were all in the plus figures for the tournament and I thought that I no longer had to shoot the score that I want to shoot,” the now two-time winner said.
The score Kirkman thought he had to shoot on Sunday to win was much lower than what was eventually required.
“I was thinking five-under par would potentially get me into a playoff and that was hoping Billy (Flanagan) would shoot a two-over,” he said.
“I just kept chipping away and just hung in there, didn’t really let anything affect me like the other guys. They’re a little bit hot-headed the younger players but once they learn how to get rid of that they can just hang around.”
Newick managed to hang around late and actually had a 20-foot sliding left-to-right putt on the last hole to send the event into a playoff. His effort came up agonisingly short and Kirkman was finally able to enjoy his win.
He finished a stroke ahead of Coffs Harbour pair Newick and Jacob Cross with Cameron Pollard a further stroke behind in fourth.
Flanagan finished in a tie for fifth with Tyler Glavocih.
