A significant performance by New South Wales professional Kieren Jones secured his first adidas PGA Pro-Series title, sharing the top spot with Victorian Connor McDade at the ABM Blackwater Pro-Am. Jones began the final day five shots behind after an even-par first round at Blackwater Golf Club. He then delivered a remarkable 7-under-par 65 to tie with McDade, who posted rounds of 69 and 68, both finishing on 7-under for the tournament.
Riley Taylor, who led after the first round with a score of 67, ended one shot behind alongside Brendan Smith. Smith matched Jones’ final-round effort with a score of 65 after an opening round of 73.
Jones overcame an early setback in the tournament when he scored an eight on the par-4 fifth hole during round one. On Sunday, he made significant strides with birdies and an eagle in his initial holes and continued to close the gap on McDade by gaining strokes on his last two holes. McDade’s second round was characterized by seven birdies offset by three bogeys.
McDade expressed satisfaction with playing summer golf during winter conditions and acknowledged some challenges around the greens. “I’m loving it up here,” he stated. “It’s nice to play some summer golf in winter… I found it pretty tough out there around the greens.”
Jones attributed his success to improvements in his short game, stating, “The day started pretty solid and then yeah, just had a few putts finally go in… The chipping went well this weekend.”
The competition continues as players prepare for the JET Engineering Tieri Pro-Am at Tieri Country Club.
