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 Newsroom Taranaki Open Canterbury professional Ryan Haywood chipped in for an eagle on the final hole to win the Olex Taranaki Golf Open in New Plymouth today. He pipped joint overnight leader Mark Brown (Wellington) by one shot after a head-to-head battle on the final round in idyllic conditions at the Ngamotu links course. The Olex Taranaki Open is the first Golf Tour of New Zealand events, a new initiative founded by top Kiwi golfer Greg Turner, which provides competition for New Zealand's elite players, both amateur and professional. Haywood took home a career best $8000 of the $40,000 prizemoney, with both the New Zealand women's and men's teams also competing as a final shakedown before next month's Espirito Santo and Eisenhower World Teams Championships in Puerto Rico. Haywood shot a final round even par 72 to finish with a four-round total of 285, three under par to finish a shot ahead of the unlucky Brown. Three players, amateurs Riki Kauika (Wanganui) and Mark Smith (Rotorua) shared third place with Canterbury professional Tony Christie on 290, two-over par for the championship. The 19-year-old Kauika, a member of the Eisenhower team, took out the prize for leading amateur after a playoff with Smith, the Bay of Plenty No 1 and former international. Kauika's New Zealand teammate Josh Geary climbed to a share of 16th place overall with a final round, tournament-low six-under par 66. The leading female was Espirito Santo-bound teenager Sarah Nicholson (Wellington) who fired a final round two-under par 70 to finish in 32nd place overall. The Christchurch-based Australian, who played No 1 for Canterbury before gaining his Australasian PGA Tour card last November, won three of his first four tournaments as a professional including the Fiji Open. "I am absolutely delighted. It's the biggest win of my career for sure," Haywood said. "Greg Turner's concept for the tour for top amateurs and professionals is great. I will certainly play in more of them if they are established next year." "My ultimate aim is the play in the United States, but this Tour concept is a really good stepping stone." Haywood dropped two shots early as Brown grabbed a lead which he held throughout the day. While neither were able to run away from the chasers, the championship turned into a matchplay between the two professionals. Brown maintained a one-shot advantage going down the par-five final hole, but his approach shot sat tantalisingly on the top of the bank before rolling back off the front edge, 20m from the hole. His putt from off the green left him 4m away, as Haywood skilfully chipped in from off the green above the hole from 5m for the eagle. Brown's birdie attempt slid past to give the Canterbury player the winner's cheque. Wellington's Brown, now a fulltime gold development manager for New Zealand Golf in Capital, played splendidly throughout the weekend, especially his opening round one-over 73 in horrendous driving rain and fierce winds that included a quadruple bogey nine on his penultimate hole. Christie remained at the top of the New Zealand PGA's order of merit with his share of third place after a final round two-under 70. Local amateur Troy Ropiha went one shot better to finish sixth on three-over par 291, a shot ahead of a trio including Canterbury professional Carl Brooking and amateurs Regan MacRae (new Plymouth) and Hamish Robertson (Mt Maunganui).
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