Victorian golfer Brett Coletta has shot a course record before prevailing on the fourth playoff hole to win the TPS Hunter Valley.
Coletta’s stunning final round, a nine-under 61 at the Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort, forced a playoff with overnight leader Lincoln Tighe after both finished at 11-under.
Both golfers made three consecutive pars playing the 18th on repeat until Tighe pulled a drive into the trees on the fourth playoff hole before missing a 35-foot par putt.
Coletta calmly made his par to collect his first professional victory since the 2016 Queensland Open.
Queenslander Jack Munro finished third after carding a final-round 69, the same as runner-up Tighe.
Coletta’s triumph came after he started the last round eight shots behind the leader.
And after firing his course record – bettering Blake Windred’s previous benchmark of eight-under 64 when the course was par 72 – Coletta had an anxious wait of three hours and 40 minutes as the field finished.
“I’m going to be honest, you’re just waiting for that blowout,” Coletta said of his record round.
“You’re just holding on, especially on this back nine … I played super solid all day. I impressed myself, honestly.”
Coletta had been playing on invites for the majority of the PGA Tour of Australasia season but now has a winner’s category for the next two years and direct entry into next week’s New Zealand Open.
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