BENDIGO’S Andrew Martin has shot a stunning final round of ten-under, with four eagles, to win the PGA Tour of Australasia’s Players Series Sydney tournament.<\/p>\n
Aged 36 and ranked world number 836, Martin unfurled the round of his life on Sunday, shooting a 10-under 61 at Bonnie Doon GC to claim victory.<\/p>\n
Having started the day eight strokes behind, Martin, won by two shots at 18-under 266 from overnight leader Charlie Dann of Queensland and collected $22,500.<\/p>\n
He sent statisticians scrambling with a front nine that featured four eagles, a birdie and a bogey as he drew within striking distance.<\/p>\n
Martin’s score of 61 is believed to be the lowest final round to win in the history of the Australasian Tour.<\/p>\n
And he joins the likes of Gordon Brand Jnr (1986), Willie Wood (1990), Scott McCarron (1995), Mikko Ilonen (2003) and Haotong Li (2019) as players to record four eagles in a single round on one of the world’s main tours.<\/p>\n
The 2004 Australian Amateur champion has been a prolific winner in pro-am events since turning professional in 2005 but struggled to express what Sunday’s feat meant.<\/p>\n
“To shoot 10-under, that’s still hard to get through my head, but mainly just the support of my family and my wife Rachel has given me to be able to keep doing this because it is tough in Australia to make a living,” said Martin.<\/p>\n
“I’ve never really fallen out of love with the game. I’ve always wanted to do it and if I was ever going to stop playing it would be a hard pill to swallow because I still feel there is a lot I want to achieve.<\/p>\n
“This is one little box ticked but there a couple more I want to do. It’s just good to show that my game is still there.”<\/p>\n
Martin’s charge began when he holed a pitching wedge for eagle on the 386m, par-4 third and backed it up with a birdie at the par-4 fourth.<\/p>\n
Two good shots into the par-5 seventh set up an eagle from pin-high, he chipped in from the front-edge at the 268m par-4 eighth and picked up his sixth shot in the space of three holes when he chipped in from the left of the green at the par-5 ninth.<\/p>\n