Lindsay Wilson denied Bendigo young gun Lucas Herbert a hometown win in Friday’s Evolution Copy Print Solutions Neangar Park Pro-Am.
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For the second year in a row Herbert fell one shot short of winning his home course event.
Wilson’s four-under par 67 in the testing conditions was good enough to win by one shot from Herbert, two-time defending champion David Bransdon and Adam Burdett.
Herbert was left to lament missed birdie putts on the 17th and 18th holes, but considering it was only the 21-year-old’s second game of competitive golf for 2017 he has plenty to look forward to.
Herbert’s driving and iron play at times left the local galleries in awe.
On the par-five fourth hole he launched a four-iron 240 yards from the left rough and the ball finished 10 feet from the hole. His putt for eagle lipped out.
On the par-five 11th hole, Herbert’s drive measured more than 330m. His eagle putt on that hole fell agonisingly short.
Wilson, from New South Wales, mixed five birdies with just one bogey in his 67.
He made birdies on three of the four par-fives – the fourth, ninth and 11th – and had back-to-back birdies on the short par-four 15th and par-three 16th.
Wilson’s only blemish for the day was on the par-three 12th.
Herbert’s playing partner Deyen Lawson showed why he made a big impact in 2016, playing some great approach shots in his two-under par 71.
He finished tied for fifth alongside Wade Lowrie and Ben Ford.
Bendigo’s Kris Mueck battled his way to a two-over par 73 and finished in a tie for 15th.
Herbert and Mueck are both preparing for a busy couple of months on the Australasian tour.
They’ll play in the Victorian PGA and Victorian Open before crossing the ditch to New Zealand for back-to-back lucrative events.
Herbert will head to Canada in March and/or April to try his luck on the Mackenzie Tour.
The Canadian-based tour is a stepping stone to the Web.com Tour and the lucrative US PGA Tour.
Herbert and Mueck will be re-joined on the Australasian tour by Neangar Park product Andrew Martin after he regained his tour card at qualifying school.
Martin finished second in the 72-hole event at Sandhurst Club in Melbourne.
The former Australian Amateur champion shot rounds of 65, 68, 68 and 74 to be 13-under par, four shots behind winner Taylor McDonald.
Martin, who earned $3000 for finishing second at qualifying school, will now turn his attention to the Victorian PGA and Victorian Open events.