Q Golf - Official online magazine for Golf Queensland Spring 2015 | Page 19

BRANSDON TAKES ISUZU QUEENSLAND OPEN TITLE
AFTER DRAMATIC FINAL ROUND
David Bransdon prevailed over fellow New South
Wales professional Rohan Blizard after a three-hole
play-off in a drama-charged final round of the Isuzu
Queensland Open at Brookwater.
After Blizard birdied the 71st hole to level at
12-under, the duo made regulation pars on the
18th and then returned to the tee to determine a
sudden-death winner. In the end it was 41-year
old Bransdon who hoisted the T B Hunter Cup after
making a curling four metre putt as they contested
the 18th for the third time in the playoff.

“Our club pro came up for the event and suggested
I come as well to get some experienced,’’ recalled
Bransdon. “Hard to believe it was 27 years ago.’’
Bransdon, who now lives in Sale, Victoria, with
his wife and three children, said the Open victory
will be a confidence boost when he tackles the
European PGA Tour q-school later this year.

“My putter wasn’t behaving early in my round
but ultimately it was what won it for me,’’ said
Bransdon. “Rohan played great and threw
everything at me. He didn’t give anything.
I had to earn it.’’
Bransdon’s experience, consistency and shotmaking made him a worthy champion, but there
was justifiable sympathy for the gritty Blizard who
carded his third successive 67 which included a
self-imposed penalty stroke called on the par-four,
12th hole. Blizard, 31, called the penalty when he
believed his ball had oscillated minutely after he
removed a nearby twig. He immediately summoned
a rules official and added a shot to his score on
the hole.
“Golf is an honest game. If you see a ball move
you call it on yourself,’’ he said. “I’d hit a bad shot
off the tee and was moving a stick behind my
ball when it touched a leaf and the ball kind of
oscillated.’’
Blizard, who ultimately chipped-in from 25m to par
the hole, admirably refused to blame the penalty
for his defeat. His 67 included consecutive eagles
on the par-five 8th hole and par-four ninth to grab
the outright lead at the midway stage of the round.
“Rohan really produced some fireworks before the
turn with those eagles but I figured I’d just do what
I needed and hit it in the fairways and on to the
greens,’’ said Bransdon. “If he kept making birdies
and eagles he’d win, but I wasn’t going to change
from the way I’d played the golf course all week.
Get aggressive at Brookwater and it will jump up
and bite you.’’
Bransdon carded a closing 69 to finish tied at
12-under with Blizard (67) with a four-shot break
to third-placed Kiwi Mark Brown who shot 69. The
consistency of Bransdon’s game was illustrated in
the 21 holes he played on Sunday (including the
playoff) which comprised 17 pars and four birdies.

“The old adage in golf says patience will be
rewarded,’’ he said. “Patience is normally not
my forte but I hung in today and eventually the
putts started to drop.’’ Bransdon revealed he first
attempted to pre-qualify for the Queensland Open
when he was 14-year old kid from Wauchope in
country New South Wales.

Queenslander Jake McLeod was leading amateur
after a fine 68 gave him a share of fourth place
at 7-under with Adam Blyth (Qld) and Aaron
Townsend (NSW).
“I’m very happy with the way I played, especially
after a bit of a shaky opening round,’’ he said.
McLeod had a roller-coaster opening nine holes
which included five birdies and two bogeys.
McLeod’s next major amateur event will be the
Keperra Bowl but he said he intended to turn
professional later this year.
Ed Stedman (NSW) was outright sixth after a 69
to be six-under, a stroke ahead of Queenslander
Michael Wright (68) and Michael Sim (73). Mathew
Millar holed-out for a spectacular eagle in the
par-four 18th to finish with a 67 to be four-under
for the tournament. Millar’s hybrid approach from
180m went beyond the pin but trickled back into
the hole.
“It was a pretty good way to finish,’’ he said. “But
the 77 on Saturday killed my chances. This is the
most difficult course we play on the Australasian
Tour.’’
LEADERBOARD
12-under: D Bransdon (NSW, won on 3rd playoff hole)

R Blizard (NSW)
8-under: 4