Holman victorious in Australia

Nathan Holman defeated Dylan Frittelli and Harold Varner III at the first play-off hole to win the Australian PGA Championship.

The 24-year-old held his nerve to par the first extra hole, which was enough to hand him his first ever professional victory at the RACV Royal Pines Resort.

The triumph was made even more impressive as the world number 318 had seemingly blown his chances of victory when he bogeyed his final two regulation holes to throw away a two-shot lead.

The home favourite, who finished the day with a round of 73, managed to compose himself for the play-off, although he admitted after his round that he was frustrated to have thrown away such a commanding position.

He said: “It was pretty annoying to almost lose it at the end.”

The victory means Holman can become a full member of the European Tour and he also secured the Australian PGA’s Order of Merit for 2015, that brings with it entry into the 2016 Open at Royal Troon, as well as a place at the World Golf Championships in China and the USA.

The youngster admits that he is delighted to have achieved so much with the victory, but he is determined to keep his feet on the ground and not get too carried away.

He continued: “It’s crazy. Walking off that 18th hole when I hit that shot on to the green, it started to feel like the legs were a little bit shaky, probably thinking into the future a little bit and I tried to snap out of that.”

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