NSW’s Ella Scaysbrook produced a sublime final round and a moment of magic in a playoff to win the Bowra & O’Dea 72-Hole Women’s Classic.
Nineteen-year-old Scaysbrook started the day three strokes adrift of overnight leader Jazy Roberts (Vic) and was unable to make inroads into her rival’s lead until a thrilling back nine at The Western Australian Golf Club.
Playing together in the final group, Scaysbrook and Roberts – both Australian internationals – pulled away from the pack to establish a two-horse race for the title, which really heated up over the closing stretch.
Consecutive bogeys for Roberts on 11 and 12 opened the door for Scaysbrook, who capitalised with a birdie of her own at 12 to draw level.
Roberts, also 19, then eagled 13 to Scaysbrook’s birdie to edge ahead again, but a third straight birdie for Scaysbrook on the par-four 14th reimposed the deadlock.
In what was essentially a match play head-to-head over the final four holes, the pair traded pars on 15 and birdies on 16 before Roberts narrowly missed an eagle putt on the par-five 17th.
A birdie was enough to give her a one-stroke lead on the final tee, but a wild approach again left the door ajar for Scaysbrook, who arrowed an approach to four feet. Roberts did well to get up and down for par, but Scaysbrook held her nerve to hole out and take the match to extra holes.
After both found the same greenside bunker off the tee on the first playoff hole, Roberts extricated herself beautifully to within two feet to heap the pressure on her opponent. Scaysbrook, however, produced a gem of her own to hole her bunker shot and wrap up the title with an incredible eagle two.
Where the magic happens: Scaysbrook holes out to win the title
Scaysbrook’s closing five-under-par 68 was the single-best score of the tournament, with her memorable week also featuring a hole-in-one at WAGC’s 11th hole during the third round.
“I knew straight away I’d hit a good one,” Scaysbrook told GolfWA moments after her winning shot. “You always hope to hole a shot like that but never really think it’s going to happen in that situation.”
Paying tribute to Roberts’ steely performance, Scaysbrook added: “I really enjoy a close competition like it was today with the momentum going back and forth between us. It was lots of fun and that’s why we love the game.”
Six strokes separated Roberts and Scaysbrook from the field, with Lake Karrinyup alum Sheridan Clancy the best-of-the-rest in outright third at +2 for the championship. Two double bogeys on her front nine put paid to Clancy’s chances after she started the day just a stroke behind Roberts.
Elsewhere, Mount Lawley’s Erina Tan enjoyed a consistent week to finish in a share of fourth alongside Australia international Annika Rathbone at +4, while Abbie Teasdale (Royal Fremantle) and Ruby Cotton (Mount Lawley) also secured top-10 finishes.
View the final 72-hole leaderboard here.
Kim and Palframan dominate Mid-Am and Senior comps
The Bowra & O’Dea Women’s Classic also features concurrent 54-hole Mid Amateur and Senior competitions, which were won at a canter by Jane Kim and Carmen Palframan respectively.
Royal Perth’s Kim led the Mid-Am from day one and coasted to a nine-stroke victory over Rockingham GC’s Amanda Hurren. Palframan, meanwhile, accelerated away from Lake Karrinyup clubmate Janice Gaudet on the final day to win by 10 strokes, with Royal Perth’s Colette Nalder in third.
You can view all the results and prizewinners here.
For the second year running, part of the 72-hole championship was live-streamed. You can view the full recording and the highlights clips here.
Mid-Am and Senior title winners Jane Kim and Carmen Palframan with Joe O’Dea
