First 72-hole victory

Press, 28 July 1986, Page 27

First 72-hole victory

NZPA-AAP

Pacific Harbour, Fiji Lucien Tinkler, whose nickname of “loose” also describes his golfing temperament, won his first 72-hole tournament yesterday with a three-stroke victory in the $35,000 Pacific Harbour Open. Tinkler, from Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, shot a 70, his third straight sub-par round, to total 281, seven under the card.

Tied for second place were the defending champion, Brett Ogle, of Australia, and the New Zealanders, John Clifford and Mike Moynihan. Moynihan, the overnight leader, was level with Tinkler at six under par with three . holes to play. But he took two to get out a buried lie in a greenside bunker on the sixteenth, then hit out of bounds on the short seventeenth for a double bogey. Moynihan birdied the eighteenth but it was too late.

Tinkler, who had seen birdie putts lip out on 16 and 17, holed from 5 metres on the eighteenth to seal his triumph with a final birdie. Leading scores: 281 L. Tinkler (Aust) 72, 71, 68, 70. 284 M. Moynihan (NZ) 72, 68, 70, 74. B. Ogle (Aust) 71, 73, 68, 72. J. Clifford (NZ) 74, 75, 64, 71, 286 I. Roberts (Aust) 73, 71, 72, 70. J. Deep (AUSt) 71, 70, 72, 74. S. Cook (US) 69, 70, 73, 77. R. Mac Kay (Aust) 70, 74, 73, 72. 290 S. Owen (NZ) 71, 77, 67, 75. P. Jones (Aust) 76, 73, 71, 70. 292 C. Hunt (Aust) 77, 72, 71, 72. 293 R. Stephens (Aust) 70, 69, 77, 77.