A CLUTCH birdie putt on the second last hole sealed victory for Ethan Harvey in the ANZ North Coast Amateur played at Coffs Harbour Golf Club on the weekend.

Harvey started Sunday’s second round two strokes behind Moore Park’s Paul Buckley and had halved the gap after shooting a one-over par front nine.

A double bogey on the 10th put a dent in the chances of the nineteen-year-old Kiama local who plays for The Lakes but he bounced back with a birdie on the par-3 12th to once again close the gap on Buckley.

By the time the final group was teeing off on the 17th, Harvey was 3-over and tied with local hopes Aden Lopez and Billy Flanagan and Sawtell’s Cameron Pollard.

Harvey’s second shot missed on the left side of the green and left him a short sided chip shot.

He was able to get his third within a five foot-foot uphill putt which he nailed to take the lead for the first time.

“There was probably five metres of green to work with but I’m always practicing those tough shots,” Harvey recalled.

“You don’t practice all the easy shots, you practice the tough ones so you get a feel for being under pressure and make up-and-downs like I did.

“So I just knew to open it up, just do my thing, follow through and it will land soft and check up and go near the hole.”

The back nine was just the tune up that Harvey was looking for when he entered the event for the first time.

“There’s not much down home and I’ve got a tournament in November so I thought this would be good experience to get ready for it,” the winner said.

“That tournament is the Country Championships and if I win that I qualify for the NSW Open so I thought this would be a good experience, get under pressure in the late stages and perform at my highest peak during those.”

Bonville Golf Resort’s Adele Douglas held a six stroke lead over Grafton and District teenager Hollie Fuller at the halfway stage of the Coffs City Golf Centre Ladies Classic with Coffs Harbour’s Kristy Hickey a further shot behind.

That lead had stretched to nine after 27 holes but Douglas had a back nine wobble yet was still able to finish two strokes ahead to win the Ladies Classic for a third time.

The winner said the Ladies Classic which is part of the final weekend of Coffs Harbour’s annual Festival of Golf is always an enjoyable event.

“I love this course and I like the vibe here,” Douglas said.

“It feels like it’s an important thing but it also feels like it’s a really relaxed, social thing. Everyone you play against is pretty cool.”

RESULTS

NORTH COAST AMATEUR

143 Ethan Harvey – The Lakes (71, 72); 144 Billy Flanagan (75, 69), Aden Louez (73, 71), Cameron Pollard – Sawtell (73, 71); 145 Bowen Small – Maitland (74, 71), Clayton Small – Maitland (72, 73); 145 Tyler Glavocih – Ocean Shores (72, 73); 146 Paul Buckley – Moore Park (69, 77); 147 Christian Swann (72, 75).

LADIES CLASSIC
163 Adele Douglas- Bonville (78, 85); 165 Hollie Fuller – Grafton & District (84, 81); 168 Kristy Hickey (85, 83); 173 Quedesha Golledge – Pymble (91, 82), Gabby Bowles – Bonville (86, 87); 177 Hannah Blundell – Grafton & District (91, 86); 178 Trish Nance (87, 91); 179 Keryn Little (89, 90).