James Conran follows in famous father’s footsteps to win Heritage Classic

James, 26, shored up his future in the sport after riding three eagles during his final round to win the event on Melbourne’s outskirts by one stroke from Nathan Page.

Having got the wobbles with back-to-back bogeys on his 16th and 17th holes in his final round, Conran flighted an 117-metre wedge to rest less than two feet on the last for a tap-in birdie.

Victoria’s Page couldn’t sink his longer birdie try from 12 feet, prompting Conran’s fellow NSW professionals to rush the green and shower with him beer after a turbulent few years.

Orange-based Conran has been living week to week trying to get starts in PGA Tour of Australasia tournaments, with only limited status until his breakthrough week at the Heritage Golf and Country Club.

His first tour win gives him full-time status on the PGA Tour of Australasia for the next two years.

It’s a huge step to emulating the feats of his father, who still plays on the Legends Tour in Australia.

“He’s helped me a lot growing up and obviously taught me how to play the game,” Conran said. “I think I get a lot of my mental side from him and I know how to score a golf course well.

“But we hit the ball completely different to each other. He doesn’t see the shots I hit, and I can’t hit the shots he hits.

“He’s (also) probably thinking, ‘why did you make bogey on 16 and why did you make bogey on 17?’”

Yet when he needed to step up, Conran (-22) hit the shot of a lifetime to sign for a seven-under 65 as Page (-21) carded a 67.

Tour winner Jordan Doull (-19) continued to climb the order of merit standings before next week’s final event with a closing 67 for solo third.

Conran’s golfing journey has mirrored many battling professionals, including a “half semester” stint at university in Sydney trying to study commerce and accounting.

“If you told me [I’d win] at the start of the week, I would have told you you were lying or crazy,” he said after missing his last five cuts in a row. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet.

“It’s nice to have a bit more stability for the next couple of years so I can actually make a bit of a schedule instead of not knowing when I’m going to play my next tournament.”

The penultimate event of the season crowned two-time winner Elvis Smylie, who had already secured DP World Tour membership by virtue of his Australian PGA Championship win, as the order of merit winner.

It will guarantee him a spot in the British Open with hopes he’ll also be able to score a berth in the US PGA Championship.

Smylie (-6) trialled a reverse grip with his putter on Sunday for the first time under tournament conditions as he carded a five-under 67 to finish in a tie for 53rd.

The unlikely, but most fascinating, man in Heritage Classic chase

Wherever the PGA Tour of Australasia used to go down the eastern seaboard, so did a legendary troop carrier van. At last count, it had more than 600,000km on the clock. Its inhabitant was a professional golfer, who had it passed down to him by his grandfather. He didn’t just drive it, he slept in it too. It was cold, but is saved him his cold hard.

“You’ve got to save a dollar, right? I don’t want to get a real job yet,” laughs Jay Mackenzie.

It doesn’t need spelling out, but Mackenzie is not your typical clean cut and well groomed tour pro.

He hails from the far north coast of NSW, and when he walks onto a course, he’s dressed like he’s just walked out of the saltwater. His van is usually not far away, albeit it hasn’t quite made it down to Melbourne this week.

“I’m having some rust cut out of it,” he laughs.

His golf bag is also frayed. He used to have driver covers which were ripped. His shirt is untucked, and that’s OK, because golf has bigger problems than whether a few tour pros bother to make sure their shirt is inside the belt.

But it all adds up to make him one of the most fascinating characters on a circuit full of them.

If you want to know the mental torture some golfers go through, spend a few minutes with Mackenzie. Since winning in Western Australia a few years ago, he’s been riddled with injuries. Back, wrist, mental hurt.

“I had had enough of it,” Mackenzie says. “But I like playing too much, so I keep going even if I’m playing s---. It’s not easy to play golf when you know you can actually play. But I’ve been the worst player out here for two years.

“I know if I find it, I can still play. It’s addictive. There’s one good shot here or there and you think, ‘I might still be able to play’.”

The good thing for Mackenzie, 26, is he’s hit a lot of good shots this week.

His recent form has been abysmal: seven missed cuts in a row. Yet he’s ironed out a kink in his swing. And now he’s moved to within three shots of leader Lachlan Barker (-17) heading into the final round of the Heritage Classic on Sunday.

“This is the first time I’ve played well in a long time,” Mackenzie said after a five-under 67. “I’m just happy to see I can still play. If I play well (on Sunday), that’s a bonus. There’s finally some sort of hope I might be able to keep playing.”

On a wild day, which at one stage 28 players within four shots of the lead, the penultimate event on the local circuit is anyone’s to win. Even Mackenzie’s. But Barker will start in pole position, signing for a seven-under 65 in his third round on Saturday to lead Nathan Page (-16) and James Conran (-15).

Elvis Smylie (-1), who confirmed his spot in the British Open after sewing up the order of merit title this week, had a day to forget with a five-over 77, which included back-to-back double bogeys in his final three holes.

RISING STAR CAPS STELLAR SIX MONTHS

Elvis Smylie has won a spot at this year’s British Open after claiming the PGA Tour of Australasia order of merit title with an event to spare.

It caps a remarkable six months for the rising star, who secured full playing rights to the DP World Tour after his breakthrough Australian PGA Championship victory over Cameron Smith in November.

Smylie’s order of merit crown was confirmed when his nearest challenger, New Zealand Open hero Ryan Peake, missed the cut at the Heritage Classic on the outskirts of Melbourne on Friday.

Peake’s chances were only miniscule of overhauling Smylie, essentially needing to win the last two events of the season, but he couldn’t recover after a quadruple bogey shocker on the opening hole of his first round.

The order of merit title would only have been the cherry on top for Peake after his own remarkable season, which has seen him secure full status on the Asian Tour and also in line for DP World Tour membership if he can finish top three on the PGA Tour of Australasia points list.

Smylie (-6) fired a two-under 70 in his second round on Friday at the Heritage Golf and Country Club to cruise inside the cut line, while Peake battled to a two-under 70, which left him at even par and outside the cut which was set at three-under.

The order of merit title means Smylie will punch a ticket to Royal Portrush for the British Open in July.

New Zealand PGA Championship winner Tyler Hodge (-11) made a fantastic start in trying-to-win back-to-back tournaments, but battled illness through his 65 on Friday. He is joined atop the leaderboard by Will Florimo.

“I might have to go see a doctor,” Hodge said after his round. “It feels like a bit of a chest infection. I didn’t quite have my best swing, but I got it around I suppose. It’s pretty soft out there and it’s a bit of target golf so you can attack a few pins.”

Former star amateur Harrison Crowe (-10), who beat the professionals in the NSW Open before he could earn prize money, is rounding into some nice form with a six-under 66 in his second round to be among the chasers.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s good frustrating at the same time because you’re playing well for the big events,” Crowe said of his mixed form across the summer.

“I’ve feel like I’ve been sloppy in the tier two events, so that’s been the goal to get that mentality like it’s a big tier one event. Putting myself in contention for the tier one events has awesome.

“I’m trying to finish well and win before the end of the season. I haven’t really looked at the points but I know a win will go a long way.”

Peake shocker puts Elvis in box seat to claim title

Ryan Peake’s disastrous quadruple bogey on his opening hole of the Heritage Classic has all but ensured Elvis Smylie will be crowned PGA Tour of Australasia order of merit champion.

Peake, who produced one of the most remarkable sporting stories in recent years when he won the New Zealand Open earlier this month after spending five years in prison, only had a minimal chance of overhauling Smylie in the season-long race.

The West Australian needs to win the last two events on the tour – starting with this week’s Heritage Classic – to have any realistic chance of topping the standings.

But standing on the 10th tee at The Heritage Golf and Country Club – his first hole of the day – Peake would have hardly envisaged signing for a quadruple bogey, by rinsing two approach shots in a row with his wedge from 95 metres.

The big left-hander fought back to eventually card a two-over 74, which included an eagle on the ninth, his final hole of the day, but he faces an uphill battle just to make the cut.

In between his wild start and finish, Peake’s rollercoaster round included three birdies in a four-hole stretch shortly after his quadruple stunner, a far contrast from Smylie’s polished four-under 68, which also included an eagle on the ninth.

Topping the PGA Tour of Australasia’s order of merit will only be an added bonus for Peake, who has already secured a coveted spot in the British Open after his nerve-jangling win in the New Zealand Open at Queenstown.

He is all but ensured of finishing the season in the top three as well, which will grant him DP World Tour membership, to go alongside his new found Asian Tour status.

Smylie has returned to Australia to ensure he will also be at Royal Portrush in July for the British Open, a reward for the PGA Tour of Australasia champion.

Queensland’s Jack Munro set a sizzling pace with a nine-under 63 in his first round, which included seven birdies and an eagle.

The 37-year-old admitted he had doubts about continuing his professional career at the end of last season, but has made a good start in search of his biggest win.

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“I told everyone I’d had enough after last season,” he said. “I played well at NSW Open and that got me interested again and it’s been solid since Christmas.

“I just got on a roll on the back nine there. I was solid on the first nine and going three, two, three to start the back nine (helps). I was just going OK until that three-hole stretch.”

Douglas Klein (-7) rebounded from a double bogey on his opening hole to be two shots behind Munro, with a further six players – headed by South Australia’s Lachlan Barker – posting six-under 66s.