A “sensational” opening round at his home course of Duntryleague put Robert Payne in a dominant position after the first day of the City of Orange Championship, and he capitalised on that in a big way, going on to claim his second straight title and 17th overall.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Payne said it was “really important” for him to get away to a strong start and he did just that, using all his local knowledge to shoot an incredible, five-under round of 65 on day one of the three-day, 54-hole tournament.
That equated to 40 stableford points, this year’s championship was decided via that format rather than the usual stroke play.
He backed that up with two over (34 points) at Wentworth on day two and then, boasting a 12-point buffer leading in, shot a one-under round of 67 (38 points) on a pristine Country Club layout on Monday to finish with a three-day score of 112 points.
That gave him a massive, 18-point victory over second-placed Todd Le Grande (94), with Charlie Kaelner one shot further back in third.
“Playing at Duntryleague first was always going to be a big advantage, you need to know where to hit it around there and the greens are quite tricky at the moment,” Payne said, moments after it became clear he wouldn’t be run down on Monday afternoon.
“It was really important for me to get off to a good start and I did that … I played sensationally on the Saturday and just carried it through the next two days.
“I did really set it up on that first day. I like being a front-runner, it’s easier from there, you can dictate. I’m very happy, winning never gets old.”
The first round set it up for me, I like being a front-runner.
- Robert Payne
Payne actually pointed to his win at the Dubbo Open as a big catalyst for this victory, saying he “found a few things, form-wise” during that triumph that put him in good stead.
“I played well at Dubbo. I’m always pretty consistent off the tee and on the green, I putted well all three days (over the long weekend), but the big thing was my iron play. I played some really nice shots there, and that really contributed to my scores,” Payne explained.
“If someone had offered me a four-under total through the three days I’d have taken it without hesitation, but the funny thing is I still think I actually played better than I scored each day.
“It was a tough grind at times but I really enjoyed it, it’s such a great format and I’m sure everyone else enjoyed themselves too.”
While Payne was defending his title, Killara’s Jan Crichton was too.
After winning last year’s title by five shots Crichton went bigger this year, finishing with a 54-hole total of 89 points to win by eight from Catherine Coates (81). Holly Picker ran third, some way back on 68 points.
Crichton held a three-point lead going into Monday’s final day, and built on that to claim her second title on the trot.