Players protest cyclonic wind conditions at final day of the Victoria Open

Not even cyclonic gusts of winds could call off the final day of the Victoria Open, as players protested the conditions and rounds lasted over six hours.

Near cyclonic winds caused stationary golf balls to start rolling on greens and players protested with officials about the conditions as the final day of the Victorian Open turned into a torture test.

Gusts of up to 60km/h battered 13th Beach Golf Links on the Bellarine Peninsula – producing almost unfathomable scores – in some of the wildest professional golf seen in Australia for years.

At one stage, the leading two men’s groups pleaded with rules officials about the greens becoming unplayable as they tried to line up putts and watch balls being swept several feet away.

Flagsticks were bending wildly depending on the wind direction and several players were seen missing three-foot putts and watching their ball roll up to 10 feet past the hole due to the wind whipping across the course.

Flagsticks were bending wildly in major winds at the Vic Open. Picture: Golf Australia

The final groups finished rounds which lasted a marathon six hours and nine minutes in fading daylight, with players constantly being blown off balance and stepping away from putts to readdress the ball.

Not a single player in the women’s field managed to shoot par on the final day with eventual winner Su Oh (Even) the best with a two-over 74.

She started the final round seven shots from the lead and was so conspicuous throughout the broadcast the only time she was shown on the coverage was on her last hole and while preparing for a potential play-off.

Neither of the Japanese duo Shina Kanazawa (+1) and Madoka Kimura (+2) – who led the tournament after the third round before a closing 83 – could make birdie on the par-five last to force a play-off.

The final women’s group of Japanese duo Kanazawa and Kimura plus Australia’s Kelsey Bennett found the going so brutal they played the last round in a combined 28-over.

Even Oh was stunned to be told she had won.

Su Oh was shocked when she won Victorian Open. Picture: Golf Australia

“This is the toughest conditions I’ve ever played in,” she said. “But I have played in a lot of wind, especially on this course. It was an extra two clubs (into the wind). But I grinded it through.”

Men’s champion, New Zealand’s Josh Geary, was one of the most vocal advocates of the course playability, remonstrating with rules officials on the eighth green as he shipped a triple bogey.

He had a seven-shot lead with five holes to play and survived the horrific winds to win by four, his first win on the PGA Tour of Australasia since 2013.

Having made only one double bogey and no bogeys in the first 54 holes of the tournament, Geary had a few nervous moments with four straight bogeys on his back nine en route to a six-over 78.

It was an emotional win for 40-year-old Geary, who only plays tournament golf sparingly these days juggling family commitments and was using the Victorian Open to sharpen his game for the upcoming New Zealand Open.

He also lost his mother in a tragic accident in 2021 when a car she was travelling in plunged into a harbour after a three-vehicle accident.

Josh Geary in action on the final day of Vic Open. Picture: Golf Australia

Asked about his four-shot lead down the last, Geary said: “Almost not enough, honestly. On the green, you feel like you could have six or seven putts quite easily. They were going uphill and all sorts. That was tough.

“I’ve played in some wind before, but that was the hardest conditions I’ve ever played, especially when you’re leading a tournament and trying to close it off.

“You want a bit of wind, but you don’t want that sort of stuff. That’s just carnage. It’s probably the hardest round I’ve ever played. I felt like I played pretty good and I shot 78.”

Connor McKinney and Kerry Mountcastle – who were out earlier in the day and finished hours before the final group – posted the best scores of the day with two-under 70s.

McKinney (-9) finished second, a shot ahead of Mountcastle (-8) and Geary’s roommate for the week, Michael Hendry.

Originally published as Players protest cyclonic wind conditions at final day of the Victoria Open