Brandt-Richards wins Tahiti Golf Open - PGA of Australia

Brandt-Richards wins Tahiti Golf Open


Dale Brandt-Richards has won the biggest professional tournament of his short career taking out the Tahiti International Golf Open in impressive style.

Dale Brandt-Richards has won the biggest professional tournament of his short career taking out the Tahiti International Golf Open in impressive style.

""Brandt-Richards was the front runner for the duration of the tournament and held his nerve to claim the title by two strokes.

Brandt-Richards recorded rounds of 64, 70, 68 and a final round of 71 to finish the tournament at 7-under par, two strokes clear of Queensland’s Michael Wright.

Holding a three shot lead with three holes to play, Brandt-Richards avoided disaster at the difficult par-5 16th hole which had brought many players unstuck during the tournament. With dense jungle and out of bounds lining each side of the fairway, Brandt-Richards calmly played an iron off the tee to set-up a regulation par and put his competitors all but out of reach.

“I stuck with my strategy all week. There were times to go for shots and times to play smart. Sixteen is a really difficult hole, I struggled a bit there but today it was all regulation,” explained Brandt-Richards.

The win is the first international tournament for the Sydneysider who admitted to feeling the nerves down the home stretch.

“Mentally it was tough, I was feeling the pressure being in the lead and I knew I had some really good players chasing me. I just tried to stay in the moment.”

The win will see Brandt-Richards take home over $21,000 and will set-up the remainder of his season which continues with the SIFA Samoa Open in late June.

NSW/ACT PGA State Manager David Barker praised the work of the Polynesian Golf Federation (FPG) in their planning of the tournament and the Nicklaus designed Green Pearl layout.

“It has been a fantastic tournament to be involved in and the FPG have been outstanding. The layout is a true test of golf and a challenge for all players. It is truly unique having one side of the course flanked by mountains and the other by the Pacific Ocean. It is a course players will not forget."

The Tahiti International Golf Open is a tournament staged to promote golf throughout the South Pacific region and to promote Tahiti as a golfing destination.


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