Austen Truslow holds off teenager Cooper Moore to claim NZPGA Championship
Austen Truslow (right) and Cooper Moore (runner-up and leading amateur) image PGA of Australia
Today’s win at the Quinovic New Zealand PGA Championship by the 30-year-old American Austen Truslow highlights an often-held misconception about the success or otherwise of Americans on links layouts and in windy conditions.
Not sure how many times I have heard it said that Americans struggle in windy conditions and on links layouts, but I wouldn’t mind a dollar for every time I have heard the comment.
One look at the number of Americans who have won the Open Championship over the last 65 years, however, tells the story of their ability to handle such conditions more than they are given credit for, and today’s success by a Floridian further confirms my thoughts.
That Truslow’s fellow American, M.J. McGuire, played his last eight holes in 5 under on a golf course where only two people broke par over 72 holes to grab 3rd place outright adds further to this thought
Admittedly, Truslow was facing a field perhaps below the strength of a typical PGA Tour of Australasia event, but the manner in which he handled the demanding Paraparaumu Beach layout in contrasting conditions each day tells the story of perhaps a much better golfer than his career to date would suggest.
A very well credentialed junior, Truslow has battled on mini tours, secondary tours in the US and on the Asian Tour without any real success as such, but the calm manner and quality shot making, especially after coming under early pressure from 17-year-old New Zealander Cooper Moore in today’s final round, suggests there could be a lot more to come.
Truslow would eventually win by 3, but it hardly reflects the battle he faced early in his round when he appeared to lose his way over the first few holes, relinquishing his three-shot overnight lead to Moore before taking a one-shot lead at the turn and then extending to lead by four with one hole to play.
Moore would birdie the final two holes to post a very impressive performance and further enhance his reputation as New Zealand’s brightest prospect, the current Australian Junior Champion and former New Zealand Amateur Champion, displaying golfing skills well beyond his teenage years.
Moore burst out of the blocks early today with birdies at the 3rd and 4th to take the lead, and although he would eventually finish 3 shots from the winner, he gave clear evidence that the regard in which he is held is totally justified.
The tournament rekindled the appeal of one of New Zealand’s finest golfing layouts, Paraparaumu Beach and reminded us all of what a great treasure it is in New Zealand golf and one that has avoided the limelight in more recent times. Now that it has been exposed in the manner it has this week, then it may well open opportunities for it to return to its heyday when host of so many of New Zealand’s leading tournaments.
The PGA Tour of Australasia now heads south to the New Zealand Open, an event jointly sanctioned between the PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour, with a further relationship of sorts with the Japan Tour.
Austen Truslow will face a significantly stronger field at Millbrook Resort than was the case this week, but the confidence he will have gained by winning, and winning in the manner he did, augurs well for another good week in one of the world’s oldest national opens.
