Cameron John and Lydia Hall Vic Open Champions
Cameron John and Lydia Hall – enjoying their victories.
26-year-old Victorian Cameron John has won his third PGA Tour of Australasia title and his second of the 2025/2026 season with a sensational come-from-behind win at the Vic Open at 13th Beach.
In doing so, John has leapt to 2nd on the current PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit behind only Christopher Wood and has opened the door for some of the significant offerings for those who finish inside the top three on the order of Merit at season’s end, including the right to play the DP World Tour in 2027.
John, who earlier this season won the Queensland PGA Championship to go with his National Tournament title in 2024, is a former Australian Junior Champion with now six years behind him as a professional.
Today he began the final round five shots behind the long-time leader Nathan Barbieri, who was chasing his first victory on the PGA Tour of Australasia, but by the turn he was just two back and kept niggling away as Barbieri struggled with the greens despite some reasonable tee to green play.
At the par 5 18th and still two behind, John hit his approach shot second to 18 feet right of the hole while Barbieri found the right-hand greenside bunker, and when he blasted across the green and failed to get up and down, John had his putt to win.
It slipped past the left edge, and so it was back to the 18th to seal the deal. John was a little long with his second at the first extra hole but got up and down for birdie while Barbieri was unable to match his slightly younger opponent and had to settle for his 4th runner-up finish on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Austin Bautista moved into 3rd place with a final round of 71 in the blustery conditions and moves inside the top ten (10th) on the current Order of Merit.
38-year-old Welsh golfer Lydia Hall would eventually win the Vic Women’s Open by four shots, but her final round battle with NSW golfer Kelsey Bennett suggested the margin did not reflect the contest that took place.
The pair were tied through eleven holes, but the more experienced Ladies European Tour winner drew clear over the closing holes and put the icing on the cake with a 20-foot birdie putt at the last.
Bennett ended in a share of second place with West Australian Kathryn Norris.
Both the men and the women head across to Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula for this coming week’s Webex Players Series event hosted by Marcus Fraser.
