First win for Finch in New Zealand

By: Darren Ramowski | Edited: Mon 14 Jul 2014

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Englishman Richard Finch won his first Pro event on the European tour at The Hills GC New Zealand in the Michael Hill New Zealand Open but the media focus and spotlight was on 71 year old Bob Charles by shooting his age or better for the 3rd consecutive day.

The 30 year old former English Amateur champion from Hull led the field on the final day after shooting impressive rounds of 65 and 64 on Friday and Saturday.

Despite bogeying the 12th and 14th, Finch birdied the 15th with par saves on the 16th and 18th to finish with a 3 shot lead, shooting 14 under for a 4 round total of 274.

"Going into today, I felt it was in my hands and if I played well, played as I had been all week, this would be the outcome," Finch said. "I stumbled a bit on the back nine when I started thinking too much about what I was doing. It's the first time I've been in this position and it was difficult to know how to do it."

71 year old Bob Charles, the 1963 Open champion, became the oldest man to make the cut on a major non-seniors tour, added a 70 Sunday to rounds of 75, 68 and 71 to tie for 23rd at 4 under.

Final leaderboard

Pos	Name	1	2	3	4	4th R	Total	Strokes
1	Richard Finch	73	65	64	72	E	-14	274
T2	Paul Sheehan	68	67	73	69	-3	-11	277
T2	Steven Bowditch	69	65	71	72	E	-11	277
T4	Craig Parry	68	74	70	66	-6	-10	278
T4	Alexander Noren	76	69	67	66	-6	-10	278
T4	Steven Jeffress	71	68	72	67	-5	-10	278
T4	Matthew Millar	72	71	68	67	-5	-10	278
8	Peter Fowler	69	75	62	73	1	-9	279
T9	Oliver Fisher	70	69	72	69	-3	-8	280
T9	Matthew Zions	72	73	66	69	-3	-8	280
11	Robert Dinwiddie	72	72	66	71	-1	-7	281
T12	Gary Simpson	69	69	76	68	-4	-6	282
T12	Josh Geary	75	67	70	70	-2	-6	282
T12	Adam Bland	71	74	67	70	-2	-6	282
T12	Michael Curtain	71	70	70	71	-1	-6	282
T16	Anthony Brown	71	70	72	70	-2	-5	283
T16	Gareth Paddison	70	72	71	70	-2	-5	283
T16	Matthew Ballard	72	70	70	71	-1	-5	283
T16	Andrew Tschudin	70	71	70	72	E	-5	283
T16	Scott Gardiner	72	72	67	72	E	-5	283
T16	Kyron Sullivan	72	68	69	74	2	-5	283
T16	Rick Kulacz	71	69	68	75	3	-5	283
T23	Doug Holloway	72	71	74	67	-5	-4	284
T23	Tony Christie	71	73	71	69	-3	-4	284
T23	Bob Charles	75	68	71	70	-2	-4	284
T23	Peter Whiteford	70	68	75	71	-1	-4	284
T23	Michael Wright	71	69	72	72	E	-4	284
T23	Marc Leishman	69	70	71	74	2	-4	284
T23	Ewan Porter	72	66	70	76	4	-4	284

About the author

Darren Ramowski is the MD of Golfshake. With a background in technology and data, he is deeply interested in golf analytics, equipment innovation, and industry trends. A committed golfer who enjoys links courses and European golf travel, Darren has a personal ambition to visit notable Ryder Cup venues. His strategic vision continues to shape Golfshake’s growth and community engagement.