A costly final hole three-putt has consigned Monash Country Club's Cameron Davis to second place in the English men's open stroke play championship after a dramatic final day.
The NSW HP squad member and the lone Australian representative in the field led tournament for 54 holes but was unable to maintain the momentum during a tense final round, allowing Englishman Jamie Bower to lift the Brabazon Trophy by a solitary shot.
The final round had everything: brilliant play, plenty of tension and some wild weather thrown in.
Davis started the day with a two-shot buffer over Bower, however the lead was quickly erased on the second hole when Davis took a bogey while Bower bagged a birdie to even it all up.
Davis found himself back out in front by two after grabbing his first birdie of the day while Bower made a double bogey seven. His lead was back to one shot by the 10th tee, when the real tension began.
The lead see-sawed with Davis bogeying the 10th, Bower grabbing a birdie on the 11th, then Davis grabbed the lead again with a birdie on the 12th.
The pair both bogeyed the 14th then matched one another with birdies on the 15th to remain in first and second spots on the leaderboard.
Bower took a huge stride towards the championship with a birdie on the 17th that Davis was unable to match, before the final hole provided the real drama. Officials suspended play with both players tied at 12 under par and ready to putt out on the 18th green when a violent thunderstorm passed through.
When play resumed, Davis, thinking the green was going to be a bit slower after the rain, knocked his 10 metre birdie attempt a metre and a half past. Unfortunately his return putt for par to force a play-off shaved the hole, and suddenly Bower had grabbed the title by a shot.
Bower felt for Davis.
I feel really bad for Cameron, he played really well and it was awful for that to happen on the 18th. No-one wants to see that and you would rather win it by holing a putt," Bower said.
Davis was disappointed with the result, but full of praise for Bower.
"I hit the ball well all week, I just went cold with the putter over the last 3 days," he said. "Congratulations to Jamie though, he played really well."