After a miserable Web.Com season, Melbourne-born James Nitties has emerged from the golfing wilderness to capture the South Pacific Open in New Caledonia.
The victory was a welcome boost for Nitties who has had just one top 10 finish in the US and a string of missed cuts.
He was not tasted success since his Web.Com Tour victory in 2011 and his win at the West Australian Open in 2009.
Nitties lost his full card on the Web.Com Tour in 2015 where he lost his full status, this victory, despite it being in a lesser PGA Tour of Australasia event, should serve to boost the Dallas based Novocastrian’s confidence ahead of the pending Australian tournaments.
Last summer Nitties played well in Australian events finishing runner-up at the Australian masters and 3rd at the NSW Open.
He began the final day in Noumea with a two shot lead but watched his edge vanish as he engaged in a tense battle with playing partner Matthew Millar from Canberra.
In a bizzare moment, a palm tree played into Nitties' hands.
At the par four 15th Millar's ball became stuck in a palm tree causing him to take an unplayable which lead to a double bogey.
From then on Nitties strolled to a comfortable six shot win, finishing with a tournament total of 16-under 268.
Millar finished outright second on 10-under 274, extending his excellent run of results on the PGA Tour of Australasia in 2015 with six top-10 finishes including a victory at the Holden NZ PGA Championship.
MEANWHILE, Victorian Bryden Macpherson's fine form has continued.
He and New Zealander Daniel Pearce tied for third in the Yulongwan Yunnan Open, won by another Kiwi, Josh Geary.
It was Geary's third victory on the China Tour this year and has won him a full card to play the Web.Com Tour in 2016.
The leading five players on the 2015 China Tour money list earn the right to play the Web.Com Tour next year.
Geary won by one shot over Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul while Macpherson and Pearce tied for third, six shots behind.
Macpherson moves into fourth position on the money list and is now in line for a Web.Com Tour card.