24-year-old Lachlan Barker from South Australia was crowned the champion of the 2023 PNG Open (Australasia tour) at the Port Moresby Royal Gulf on Sunday last weekend.
He had won the professional competition which had earned him the Green Vest and he walked away with $32,400 (K77,107) prize money.
“First win as a professional! This is the first event of our 2023 season. Getting this win will give me a job for the next two years, which is a sigh of relief.” said Barker
The event had brought Lachlan into PNG for the first time and he celebrated that with his first win as a professional golfer.
“As a first-timer coming to PNG to earn a title, I am over the moon with the win,” said Barker.
Being part of the 3 members of the last group, he had dropped behind Chris Woods but began his
comeback at the second hole during the final day, ending up with an overall result of 14-under.
“It was my front nine – shooting seven under – to get back on the top of the leader board, managed my way home and got the win.”
“Great way to start the 2023/24 season for me,” he added happily.
“It was a really well-run event. I love the way the community got around it during the four-day
tournament,” he said.
In the meantime, Barker is now in Thailand for a mixed event, before travelling to spend the summer in America and returning to Australia.
He thanked his sponsors, parents, the Port Moresby Golf Club and the groundsmen that have
assisted him by carrying his golf equipment around the 23 par and looks forward to returning next year.
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