Golf: Beard wins Classic after war of attrition

Hayden Beard is heading to Q school on the back of a win at the Omanu Classic. Photo / File

Hayden Beard has seen off Bailey Smith over 72 holes to become the first Mount Maunganui winner of the Omanu Classic since Terry Cochrane in 1985.

For Beard, the current Bay of Plenty number one, it was a war of attrition wearing down his mate.

Smith took a one-shot lead into the last nine after a crafted 34 before Beard picked up a birdie after coming out of the trees on the 10th.

Bailey missed a holeable putt on the 11th to slip one behind and bogeyed the 13th to fall off the pace.

Beard sealed the win with a birdie on the last to finish three shots clear after four consistent rounds of golf with barely any blemishes.

His four-round total was a 10-under par 278 (71, 71, 67, 69), with Bailey finishing three strokes back on 281.

Landyn Edwards of Rotorua came home third on 283.

Beard will now look to take the next step when he attempts to progress to the professional ranks with a visit to Q school next month.

Omanu's Jordan Golding shot the round of the tournament, firing five birdies on the front nine for a 66 to shoot up the leaderboard to finish fourth.

Chantelle Cassidy won the ladies' event after two second placings in the past two years.

She was the most consistent of the ladies with rounds of 71, 74, 73 and 71 to total a one-over par 289 to win by four strokes from Omanu's 16-year-old Alanna Campbell.

An unlikely birdie on the tenth - after her lost ball had fallen from a tree and on to a clean lie moments before she was to take a penalty - spurred her to the four-stroke win.

In addition, her second shot into the 18th green was over-cooked, and likely only stayed in bounds by striking a spectator.

Campbell finished in clear second ahead of Rotorua's Rotana Howard.