Golf: Daniel Pearce finishes well at Fiji International

Daniel Pearce. Photo / PGA Australia

Australian journeyman Jason Norris held his nerve to win the Fiji International tournament by four shots at Natadola Bay on Sunday.

The 45-year-old held off the charge from young Thai star Jazz Janewattananond - who shot a blistering course record eight-under 64 - to record a memorable victory.

Norris follows US PGA Tour players Matt Kuchar (2015) and Brandt Snedeker (2016) to win the title and the lion's share of the lucrative $1.8 million purse.

Daniel Pearce was the best of the Kiwis, firing a three-under 69 to finish five shots behind Norris in fifth equal place.

It was a good week for the Auckland-based pro who held the lead through the opening two rounds only to lose ground with a 73 on Saturday.

The China Tour player had to be satisfied with his week but was frustrated not to be in a position to challenge for the title over the final holes.

"You can never complain about a top five in a big event I guess but I am feeling a little disappointed overall. I definitely played good enough to win this week but didn't quite execute at a couple of key times," Pearce said.

"I played well enough today. I made some good decisions and put a lot of good swings on it and only made two bogeys and made five birdies."

Fellow Kiwis Gareth Paddison and Mark Brown made a last day charge to move up the leaderboard.

Paddison finished birdie, birdie to sign for a five-under 67 and claim a share of ninth place.

Brown shot one of the rounds of the day, with seven birdies and just one bogey in his excellent six-under 66. The Tauranga-based tour veteran finally got his blade working, putting up a storm with help from his caddie and renowned coach Mikayla Bell.

Fellow Tauranga golfer Josh Geary moved up to 16th equal with a solid 67, after a seven-shot victory on the China Golf Tour last week.

Harry Bateman was unable to get anything going over his final 18 holes to also finish 16th equal, with Michael Long 20th equal.

Another Kiwi to make his mark in the final round was Ryan Fox who birdied nine holes in a high quality round. However, he double bogeyed his final hole and had two other bogeys to finish with 67 and a tie for 24th place.

* Peter flew to Fiji courtesy of Fiji Airways