Golf: Brown claims Taranaki Open title

NZ Golf

In a thrilling conclusion to the 2024 Jennian Homes Charles Tour, Mark Brown claimed victory in a playoff at the TSB Taranaki Open after a back-and-forth final round with defending champion Josg Geary.

The final round at New Plymouth Golf Club was a true showdown between the two seasoned players, with Brown holding a narrow one-shot lead at the start of the day.

Geary, however, surged forward, carding an impressive six-under round, which had him poised for victory—until an unexpected bogey on the 18th created an opening.

Down to the final hole, Brown faced a dramatic twenty-foot birdie putt to clinch the title outright. When the ball sailed five feet past, he steadied himself and sank the par putt, forcing a sudden-death playoff. In the playoff, Geary’s tee shot went out of bounds, clearing the path for Brown to triumph. Reflecting on the victory, Brown noted:

“It felt like I’ve been playing pretty well the last year or two, but it’s hard to win, especially as you get a bit older… Josh is such a great champion, so I’m really, really stoked.”

Brown, who made birdies on holes 14 through 17 to pull Geary’s lead back, credited his rival’s exceptional form for pushing him to find another gear.

“I knew with the wind not quite as strong, Josh was probably the man to go out and shoot low—he’s been playing so well, so it helped in some ways, as I knew I had to make some birdies to win.”

Reflecting on the course and his own history with it, Brown said:

“New Plymouth is so special—a wonderful test with the weather conditions and the quality of the golf course. It’s a great championship golf course. We go back a long way, me and this golf course, and what a way to finish.”

Though Geary ultimately came up short, his back-to-back victories at the Christie’s Floorings Mount Open and Carrus Tauranga Open secured him the top spot in the Jennian Homes Charles Tour points race. The season wrapped with Geary atop the leaderboard and the top 24 players looking ahead to the “Race to Tieke” tournament in 2025, where they’ll compete for a $100,000 purse.

Former New Plymouth resident Stevie Heyes finished in sixth with +1 and New Plymouth’s Jack Van Prehn scored +4 to finish 10^th.

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