Winning the Vic Open has been on Cameron John’s bucket list for 20 years and he ticked off the target today after some late final-round drama in the 2026 event at 13th Beach Golf Links.
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The 26-year-old Victorian trailed long-time leader Nathan Barbieri by two shots when he stood on the 72nd tee, facing a par-5 that ended up ruining the Sydneysider’s dream of his first Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title.
Barbieri made a surprise bogey after finding a greenside bunker in two, John making birdie after crunching a driver that left him just 140 metres to the pin on the 487-metre closing hole on the Beach course.
The duo finished the tournament at eight-under-par with John shooting a final-day 71 to Barbieri’s 76 to close down the overnight five-shot lead.
Heading back to the 18th hole for the playoff, John this time took a more conservative approach, taking a 3-iron off the tee, but still had plenty of length to go over the back-left of the green with his second.
When Barbieri couldn’t get his ball up and down for birdie, John sealed his third tour title, and second for the 2025-2026 season, with a putt from inside a metre.
Two trips down 18, eight shots to 11, and John was the sole name on top of the leaderboard for the first time all week.
“It’s incredible,” John said. “I drive in here every year. I look at the signs [noting the past champions] and I go, One day, one day, one day. Hopefully I win before I get to another level on a different tour.
“It’s something that I’ve wanted to win forever since I was a little kid. I remember going out to a Vic Open at Spring Valley and doing a little putting-with-the-net thing with Steve Jones. I was probably 6 or 7 years old. Vic Open has been something on my bucket list forever.”
After leading from Friday morning when he shot a flawless 65 on the Creek course, the disappointment on 18 is the latest close call for Barbieri who now has two runner-up finishes this season among six top-10s.
The consolation is that he has climbed to fifth on the Order of Merit, while John, who won the Queensland PGA Championship in October in another come-from-behind performance, is now second, close behind NSW Open champion Christopher Wood.
The new Vic Open winner said he felt for his good mate and playing partner on Sunday afternoon.
“Obviously Nathan and I are quite close and I’m disappointed for him because [he’d have been] a very deserving winner,” he said. “But anytime you get a chance to sort of be in this position, it’s great and you never know what can happen until the very end.”
A four on the par-5 second was Barbieri’s only birdie of the final round.
WA PGA champion Austin Bautista (71) was outright third at five-under-par, with Lachlan Barker (69) fourth at four-under after closing with an eagle. After playing in the final group on both Saturday and Sunday, veteran Brendan Jones (78) tied for seventh.
The Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia continues with Webex Players Series Victoria hosted by Marcus Fraser at Rosebud Country Club, starting on Thursday.
