Will Florimo allowed himself his first sip of beer in more than two years after finally claiming his maiden Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia title at the Heritage Classic.
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Despite closing with back-to-back bogeys, the Queenslander’s resilient three-under 69 in the final round was enough to hold off a charging Haydn Barron, securing the season’s penultimate event by two shots at 14-under-par at The Heritage Golf & Country Club.
Florimo had come close on three previous occasions this season: finishing runner-up at the PNG Open, third at the WA PGA Championship, and suffering a heartbreaker at the Ford NSW Open, where he lost in a three-way playoff to eventual winner Chris Wood.
Since joining the tour in 2023, Florimo had sworn off alcohol until his first win. Two years later, he finally enjoyed a sip of beer.
“Pretty good,” Florimo said, smiling at the taste of his first beer in more than two years. “I’ve been playing very solid golf these past two years, and I knew it was going to gel one week.
“I’ve had so many close calls and it felt like a see-saw all day. I had chances to really run away with it, but I kept giving them back.
“That stretch to finish was pretty special.”
Florimo teed off in the lead pack in second place, two shots behind American Chris Malec, who held the third-round lead at 13-under-par.
Malec quickly lost his advantage with three straight bogeys, while Florimo made steady pars to seize the early lead.
On the par-5 fourth, he stuffed his approach close and sank the eagle putt to surge into a three-shot lead at 13-under.
“That shot into four was up there – it’ll be in my calibre of top shots in my career,” Florimo said.
A strong eight-player chase group remained on his heels as Florimo bogeyed the 10th, allowing Josh Armstrong to share the lead at 12-under.
A near chip-in on 15 hit the pin, denying him another eagle, but a tap-in birdie, following birdies on 12 and 14, extended his lead to three shots.
“I thought if I could make up and down on 15, or even after hitting the tee shot, if I could just make 4 from there, it was mine to lose. It was definitely nice to have less than a foot for birdie,” he added.
Malec, fighting for Order of Merit points to retain his card, rallied after a four-over front nine. Birdies on the 12th and 13th were followed by an eagle on the par-5 15th, bringing him to 13-under and just two shots off the lead.
But the New Yorker faltered with a bogey and double-bogey, while Barron kept the pressure on.
Florimo dropped a shot on the tough par-3 17th, with Barron making par to reduce the margin to two heading into the final hole.
Barron’s closing bogey allowed Florimo to finish with a bogey of his own, sealing his first PGA Tour of Australasia victory.
“This makes everything taste so much better this year,” the champion said.
The 26-year-old credits his form to his almost two-year-old daughter, who has given him purpose and motivation over the past two years.
“She turns 2 in a couple of months, and my past two years of golf have skyrocketed. It’s given me so much purpose in what I do,” he said.
“My wife and daughter are my world, and I can’t wait to get home and celebrate this with them.”
Quinnton Croker, Declan O’Donovan, Ben Eccles, Matias Sanchez and Armstrong finished just one shot behind Barron to share third at 11-under, rounding out a thrilling final day that remained up for grabs until the final holes.
