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Brown beats Geary for Taranaki Open title

Seasoned professional Mark Brown has claimed victory at the TSB Taranaki Open following a dramatic playoff against Josh Geary.
Mark Brown (pictured) took the Taranaki Open title in a playoff over Josh Geary on the Charles Tour PHOTO: GOLF NZ SUPPLIED

Seasoned professional Mark Brown has claimed victory at the TSB Taranaki Open following a dramatic playoff against Josh Geary.


Hosted at the iconic New Plymouth Golf Club, the final round saw Brown and Geary locked in a battle for the title, with Brown ultimately emerging victorious.


Brown began the day with a narrow one-shot lead, but it was Geary’s impressive six-under round that set the stage for an exciting finish. Despite Geary’s commanding play, an unexpected bogey on the 18th opened the door, allowing Brown to force a playoff.


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Faced with a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to secure victory, Brown’s attempt missed, leaving him a challenging par putt, which he successfully made to send the contest into a sudden-death playoff.


On the playoff hole, Geary’s tee shot went out of bounds, and Brown capitalized to claim the title. Reflecting on his hard-fought win, Brown commented, “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’s final-round charge included birdies on holes 14 through 17, which he credited as a turning point. “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. It helped in some ways, as I knew I had to make some birdies to win.”


Brown also expressed appreciation for the New Plymouth Golf Club and its storied history.


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


While Geary narrowly missed out on victory at the Taranaki Open, his back-to-back wins at the Mount Open and Tauranga Open earlier in the season secured him the top spot in the 2024 Jennian Homes Charles Tour points race.


James Tauariki and Dongwoo Kang were the only other players to finish better than par at three-under and four-under respectively.


With the season now concluded, the top 24 players look ahead to the “Race to Tieke” tournament in 2025, where they will compete for a $100,000 purse.

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