Josh Geary too strong at Tauranga Open
- Dave Worsley
- Sep 29
- 3 min read
josh Geary has defended his Tauranga Open crown going wire-to-wire to secure back-to-back titles on the Charles Tour.
The local favourite showed his class across four consistent rounds, finishing at 29-under after a stunning final-round 60 to claim victory by a record 12 shots.
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It was a dominant display from start to finish, underlining once again why Geary remains one of New Zealand’s most formidable golfers.
Jayden Ford set the early pace in round one with a front nine of four-under, reaching eight-under through 13 holes after an eagle at the par-5 13th. His charge briefly put him on ‘59 watch’ before a bogey on the par-3 14th halted momentum.
He recovered with a birdie on 15 but closed with two pars and a bogey on 18 to set the clubhouse target at seven-under. Kit Bittle also got off to a hot start at three-under through four after showing good form the week prior at the Mount Open, while Steven Oh carded four-under through his first six holes.
Fresh off his breakthrough win at the Mount, 17-year-old Cooper Moore looked composed with a three-under round that included just one bogey. Golf New Zealand Academy player Mitch Kale matched that effort, showing promise in front of a supportive home crowd.
Geary opened strongly in the afternoon, bogey-free through 14 and joining Ford at seven-under, while Yuki Miya continued his consistent stretch of golf to post a four-under opener.
In the women’s field, Chloe So carried over her form from Top Amateur honours at Mount Maunganui to take a two-shot lead after day one, with Faith Vui close behind in second.
Geary entered the final day with the luxury of a five-shot cushion, but any thoughts of a tense finish were quickly erased as he birdied the second and third holes to stretch his lead to seven. From there he assumed total control, marching into the back nine at a record pace.
At seven-under through 12, he had the crowd murmuring about another possible 59. While that mark ultimately eluded him, he poured in birdies across the back nine to finish with a stunning 10-under 60, posting 29-under for the week and cruising to victory by 12 shots – the largest margin in Charles Tour history.
Ford began brightly with back-to-back birdies but couldn’t sustain his early momentum, while Miya and Hydes stayed bogey-free but were unable to find the birdie runs needed to close the gap on the champion.
The women’s finale was just as dramatic, with Tang and Lang beginning tied for the lead but faltering with bogeys on the front nine.
Tang briefly pulled ahead with a birdie on seven, only for her back nine to unravel. So launched a late charge, reaching three-under through 17 after an eagle at the 15th, but a closing bogey on 18 saw her fall just short. That left the door open for Hunter Edwards, who produced the lowest round of the day with a composed three-under 69.
Her steady play earned her the women’s title by a single stroke, a breakthrough victory built on resilience and timely birdies down the stretch.
