Golf: Branxton rookie Corey Lamb back on course after strong result in Players Series

Lamb produced his best week since turning pro last March, carding four rounds in the 60s to be at 11-under and equal second in the $200,000 Webex Players Series South Australia at Willunga Golf Course on Sunday.

The strong result moved the 22-year-old up to 20th on the Australasian order of merit with 76.33 points. He was 76th last season with 61.54 points from 10 events.

"It was good to be in contention," the Branxton bomber said. "It definitely gives me a lot of confidence going forward. I had a horrendous first season on the tour and don't have much status. Every event that has a pre-qualifier I will have to qualify for because of my category.

"That result should get me a fair few invites. I have to make cuts and get some decent results to prove that I can do it consistently. I want to try and lock up my card for next year."

Next for Lamb is the Queensland PGA at Nudgee in Brisbane from November 2.

"Hopefully I get an invite for that," he said. "If not, I will play a Monday qualifier."

Although happy with the points - and cheque for $14,666 - Lamb could not help but ponder what if.

After an early birdie blitz on Sunday to move to 13 under and lead by two at one stage, Lamb stumbled down the stretch and was leapfrogged by Austin Bautista, who closed with a 64.

Lamb was alongside Bautista at 12 under with a hole to play but crashed with a bogey after his drive rolled off the fairway into the rough.

"It was tough to take, but that happens sometimes," he said.

"On 18, the ball was sitting down. I had bad lies all week. The grass is kikuyu and you couldn't really bump-and-run because the tee was tucked at the front. I tried to chip it up onto the green and just got under it and it went straight up into the tree."

Lamb's dad, Tony, was on the bag for him in Adelaide.

"He got more nervous than I did at a couple of the big holes," Lamb said. "It was great having him there. I think he has used up all his annual leave now."

** Luke Ferrier closed with an even-par 70 to seal his eighth straight Merewether club championship on Saturday.

Ferrier carded rounds of 75,76,76,70 to be eight over and win by 18 strokes from Dane McKay (74,74,79,79).

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** Defending champion Tom De Wit will meet No.1 seed Matt Saad in the semi-final of the Newcastle club championship next Sunday.

Former pro Daniel Matthews will play Ben Hillard in the other semi.

The 36-hole quarter-finals were held last weekend.

Saad accounted for Brian Carmichael 10 and 8, De Wit overpowered Brayden Benkovic 5 and 4, Hillard pipped Ash Bosworth 2 and 1 and Matthews edged Daniel Terry on the 37^th hole.

** AAP reports, Richard Green has fallen painfully short of adding to Australia's run of recent golf winners, losing a playoff at the PGA Tour Champions event in the US.

American Harrison Frazar birdied the first extra hole to deny Green after both players finished at 11 under par at the $3.2 million Dominion Energy Charity Classic in Richmond, Virginia.

Green and Frazar both posted Sunday 69s with the Australian the only player to record three rounds in the 60s in the first of three legs of the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs.

Alas, he had to settle for runner-up as Frazar earned his first PGA Tour Champions title, 12 years after his lone victory on the PGA Tour.

Green had been bidding to follow up countryman Rod Pampling's victory at the PGA Tour Champions' SAS Championship last week in North Carolina.

He would have been Australia's third worldwide winner in the space of seven days after Min Woo Lee won the Macau Open last week and his older sister Minjee Lee took out the LPGA Tour's BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea on Sunday.

"Emotions are (at an) all-time high right now," Frazar said.

"I'm filled up with appreciation, with humbleness. I'm so happy. I'm so proud of what I've done, what (caddie Marc Lebas) has done, what my family's done and everything we've been through, especially lately."

Frazar, 52, and Green both reached the green in three shots when replaying the par-5 18th hole at the Country Club of Virginia.

But Green was on the far side of the green and missed his birdie chance, and Frazar followed that with his winning putt.

Frazar walked away from competitive golf for several years before attempting a comeback on the PGA Tour Champions after turning 50.

"You wonder if you really can do it. You wonder if you've still got it," Frazar said. "To be able to see that putt go in the hole, gosh, what a feeling."

The top 54 players in the Schwab Cup playoff race following Sunday will qualify for the second leg, the TimberTech Championship in Boca Raton, Florida.

Steve Stricker still leads that championship race by a wide margin.

Green had been bidding to follow up countryman Rod Pampling's victory at the PGA Tour Champions' SAS Championship last week in North Carolina.

He would have been Australia's third worldwide winner in the space of seven days after Min Woo Lee won the Macau Open last week and his older sister Minjee Lee took out the LPGA Tour's BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea on Sunday.