Daniel Elder put paid to Brent McEwan's grand slam hopes by beating him with a par 3 on the second playoff hole to win the Wanaka tournament in windy conditions on Saturday.
McEwan, the Otago No 1, won the first two men's trial events and had set a personal goal of winning all five.
But Elder (Otago) played some of his best golf since his school days, finishing 2-over-par for the day with a 2-under 68 in the morning and a 74 in the afternoon.
This tied him with McEwan (St Clair), who carded 69 in the morning and 73 in the second round.
The pair halved the first playoff hole but, despite hitting a thin tee shot on the second, Elder held the inside running when he chipped to within a metre of the hole.
McEwan blocked his tee shot right and faced an almost impossible up-and-down with the pin hard right and he made a bogey 4.
The playoff pair were not the lowest scorers on the day as The Hills professional Craig Palmer came in two shots better with 67 and 73.
Although he cannot claim a prize, Palmer enjoys competing against Otago's best amateurs and relishes the challenge.
''Playing in these events helps me prepare for professional and pro-am tournaments,'' he said.
Windy conditions with firm greens made putting difficult in the afternoon round and many paid the price when getting above the hole on sloping greens.
Meanwhile, Otago's top juniors went head to head against Canterbury in the first match for many years.
The youngsters had a testing time on the Terrace Downs course in the Rakaia Gorge.
Canterbury won the under-19 boys event 6-3 while Otago coasted home in the under-19 mixed contest, winning eight of the nine matches.
Otago's best performance was in the under-16 boys event. It trailed 3-0 after the morning foursomes round, but rallied with four wins and a half in the singles to tie at 4.5-4.5.
