Victorian amateur Ben Eccles has stamped himself as a new star of Australian golf after winning the NSW Open Golf Championship at Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club, Colebee on Sunday.
Eccles was on top of the leaderboard at the end of the opening day's play on Thursday, and stayed there for the remainder of the tournament.
The Victorian Institute of Golf team member had it easy in his final round shooting an even-par round of 72 for a 19 under par, four-round total of 269 to win by three shots.
"I'm absolutely over the moon," Eccles said after his win.
"I've never led from start to finish — it's a pretty amazing feeling to be honest."
His finishing score could have been even lower except for a couple of bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes which made the result seem a little closer than it really was.
NSW player Rohan Blizard and Matthew Millar from the ACT did most of the chasing.
Blizard carded a respectable four under par round of 68 to go with his course record 62 on Friday, while a late-round double bogey on the 16th ended Millar's small chance of taking the title.
Eccles didn't take any chances as his round drew to a close.
Winning the championship wasn't in his thoughts until the final hole: he had no idea how many he was leading by until he stepped onto the last tee.
"It didn't sink in until I played 18," Eccles said. "I didn't know what Matt (Millar) was doing up front, but I knew if I made par up the last it was good enough."
The championship win sees Eccles become the first golfer to lift the Kel Nagle Cup.
Although the open was played for the first time in 1931, there had been no name for the trophy presented to the winner until this year.
The trophy was named in honour of Kel Nagle, who died earlier this year at the age of 94. Mr Nagle won the NSW Open in 1951, 1957
and 1968.
