PGA of Australia VIC/TAS tournament coordinator Heath McLeod was pleased with the inaugural staging of the two-day tournament in Creswick.

“It’s been fantastic to come back to Goldfields, see the improvement in the golf course and to run this format a week before the World Super6 Perth is a great blowout for our guys,” McLeod said.

“I think there was great interaction all weekend from our professionals with the amateurs – they had a great time.”

McLeod said the course at Creswick was suited to match play, which was used during Sunday’s second and final day of the tournament.

Professionals played 18 holes of stroke on Saturday before the top 24 players moved through to Sunday’s knockout encounters, conducted over six holes.

Hobart’s Simon Hawkes was crowned the winner after beating Anthony Marchesani in the final.

An amateur competition was also played across the weekend, with Joseph Matokovic proving victorious over Creswick Golf Club member Wayne Townsing in the decider.

“I think a 72-hole stroke tournament would be a real grind for our guys (at Creswick). It’s so hard, it’s so hilly,” McLeod said.

“This match play format with guys just attacking every hole, it’s really suited to that.”

Hawkes was full of praise for the event, which he said offered professionals a rare chance to compete under match play conditions.

“Every guy I played with said it was just a great event to play in,” Hawkes said.

The RACV Goldfields Resort, which until the weekend had not hosted a major tournament since the 2013 Victorian PGA Championship, is now gearing up for next Sunday’s PGA Legends Tour event.

This will follow the Victorian Senior Masters, which is being held at the Midlands Golf Club on Friday and Saturday.

Also on Sunday is the ALPG Ballarat Icons Pro Am, which is being conducted by the Ballarat Golf Club.