It took 28 holes today at Warragul Country Club, but with the support of family and his best mates strolling the fairways alongside him, Victorian Ben Henkel has secured his maiden Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory at the Gippsland Super 6.

Having grown up on the Bellarine Peninsula, playing his junior golf at both 13th Beach Golf Links and Metropolitan Golf Club, Henkel’s debut win is made all the more special being so close to home.
 
“It’s amazing and I was so fortunate,” said an emotional Henkel after seeing off Dylan Gardner in Sunday’s final medal matchplay battle. “I’ve got some great mates that made the trip down, and my mum and dad. Been battling so hard with my game and everything, just fighting through it.
 
“I’ve had a lot of early mornings before work, after work, just really believing in myself to get a future out of this game. This is massive for me, massive.”

It can be marked down as a wire-to-wire victory for Henkel, who after rounds of 62-61-70, was atop the leaderboard alongside Corey Lamb and Gardner – two men he took down in today’s medal matchplay – after three rounds.
 
Gardner was the eventual runner-up, after a seesawing affair in the final match against Henkel, and Lamb was able to triumph over Andrew Evans in the match for third place.
 
Even though he was able to sit out of the first round of today’s matches, courtesy of his 54-hole score, the final day was far from straightforward for Henkel.
 
A clutch up-and-down on the last hole was required to get the better of Gavin Fairfax in Henkel’s first match of the day, and he was tied with Jack Pountney heading to the final hole of his second match before a Pountney stumble.
 
His semi-final duel with Lamb, who was also desperately chasing his maiden win, is where Henkel was truly made to dig deep. Tied after the regulation six holes, both players headed back up the hill to the 100-metre knockout tee.
 
Knocking it in close, Henkel looked to have the match, but a missed putt meant an eighth hole was required. This time both players hit their tee shots close, with matching birdies the result. On the ninth hole of the match, it was Lamb who looked to have the upper hand knocking it inside Henkel. Pouring in a long range putt, though, was enough to secure Henkel a final birth as Lamb’s putt slid by.
 
Requiring no extra holes on his way to the final, Henkel’s final challenger Gardner was the in-form man of the day, and as he birdied the first to Henkel’s par, it looked as if he may continue his charge.
 
Henkel struck back immediately however on the second with a birdie of his own, and as he poured in yet another putt on the uphill third, the Victorian suddenly had a one shot lead.
 
Both Henkel and Gardner pulled their tee shots on the fourth, both played provisional balls, but it was Henkel who looked to be in more danger.
 
Thinking it was out-of-bounds, Henkel went back to the tactic that has helped him ever since he strapped on his glove at the start of the week, the first time is has done so in close to seven years.
 
“Sticking to my processes and just sticking to my routine and just focused on what I need to do in the moment,” he said.
 
Both balls were found, but as Henkel chipped out sideways on his way to bogey, Gardner was miraculously able to pitch his up and tap in for birdie. A two-shot swing now had Gardner the one shot leader with two holes to play.
 
Taking differing routes to the par-5 fifth green, both Henkel and Gardner eventually had putts for birdie and this time Henkel was able to capitalise while Gardner missed out, meaning the pair were now tied heading to the final hole.
 
Away first, Henkel safely found the middle of the putting surface, before Gardner hit a towering draw into the back-left pin setting up a great chance at birdie and the win.
 
Rolling it up close and securing par, Gardner’s putt for the win caught a piece of the cup but stayed out, and so the knockout hole was in play again.
 
Again finding the middle of the putting surface safely, Henkel left the door open for Gardner to get inside him again, but this time the Queenslander’s ball caught the left edge of the green and fed all the way down to the catchment area long left.
 
Failing to get up and down handed the trophy to Henkel, and it was finally time for the friends and family who made the trip down the highway to celebrate with the winner, who was left with a fractured vertebrae in 2019 after a car accident that meant even playing golf again was in the balance, let alone becoming a tour winner.

“It was a really hard, tough time, especially after getting healthier from that and then heading into COVID and. A few years went by in the blink of an eye,” he said.
 
“Just fighting to get back into the game and finding the love for it again was the hardest.”
 
As a graduate of the tour qualifying school earlier this year, the win improves Henkel’s category significantly, and he looks forward to playing with less stress through the next few seasons, and eyeing the pointy end of the Order of Merit.
 
“I didn’t have the most solid start to the year and I think this just gets me over the line is some bigger events and obviously potentially sets up if I have a good half of the season for those spots on the DP World Tour spots, and advancing my career.”