“It’s good to win a home event,” the 16-year-old said. “I haven’t won much in Melbourne so it’s good that I can win back here.”

“I’ve got the Sungold Junior Open (at Warrnambool) so hopefully I can take the confidence from this into tomorrow and Tuesday.”

Best, who played off a handicap of 0.5, finished with a scratch score of 77 to hold off Commonwealth Golf Club’s Mitchell Crabbe (81) and Curlewis’ Matthew McFarlane (84) in brutal conditions.

“It was tough for me and tough for everyone,” the Port Fairy and Warrnambool club member said. “I don’t think I had a birdie all day and it was just good to battle my way around the course.

“I did have a bit of luck on the 17^th where I was on the left hand side of the fairway and hit the ball to the right and it bounced off a strand of wire and came back into play before I chipped onto the green and made a big putt for par.”

Colac resident and Metropolitan Golf Club’s Georgia Fish, who played off a handicap of 6.1, secured her second consecutive women’s Alec Calvert Junior Open victory with a round of 87. Inverleigh’s Ella Rodgers was 11-strokes back in second. 

Fish said her game plan had worked well in the wet and windy conditions.

“I just slowed down my game and kept trying to go straight and it worked,” she said. “I needed to concentrate and forget about the wind and not let it distract me.”

The 17-year-old said she couldn’t split her wins.

“Both times were pretty sweet and were really tough conditions so it was pretty good to win under those circumstances,” she said.

Fish will also be playing in the Sungold Junior Open tomorrow at Warrnambool. She said she was hoping the weather would improve for the two-day tournament.