Rick Kulacz takes out Karratha Country Club’s Rio Tinto Pro-Am

Rick Kulacz defended his title at the Rio Tinto Karratha Pro-Am to take out the event for the second straight year. The tournament took place at the Karratha Country Club in challenging conditions last Thursday, in which professional golfers from around the State take on the Pilbara town’s top players. Wind gusts of up to 30km/h challenged visiting players and locals not used to the overcast and windy conditions. Kulacz’s day got off to a rough start with a bogey on the opening hole. But he recovered to finish one stroke clear of the field on 65. Three eagles powered Kulacz’s recovery, helping him finish one clear of recent South West Open champion Brady Watt. Watt rattled off an incredible 10 birdies in his round but was left to rue two bogeys and a double-bogey at the 378m seventh in his 66, tied for second alongside Peter Wilson. Kulacz said he was happy with his performance and he did not do much wrong across the day. He said he finished the back end of the course well which put him in a good position to take the win. “It was colder than I expected up here, I’m not used to that up here,” he said. “It was blowing so it actually wasn’t that easy but there was some really good scores.”