Sixteen-year-old Laubsch became the youngest winner since Andrew Keogh who won in 1987.

Prior to Keogh, Bill Beckwith first won the prestigious title as a teenager in 1974 then went back to back in 1975.

Laubsch started the day four shots behind the district’s number one golfer Greg Rhodes but reeled in the champion in the first nine holes, relegating him to equal fifth.

In November last year, Laubsch stamped himself as something special when he came from four behind Rhodes in the last round of the Coomealla Club Championship to win his first club title.

The win by Laubsch is his first Open tournament victory.

On Saturday he, like so many others, struggled on the greens to record five bogeys and 13 pars.

Rhodes led with 73 from Tim Walker 74 and Tyler Verbeek 76.

Other contenders included McPhee 78, Ryan Laird 78, Leigh Fuller 80 and Ashley Whitehouse and Jake Slimmon on 81.

McPhee played in a group two holes in front of the seeded top four and finished on 74.

Fuller had already finished after a closing 73, while Rhodes had gone out in 43 and was clearly struggling, particularly with the putter.

The three juniors playing with Rhodes had all risen to the occasion with Laubsch and Verbeek closing the gap to share the lead with Walker one shot back.

Laubsch was the only one to hit the par 3 18th green in regulation but duly three-putted for a closing 75.

For more of this story, purchase your copy of Wednesday’s Sunraysia Daily 28/07/2010.