Squally wind and intermittent showers set the tone for a gripping final round, with hard rain periodically disrupting play and biting into the chill factor across Ngamotu Links as the field chased a closely-contested leaderboard throughout the day.

The final group traded blows from the first hole, with Harlock and Barson tied at 6-under and Jake Meenhorst two shots back. Harlock conjured a remarkable birdie on the opening hole after a wayward drive, while Meenhorst drew within one of the lead and Barson made double to slip back. However, Barson responded with a birdie on the third to close the gap, only for the lead to continue shuffling hands as the early holes played out in the blustery conditions.

The pivotal stretch came at the turn and into the back nine. Birdies on the eighth from both Meenhorst and Harlock gave them a co-lead, but a bogey on the treacherous par-3 ninth from Meenhorst and a fresh squall rolling back in off the coast saw Harlock make the turn with a one-shot advantage. What followed felt at the time like the tournament's decisive moment; birdies on 11 from Barson and Meenhorst combined with Harlock's own birdie for a two-shot swing in the leader's favour, stretching his cushion to three shots.

A bogey on the par-3 12th trimmed it back to two, but Harlock steadied admirably on the exposed stretches of 13 and 14 to head for home still in control. Then came the 15th. An errant tee shot left led to bogey, and the door that had been barely ajar swung wide open. Meenhorst rolled in a ten-footer to save par and breathe right down the leader's neck, while Barson too saved par to stay within a shot. All three traded par on 16.

On 17, Barson's bunker shot slid past the hole, but he drained his downhill eight-footer to ensure he'd have a chance down the last. The title would come down to 18, with Harlock leading by one.

All three found the fairway. Barson gave himself eight feet for the eagle. Meenhorst played a sumptuous chip from the right side of the green to set up a three-foot birdie. Harlock rolled his eagle attempt to six feet for a birdie. Then Barson crouched over his eagle putt and rolled it in to rapturous applause from his home crowd. Harlock coolly drained his birdie to force the playoff. Meenhorst made his way to finish third.

Back down 18 they went. Harlock piped his drive down the fairway, Barson found the left side — almost exactly where he had hit from in regulation — and his second shot was near-identical in quality, leaving himself a 12-foot uphill eagle look. Harlock went long and left, leaving Barson the initiative once again. Harlock putted first and slid his eagle inches past the cup, leaving a birdie putt just outside comfortable range. Barson's eagle too slid just past, and he tapped in for birdie, leaving Harlock needing to convert to extend the contest. He missed past the edge, and Dominic Barson was champion, winning the UNLIMIT Taranaki Open at his home course with back-to-back eagles that will be talked about at New Plymouth Golf Club for a very long time.

Barson said, standing over his par putt on the 17th hole, he knew he had to roll it in with Harlock’s power down 18, turning it into a birdie opportunity.

"It was outside the hole. I had to go in, otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance, because Cam, with how far Cam hits it, he's always gonna birdie the last hole."

His approach into 18 will live long in the memory, not only for Barson but for those at Ngamotu Links who witnessed it.

“I've just absolutely pumped the best five-iron of my life, which was a good... It was a great shot. Flighted it, everything perfect,” he said.

Any win as a professional golfer is special, but to win on your home course in front of the members will rank highly for Barson, he said.

“You always like winning, but it's up there, because it's your home track, you know? So, it's always special when it's your home course."

Barson’s winning rounds of 69, 73, 68 and 71 reflected just how difficult a test the conditions at Ngamotu Links provided, with just five golfers in the field finishing under par over four rounds.

Barson and Harlock finished regulation tied at seven-under-par, with Barson's closing 71 matching Harlock's own final round on a 69-73-68-71 card against Harlock's 71-70-69-71. Meenhorst took third outright at six-under after a final-round 70 for a 68-71-73-70 total. Kerry Mountcastle was the best of the rest in fourth at three-under, a closing 68 the highlight of his 70-74-73-68 week, while Mark Brown rounded out the top five at one-under after a 69-70-75-73 total. James Hydes' brilliant six-under 66 on Sunday — the low round of the tournament — shot him 12 places up the leaderboard to share sixth with Mason Lee at even-par, Lee posting a tidy 71 in his own right. Tyler Hodge finished eighth at one-over after a closing 70, while Josh Geary ended the week at two-over in ninth.