Those in the final groups may have taken an even-par total when they teed off in winds gusting up to 60km/h at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club on Sunday, double-bogeys or worse lurking with every approach shot and downwind chip.

The precarious par-3 fifth hole once again inflicted carnage on a host of hopefuls, Truslow making a respectable bogey after also dropping a shot after his tee shot went long and left at the par-3 second.

It would be the final bogey of his tournament, the 30-year-old from Florida taking advantage of calmer conditions to play his final 11 holes in 5-under par for a round of 3-under 67, 6-under total and three-stroke win with outstanding 17-year-old amateur Cooper Moore (67) second and another American, MJ Maguire (69), third.

Seven years since he first played on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in DP World Tour co-sanctioned events in Perth and Victoria, Truslow said it was apt that the breakthrough came on the Tour that gave him his first genuine look at professional golf.

“I’d been playing the mini tours for four years at that point and I hadn’t really competed in any real tournaments,” said Truslow, who played this week on an international invite.

“I hadn’t really played any Official World Golf Ranking events so I felt like it was a new level.

“I didn't play very well at 13th Beach and in Perth but I was really grateful for those opportunities and it definitely helped get me more used to playing events on major tours.”

Early on the front nine it was the 17-year-old amateur from Christchurch who looked most likely to meet the moment.

He made birdie at the par-4 third and then when he fired in a spectacular shot from the left rough just outside a metre on four, he had joined Truslow in a share of the lead at 1-under.

Like Truslow, Moore dropped a shot after a superb tee shot just fell off the back of the dastardly Alex Russell green on five. He supplanted Truslow as the outright leader when he holed a bomb on seven but it would be only brief, a two-shot swing as Truslow made birdie on eight to Moore’s bogey returning the Asian Tour regular to the front-running position.

A birdie putt from off the green on 10 set the tone for a tournament-winning back nine, a 12-footer for birdie on 16 providing Truslow with a comfortable five-stroke lead with just two holes left to navigate.

While a long-range putt for birdie on 17 was crucial in swinging momentum in Round 3, Truslow said that it was his putt for bogey on five that set him on the path to victory.

“The putt on 10 was very lucky but it was huge for momentum,” added Truslow, who spent an hour on the practice putting green on Saturday evening.

“I think five is where it started to change today. I mean, I made a good bogey and I was really nervous about the short putts.

“I changed my form last night to deal with the short putts so once I started to get some confidence with that, it freed me up a little bit more.

“I wasn't as worried about having a three or four-footer if I missed. That was huge. And then I really just played solid the rest of the way. Last nine holes in 4-under 30.”

Moore never took a backward step and took on shots veterans may shun over the back nine, pushing Truslow to the 72nd hole on his way to outright second and the Bob Charles Trophy as low Kiwi.

The champion three years ago, Louis Dobbelaar (70) played the back nine in 4-under to move into outright fourth, defending champion Tyler Hodge one of six players to finish tied fifth at 2-over.