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2025 SWGA Men's Championship

The final round of the SWGA Men’s Championships wrapped up today in glorious sunshine at Barwon Heads Golf Club, a stark contrast to the brutal wind that players battled last week at Queenscliff. While round one was all about survival, today gave players the perfect chance to go low and make a move up the leaderboard.

The opening nine didn’t go smoothly for many of the contenders, with slick greens and thick rough catching a few out. Several players in the hunt found themselves dropping shots and losing momentum early on.

As the final groups made their way onto the back nine, things started to heat up. Barwon Heads’ pennant captain Cam Russell was steady, going through 11 holes with just one bogey and 10 pars. Rising star Chris Filipowicz turned even par at the halfway mark, while Stewart Drayton had a rough patch with dropped shots on 7 and 8 to be 2-over through 9. 

Alex Barnes gave himself a boost with a birdie on the 9th to turn at 1-over. Meanwhile, round one leader Steve Symons was a picture of consistency with nine straight pars.

The back nine delivered the drama. Filipowicz capitalised on the par 5s, with birdies on 14 and 16 to finish the day 1-under. Drayton wasn’t done yet either, lighting up the back nine with birdies on 10, 12 and 13 to join Filipowicz in a tie for third at the end of the day.

It quickly became clear that the title was going to come down to two players - Alex Barnes and Steve Symons. Barnes had surged with birdies on 10 and 12, while Symons who was chasing a historic 10th District Championship win also made birdie on the 10th hole.

Uncharacteristically, Symons started to drop a few shots down the stretch. Barnes, on the other hand, stayed rock solid, making six straight pars to close out the round and secure a two-shot victory.

It was a well-earned win for Barnes, who has aspirations of turning professional. After two years of grinding and working hard to elevate his game, this title feels like the breakthrough he’s been chasing.

Barnes finished with a two-round total of 145, ahead of Symons on 147. Drayton and Filipowicz followed just behind at 148.

In the other divisions:

  • Div 1 Nett Winner: Tom Hyland – 146
  • Div 2 Gross Winner: Zac Boothroyd – 157
  • Div 2 Nett Winner: David Cummings (Barwon Valley) – 145
  • Senior Champion: John Anderson (Lonsdale) – 154

A big congratulations to all the winners and competitors on another memorable SWGA Championship!