The 15-year-old came from seven shots off the lead midway through the tournament, and two shots behind with nine holes to play, to claim a remarkable four-stroke victory.

The youngest man to win the event last year, Carroll is now only the third player in the last 25 years to claim consecutive titles, along with Jarrod Meacham (2012-13) and Paul Coghlan (2002-03). 

“Oh, it’s pretty special this time. It was a bit tougher this year,” Carroll said on Sunday.

“Today, it was pretty hard out there. I didn’t hit it the greatest but I was really happy with how I scrambled around the greens, I got up-and-down a lot which I was really happy with.”

Carroll had the job ahead going into the weekend but thrived under pressure, shooting a brilliant one-under-par in Saturday’s third round, traditionally known as ‘moving day’.

“I thought of that before I teed off. I wanted to get off to a good start and, I think for the first time, I started with three straight birdies,” he said.

Despite a couple of hiccups mid-round, a round of 71 catapulted Carroll into a share of the lead with Luke Chisholm (72).

The top two after last weekend, Ben Byrne and Henry Brind, had third rounds of 81, virtually setting up a fourth-round showdown between Carroll and Chisholm, who chased him home in 2017. 

Last year, Carroll only had to hold his nerve to maintain his lead on the last day. But on Sunday, he was two-over after five holes and had had four bogeys through the front nine, to turn for home two shots behind Chisholm. 

However, a bogey-free back nine, including a birdie at 16, proved Carroll could keep his cool under pressure as a keen crowd observed the closing stages.

“I didn’t hit it the greatest but I just chipped and putted very well,” he said.

“After being so far back (after round two) I probably didn’t expect to be tied for the lead. So I was probably a little bit nervous for the first few holes. But once those cobwebs went, I started to play pretty good.”

Chisholm finished runner-up, four shots behind Carroll, while Byrne was third another four shots back. 

Carroll said his focus now is on having a consistent summer, with a couple of tournaments on the horizon before a busy January. 

Paul Rodney was crowned B Grade champion while Greg Dyde won the C Grade championship. 

297: Bart Carroll (71, 74)

301: Luke Chisholm (72, 78)

305: Ben Byrne (81, 79)

306: Kyle Tuckett (78, 76)