Harrison sat behind gun teenager Josh Conlan at the midway point but proved a steady hand in the final two rounds, shooting 75 in the third before a classy 73 in the fourth to edge ahead of the pack and finish up on 309.

“I’m definitely happy with how it all went, especially in the last two rounds,” Harrison said.

“Those first two rounds were tough because the course was pretty dry and it’s hard striking on dry ground, so it was great to see a bit of dampness out there.

“Saturday and today [Sunday] were a lot easier to play on but it’s still a tough course overall and in those conditions too.

“Instead of being a 72-par, it was probably playing like a 75.”

Harrison’s strong finish saw him finish well clear of good mate and playing rival Hazell, who was a keen spectator during his final round, and the talented Conlan.

“We’re good mates and had a bit of banter near the end where he came along and watched my last few holes,” Harrison said.

“It’s all good fun and, yeah, nice to get one back from him.

“I think young Josh has a really good game as well – he probably just let it slip a bit at the end there but he’s got plenty of talent.”

Hazell made up five shots on the back nine to draw level with Harrison last year before snatching victory at the second playoff hole.

It wasn’t to be this year but the 2017 winner was more than happy to pass the torch after a tight tussle.

“I thought there were lots of blokes in the mix after that rain came down and I was pretty happy with the way I fought back,” Hazell said.

“But Kyle’s come in and had a really good couple of rounds which is good to see – you can’t win all the time and he definitely deserved it.”

Hazell also voiced his support for the two-week tournament format, saying it felt like “higher stakes”.

“It’s got more of a championship feel to it, I thought, because it’s just tighter and the rounds are closer together.”

“If you get on a good streak, you can back it up the next day and hold onto it and then, on the other side, if you’re not going so good, you can turn things around quickly.”

Tim Crowley took out the B-grade title after finishing nine shots clear of Mack McIntyre while Eddie Wall was a comfortable C-grade winner. 

Conlan, meanwhile, was far from forgotten with the recent school graduate taking out the best junior from scratch title. 

While you’re with us, did you know that The Daily Advertiser is now offering sports and local events as part of its growing email newsletter service? Our sports email will keep the sports-mad up-to-date with a round-up of all the weekend’s sports action - sign up here.