Joaquin Niemann mastered the Sydney winds to become the first Chilean winner in 119 years of the Australian Open when he beat Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino in a playoff to lift the Stonehaven Cup on Sunday.
Niemann lipped out with a four-foot eagle putt on the first re-run of the 18th but made no mistake on the second playoff hole, draining a slightly longer eagle attempt to add a first DP World Tour title to the two he has won on the PGA circuit.
“It means a lot,” Niemann, who also qualified for British Open, told reporters.
“This season wasn’t the best for me. I wanted to play more golf. It was huge to come up here and play good golf and get a result.”
South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai retained the title in the women’s Australian Open, being played in parallel on the same course. She held off Australia’s Minjee Lee to win by a single stroke on nine-under despite shooting a three-over-par 75.
Source : Saltwire
