[PHOTO: Getty Images]
LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann became the first South American to win the Australian Open, defeating Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino in a sudden-death playoff.
After both players birdied the first extra hole, the par-5 18th at The Australian Golf Club, Niemann produced the shot of the championship. His second from the fairway finished within six feet and he drained the eagle putt to win. Hoshino made birdie from a greenside bunker but it was only enough to finish second.
“It means a lot,” Niemann said. “I wanted to win so bad for a long time.”
“Not even winning both tournaments would have been enough to get into the top 50 and the majors,” Niemann said of his push to make the end-of-year qualification cut-off. “But it’s such a good tournament, so it was easy to make my decision to come here and play some golf. This means a lot.”
In regulation, Niemann produced a sensational 66 highlighted by six birdies and a lone bogey. At the 72nd hole, the Chilean blocked his drive and had to hit his approach into the par 5 from behind a hospitality tent. But he manufactured a miracle iron shot to 15 feet. Niemann just missed the eagle putt but tapped in for birdie.
Moments later, Hoshino, a six-time Japan Tour winner, had a mid-range putt to win but missed it and ensured he and Niemann another trip down the par-5 18th. Hoshino finished runner up.
Overnight leader Min Woo Lee struggled on the final day with a one-over 72 and was third at 12-under. “Putts didn’t go my way and I didn’t hit it good enough,” Lee, hoping to unite the Stonehaven Cup with last week’s Australian PGA title, said. “It’s not good enough to win a tournament, but I’m pretty proud of the way I finished. It’s been a really good year and the celebrations begin today.”
Scotland’s Grant Forrest (68) finished at 11 under alongside Laurie Canter (68) and Adam Scott in a share of fourth. Lucas Herbert, who was tied for the lead mid-way through the final round before a triple-bogey 7 at the par-4 ninth, finished seventh.
The Australian Open awards three spots in the Open Championship each year courtesy of being part of the R&A’s Open qualifying series. The top three on the leaderboard in Sydney (not already exempt) secured starts at the 152nd Open at Royal Troon next year. They were Niemann, Hoshino and Scott.
The former world No.1 Scott will make his 24th successive appearance in the Open
It was a small consolation for Scott, who had made a furious run at a second career Australian Open title before it crumbled spectacularly. Scott, the 2009 Open winner at New South Wales Golf Club, teed off the 10th hole nearly two hours before the final group. He was leading the tournament having gone six under through 15 holes until an errant tee shot led to a bizarre rules misunderstanding.
Scott pulled his drive on No.7 (his 16th) to the fence line and was told by a rules official it was still in bounds. But the official re-checked the ball’s position and informed Scott his ball was out-of-bounds. The 43-year-old need to play a provisional tee shot he’d hit. Scott walked away with a triple-bogey 7 that crippled his Open hopes. Scott signed for a 68 and left wondering what could have been. He finished tied-fourth.
“It’s too hard to know exactly what to make of it [all],” Scott said. “Obviously, it doesn’t look very good but it was one bad swing on on one of the hardest holes and it’s cost me a chance. But I had about a 5 per cent chance teeing off today so it’s hard to it’s hard to be really upset at myself.”
“It didn’t feel like the worst swing I’ve ever made, but it certainly was a shocking result. I kind of didn’t have anything to be honest. I didn’t know how I was going to get myself back into a decent spot to make a bogey. It didn’t really matter [in the end].”
The last time Scott won a tournament was three years ago at the 2020 Genesis Invitational at Riviera CC in Los Angeles.
“Everyone who doesn’t win has one swing or might miss that putt,” Scott said. “I knifed a chip on the eighth at The Lakes the other day too, from not far away. [But] I think it’s been nice to be more in the mix.”
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai successfully defended her Women’s Australian Open title, defeating Minjee Lee by one shot. Buhai’s final round of 75 was still enough to finish at niine under par, while two-time major winner Lee (69) was eight under. Jenny Shin (72) and Jiyai Shin (77) were tied third at four under.
“I knew Minjee and Jenny would come at me today,” Buhai, who won the 2022 Women’s British Open and Australian Open in the same year, said after her victory at The Australian Golf Club.
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