AUSSIE MURDACA WINS ASIA-PACIFIC AM, EARNS MASTERS INVITE
FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
Final scores
Antonio Murdaca, pictured above with the trophy, became the first Australian winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur on Sunday, and will reap the benefits on the other side of the world in April.
With his seven-shot victory at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Murdaca earned an invitation to the 2015 Masters. He also is exempt into Open Championship qualifying.
Murdaca built an eight-shot lead with a third-round 67, and kept it mostly intact with a final-round 1
one-under 71.
By finishing seven shots clear of runner-up Horikawa Mikumu, Murdaca set a tournament record for biggest margin of victory. He finished 72 holes at 13-under 275 (69-68-67-71).
The night before the final round, Murdaca, a 19-year-old from Adelaide in South Australia, set two alarms to make sure he made the bus to the course. He didn’t have any trouble waking up.
Murdaca bogeyed Nos. 7 and 9, allowing Mikumu to close the gap to five shots. Murdaca made a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-4 10th to move things in the right direction again. He hit two pure shots at the par-5 14th to birdie again, and grow his lead to seven shots.
Murdaca closed with four pars, and calmly acknowledged the crowd surrounding the 18th green.
“When I hit that shot, I felt some tingles down my spine,’’ he said of the final putt.
Australians fared well in their home country. Three of Murdaca’s compatriots finished inside the top 10. First-round leader Todd Sinnott ended up third at 5 under, and Ryan Ruffels, the 16-year-old who regularly plays out of Royal Melbourne, finished fourth another two shots back, thanks in large part to a final-round 68.
“It’s special,’’ said Murdaca. “It’s a dream that’s come true for me now, and I always wanted to play in the Masters and it’s so exciting now knowing I’ve got a spot in there, and also in the Qualifying Series for the Open at St Andrews.’’
As for Japanese player Horikawa, a runner-up finish still merits him a spot in Open Championship qualifying. Weekend rounds of 67-69 at challenging Royal Melbourne made for an exciting chase.
“I really wanted to win and be able to go to the Masters next spring as well, but to try and overcome a nine-stroke difference from the third round was really challenging,’’ he said.
“To finish second and go to the Open Championship qualifying will be a wonderful experience.’’
The 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur will be played at Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club in Hong Kong on Oct. 1-4.
Information from the Asia-Pacific Golf Federation used in this report
Antonio Murdaca, pictured above with the trophy, became the first Australian winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur on Sunday, and will reap the benefits on the other side of the world in April.
With his seven-shot victory at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Murdaca earned an invitation to the 2015 Masters. He also is exempt into Open Championship qualifying.
Murdaca built an eight-shot lead with a third-round 67, and kept it mostly intact with a final-round 1
one-under 71.
By finishing seven shots clear of runner-up Horikawa Mikumu, Murdaca set a tournament record for biggest margin of victory. He finished 72 holes at 13-under 275 (69-68-67-71).
The night before the final round, Murdaca, a 19-year-old from Adelaide in South Australia, set two alarms to make sure he made the bus to the course. He didn’t have any trouble waking up.
Murdaca bogeyed Nos. 7 and 9, allowing Mikumu to close the gap to five shots. Murdaca made a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-4 10th to move things in the right direction again. He hit two pure shots at the par-5 14th to birdie again, and grow his lead to seven shots.
Murdaca closed with four pars, and calmly acknowledged the crowd surrounding the 18th green.
“When I hit that shot, I felt some tingles down my spine,’’ he said of the final putt.
Australians fared well in their home country. Three of Murdaca’s compatriots finished inside the top 10. First-round leader Todd Sinnott ended up third at 5 under, and Ryan Ruffels, the 16-year-old who regularly plays out of Royal Melbourne, finished fourth another two shots back, thanks in large part to a final-round 68.
“It’s special,’’ said Murdaca. “It’s a dream that’s come true for me now, and I always wanted to play in the Masters and it’s so exciting now knowing I’ve got a spot in there, and also in the Qualifying Series for the Open at St Andrews.’’
As for Japanese player Horikawa, a runner-up finish still merits him a spot in Open Championship qualifying. Weekend rounds of 67-69 at challenging Royal Melbourne made for an exciting chase.
“I really wanted to win and be able to go to the Masters next spring as well, but to try and overcome a nine-stroke difference from the third round was really challenging,’’ he said.
“To finish second and go to the Open Championship qualifying will be a wonderful experience.’’
The 2015 Asia-Pacific Amateur will be played at Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club in Hong Kong on Oct. 1-4.
Information from the Asia-Pacific Golf Federation used in this report
Labels: Amateur Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Sunday, October 26, 2014
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