Australian Open: Ryggs Johnston and Shin Ji-yai win men’s and women’s titles
American rookie Regus Johnston notched the biggest win of his career with a final-round 68 at the Men’s Australian Open.
South Korea’s former world No. 1 Shin Ji-jae won the women’s championship in this event, her 65th career victory. The men’s and women’s Opens were held simultaneously on the same course.
Johnston, named after Mel Gibson’s character Martin Riggs in the movie “Lethal Weapon,” only turned pro this year and earned his poker card through the DP World Tour Q-School.
The 24-year-old, ranked 953rd in the world, shot 18-under at Kingston Heath in Melbourne to earn an exemption to next year’s Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Johnston Start the final round Shared the lead with Australian Lucas Herbert and two strokes ahead of the rest of the field.
But Herbert struggled in wet and breezy conditions and another Australian, Curtis Luck, emerged as Johnston’s main challenger.
Birdies on Nos. 10, 14 and 15 gave Johnston the advantage heading home, while bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 ended Luck’s hopes of victory. , he ended up 3 strokes behind the winner.
Australian pair Marc Leishman and Jasper Stubbs are third at 14 under, while Herbert is two strokes back in a tie for fifth. .
In the women’s event, Shin, a former two-time British Open champion, beat South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, who was bidding for a third consecutive title, in the final seconds.
Shin held an eight-stroke lead at one point, but her opponent fought back hard to get within two strokes.
But Shin finished at 17 under, Buhai at 15 under, and Shin’s compatriot, 17-year-old amateur Yang Hyo-jin, eight shots behind in third.
