Ryggs Johnston won in only his second DP World Tour start as he claimed the ISPS HANDA Australian Open title in impressive fashion.
The 24-year-old American, named after the character in the Mel Gibson film Lethal Weapon, shot a 68 at Kingston Heath, near Melbourne. The score was 18 under, three strokes ahead of local favorite Curtis Luck.
The win was a significant improvement for Johnston, a Montana native who passed qualifying school last month and finished tied for 42nd in his tour debut a week ago.
Asked if he thought a win was possible this week, Johnston, who started the week ranked No. 953 in the world, said: “Probably not, to be honest.
“I got really tired from all the travel and Q-school and everything. I didn't get to practice here because of the weather. I didn't really have any expectations, which probably helped me in the end.
“It feels great, just knowing (it brings) more opportunities to compete and play in bigger events. It's not all sinking in yet, but it's an amazing feeling.”
Johnston started the day tied with Lucas Herbert for the lead, but quickly took control of the match with an eagle from the fringe of the opening hole.
Despite three bogeys on the front nine, Johnston was caught on the turn by Herbert and Luck, but he came back with a superb 6-foot approach on the 10th and a 30-footer on the 15th. The birdie finally sealed the victory.
Johnston, Luck and Marc Leishman have secured three spots in next year's Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Ireland's Gary Hurley failed to advance on Friday.
Shin Jiyai lifted the women's trophy for the second time, holding a seven-stroke lead over defending champion Ashleigh Buhai by two strokes.
However, the future of intersex events remains up in the air.
The mixed format, introduced in 2022 to restart local tours closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has long been criticized by critics as reducing the status of the men's and women's National Opens, which had previously been It is an independent event.
Criticisms continued this week, with men's headliner Cameron Smith accusing officials of watering down the usually hard and fast sand strip pitch despite rainy weather resulting in a soft and slow sand surface.
Australian Grand Slam champion Hannah Green said the course was set up with a “massive” number of pin positions to ensure all players could compete.
“I do think if men played on this course, the pins would be more hidden,” Green told reporters.
Adam Scott, Australia's first Masters champion and long one of the biggest supporters of the Australian home tour, has chosen to skip this year's tournament, and experts fear other top players such as Smith may do the same in the future.
Australian golf officials have yet to decide on the schedule or format for 2025 but are not convinced that separating the men's and women's events is the right way forward.
“It's no secret that some of our top men's players don't like the format but they like the date,” Golf Australia boss James Sutherland told reporters on Sunday.
“On the other hand, some of our leading female contestants didn’t like the date but loved the format.
“So the simple answer is to separate the two events at different times… but it's not that easy.”
Fresh off the season-ending LPGA event in Florida last Sunday, scheduling was a major issue for many of the women's competitors, including major champions Min-Ji Lee and Green, who arrived jet-lagged. There were no Irish female players traveling with them.
Bad weather on Wednesday meant many players were unable to take part in practice rounds ahead of the tournament.
Since the Australian Women's Open lost its place on the LPGA calendar during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no guarantee that the event will return to the global tour in the coming years.
WPGA owner Karen Lunn said the mixed format would be good for the women's game and allow fans who might not otherwise see their talent to see their talent.
“James (Sutherland) mentioned that dating is tricky for girls. But they enjoy the format,” she said.
“There are a lot of fans here who three years ago would only watch the men's games. But now they are probably fans of the women's games as well.”
