02 Sep 2024 | Professional golf |
Aussies on Tour: Wilkin suffers playoff heartbreak
by Tony Webeck
Queenslander Aaron Wilkin saw a maiden Asian Tour win elude his grasp in dramatic fashion on a see-sawing final day at the Mandiri Indonesia Open.
After breaking a 30-year course record at Damai Indah Golf’s PIK Course in Round 1, Wilkin started the final round with a one-stroke advantage.
When Englishman Steve Lewton (68) stood on the 72nd tee the 2022 Queensland PGA champion trailed by two but was given a last-minute lifeline when Lewton made double-bogey on the final hole.
He could have won in regulation with a birdie at his final hole, Wilkin’s par and round of 2-under 69 ultimately earning him a playoff berth alongside Lewton and China’s Sampson Zheng.
All three players made bogey at the first extra hole and then Lewton stepped up to convert his birdie chance from six feet after Wilkin missed one of his own from closer to eight feet.
While disappointed not to get the job done, Wilkin remained philosophical about his playoff defeat.
“I thought I handled myself pretty well to be honest. I just didn’t play well enough to be fair,” said Wilkin.
“I controlled my emotions pretty well until probably the playoff, but I reckon that was just poor swings.
“I still felt pretty good. I’m happy, it’s all good. I would have loved to win, it would have wrapped up my card for the year, or a couple years, but I feel like the game is going in the right direction.”
Another Aussie whose game is trending in the right direction is Adam Scott.
Unlikely to make the Tour Championship a month ago, Scott completed a stellar finish to his 2024 PGA TOUR season with a round of 4-under 67 and tie for fourth at East Lake Golf Club.
Next up for Scott is an 11th appearance for the International team at the Presidents Cup in Canada, a first-time win over the US now firmly on his mind.
“I was kind of struggling on the points list for most of the year, and then the last couple months really solidified my position on the team,” said Scott.
“All of a sudden I feel like I’m a good player again and I’m looking forward to going up there and winning some points.”
The third Aussie to log a top-five finish the past week was West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley.
Rudgeley delivered four consistent rounds at the Women’s Irish Open to earn her third top-five result of the season and move to 21st on the Order of Merit.
After a 74 in Round 1, it as a strong showing from Hannah Green at the inaugural FM Championship, who fought back to finish in a tie for 10th at TPC Boston.
Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
Results
PGA TOUR TOUR Championship East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia 1 Scottie Scheffler 65-66-66-67—264 $US25m T4 Adam Scott 66-67-68-67—268 $3,933,333
DP World Tour Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England 1 Niklas Norgaard 70-66-64-72—272 €537,134.46 T25 Jason Scrivener 70-73-73-70—286 €30,490.28 T31 David Micheluzzi 69-73-73-72—287 €26,698.74 T53 Daniel Hillier (NZ) 71-74-72-74—291 €10,308.24 T73 Haydn Barron 73-72-77-74—296 €4,728.92 MC Daniel Gale 70-76—146 MC Sam Jones (NZ) 72-77—149
LPGA Tour FM Championship TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts 1 Haeran Ryu 69-62-78-64—273 $US570,000 T10 Hannah Green 74-69-69-67—279 $67,065 T25 Robyn Choi 69-68-76-70—283 $33,609 T52 Grace Kim 76-68-73-71—288 $11,203 MC Hira Naveed 78-73—151 MC Stephanie Kyriacou 80-73—153 MC Sarah Jane Smith 78-75—153
Asian Tour Mandiri Indonesia Open Damai Indah Golf (PIK Cse), Indonesia 1 Steve Lewton 67-67-66-68—268 $US90,000 Won on the second hole of sudden-death playoff T2 Aaron Wilkin 61-71-67-69—268 $43,250 T4 Travis Smyth 73-65-64-67—269 $22,750 T16 Doug Klein 69-66-69-70—274 $6,065 T16 Andrew Dodt 64-71-68-71—274 $6,065 T16 Denzel Ieremia (NZ) 66-70-67-71—274 $6,065 T21 Jack Thompson 71-69-67-68—275 $5,075 T30 Harrison Crowe 71-68-64-74—277 $4,016.67 T48 Marcus Fraser 71-70-66-74—281 $2,200 T48 Maverick Antcliff 68-68-71-74—281 $2,200 T48 Scott Hend 72-69-70-70—281 $2,200 T54 Justin Warren 69-71-68-74—282 $1,850 T61 Sam Brazel 68-69-74-74—285 $1,525 T61 Kevin Yuan 68-73-71-73—285 $1,525 T61 Lachlan Barker 71-70-75-69—285 $1,525 T71 Connor McDade 67-71-76-77—291 $1,075 MC Brendan Jones 70-72—142 MC Jordan Zunic 71-72—143 MC Todd Sinnott 74-71—145 MC Louis Dobbelaar 74-71—145 MC Deyen Lawson 73-74—147
Japan Golf Tour Fujisankei Classic Fujizakura Country Club, Yamanashi Event reduced to 36 holes due to rain 1 Noriaki Hirata 68-63—131 ¥11 million T41 Michael Hendry (NZ) 72-70—142 ¥178,828 MC Brad Kennedy 77-68—145 WD Anthony Quayle 73
Ladies European Tour KPMG Women’s Irish Open Carton House (The O’Meara Cse), Ireland 1 Annabel Dimmock 72-66-65-70—273 €60,000 Won in sudden-death playoff T5 Kirsten Rudgeley 71-68-70-69—278 €12,000 T38 Kelsey Bennett 70-74-72-72—288 €2,560 64 Whitney Hillier 73-71-79-74—297 €1,040 MC Amy Walsh 77-71—148 MC Momoka Kobori (NZ) 74-75—149
PGA TOUR Americas CRMC Championship Craguns Legacy Course, Brainerd, Minnesota 1 Frederik Kjettrup 62-63-65-66—256 T59 Charlie Hillier (NZ) 67-70-69-75—281 MC Harry Hillier 73-69—142 MC Grant Booth 70-72—142
Challenge Tour Rosa Challenge Tour Rosa Golf Club, Konopiska, Poland 1 Angel Ayora 66-65-66-70—267 €43,200 MC Hayden Hopewell 73-70—143 MC Andrew Martin 67-77—144 MC Blake Windred 74-70—144 MC Connor McKinney 71-76—147
LET Access Series Get Golfing Women’s Golf Championship The Club at Mill Green, England 1 Megan Dennis 71-67-71—209 €12,800 T19 Stephanie Bunque 71-76-72—219 €1,177.33 MC Wenyung Keh (NZ) 79-73—152 MC Munchin Keh (NZ) 80-76—156
Epson Tour Four Winds Invitational South Bend Country Club, South Bend, Indiana 1 Yahui Zhang 67-68-75—210 $39,375 T22 Cassie Porter 73-69-76—218 $US3,038 T46 Fiona Xu (NZ) 67-77-79—223 $1,287 MC Amelia Garvey (NZ) 73-77—150 MC Maddison Hinson-Tolchard 78-74—152
Korean PGA Tour Lexus Masters A1 Country Club, Korea 1 Lee Seung-taek 69-70-66-65—270 T14 Kevin Chun (NZ) 72-68-68-71—279 T46 Wonjoon Lee 72-72-72-68—284 T52 Changgi Lee (NZ) 71-70-73-71—285 MC Junseok Lee 71-74—145 MC Sungjin Yeo (NZ) 72-73—145
Legends Tour HSBC India Legends Championship hosted by Jeev Milkha Singh Jaypee Greens, Delhi 1 Joakim Haeggman 65-70-72—207 T28 Michael Long (NZ) 76-74-72—222 T44 Michael Campbell (NZ) 73-79-76—228
Sunshine Tour Gary and Vivienne Player Challenge Kyalami Country Club, Midrand, South Africa 1 Daniel van Tonder 70-66-66—202 T15 Austin Bautista 72-69-68—209
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