22 Oct 2023 | Amateur golf |
Silver for Australians at World Amateur Team Championship
by Golf Australia
Australia clinched a silver medal at the World Amateur Team Championship overnight after a late rush of birdies from Jack Buchanan at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Buchanan, from South Australia, birdied four of his final five holes as part of a final-round 68 to lift his team, which also included Jeffrey Guan and Karl Vilips, into a tie for second place with Norway at 25-under-par, 11 strokes behind the victorious United States.
It is Australia’s first Eisenhower Trophy medal since 2016 when the team of Cam Davis, Curtis Luck and Harrison Endycott won gold in Mexico.
Australia now has 14 medals, which remains second all-time behind the United States at the World Amateur Team Championships.
Vilips, who played in this year’s US Open at LA Country Club, posted a 70 on the final day to be the other score to count to the Australian team total.
Guan was in contention for top individual honours, climbing as high as second, until he was undone by two double-bogeys. His round of 72 left the Sydneysider in a share of eighth place overall.
The United States played its best round on the final day to clinch the championship, going 12-under thanks to an impressive 8-under 64 from David Ford and a 4-under 68 from reigning US Amateur champion Nick Dunlap.
France finished in fourth place, one stroke behind Australia and Norway at 24-under 552. Italy, the 2022 champions, and New Zealand finished in a tie for fifth place at 553.
The USA receives custody of the Eisenhower Trophy until the next World Amateur Team Championship, which will be held in 2025 in Singapore.
Although there is no official recognition, New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori was the low individual scorer at 16-under 272 and, along with Guan and Buchanan, will now head to Royal Melbourne for the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, starting on Thursday.
Conducted by the International Golf Federation (formerly the World Amateur Golf Council), which comprises the national governing bodies of golf in 149 countries, the World Amateur Team Championships are a biennial international amateur golf competition.
The 30th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy will take place beginning Wednesday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
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