Composed LIV Golf star Joaquin Niemann kept his focus to win a maiden Australian Open Sunday, denying Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino with an eagle at the second playoff hole.
The Chilean, a two-time US PGA Tour winner before joining the Saudi-backed circuit last year, fired six birdies and a bogey for a 66 to finish at 14-under at the DP World Tour event in Sydney.
Hoshino, looking to become the first Japanese winner of the tournament in its more than 100-year history, carded a 70 to match him and send it to a tense finale at the Australian Golf Club.
Niemann found the first cut of rough at the first extra hole while Hoshino landed in a fairway bunker.
The Chilean responded magnificently, hitting a nine iron to five feet, while Hoshino found greenside sand before getting up and down for his birdie.
Niemann saw his eagle putt to win the tournament slide past, sending the pair back down the 18th.
Hoshino again went bunker-bunker, while Niemann found the fairway and sent another unerring approach to within six feet.
The Japanese rescued a birdie for the second time, but this time Niemann made no mistake with the eagle putt to secure victory.
“It was a nice day. These last two playoff holes showed how I have been playing the last few weeks here in Australia,” said Niemann.
“My putting hasn’t been the best, but I’ve been working hard on it and it was nice to make that last putt. I always practise those three-, four-, five-feet ones and know that one of those will be to win a tournament. It’s amazing.”
Lee struggles
It was his first victory on the European circuit and earned him an exemption to next year’s British Open.
Niemann’s name is now engraved on the Australian Open winner’s Stonehaven Cup alongside greats such as Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Rory Mcllroy.
Hoshino and Min Woo Lee — the winner last week at the Australian PGA Championship — were the overnight leaders by a shot, but the Australian struggled to get going.
He finished third after a 72 left him two behind the leaders.
Australia’s Adam Scott, England’s Laurie Canter and Scotland’s Grant Forrest tied for fourth at 11-under, with the playoff drama capping a see-sawing final day.
Former world number one Scott, looking to snap a nearly four-year win drought, was in front at one point, but a horror drive at his 16th left him out of bounds and he made a triple-bogey.
Fellow Australian Lucas Herbert also held a share of the lead, but he too fell victim to a triple-bogey, on the ninth.
Niemann went out earlier than Lee and Hoshino and endured an anxious 90-minute clubhouse wait as Hoshino holed a long-range downhill putt at the 17th to draw level and came up short with a 25-footer for victory at the last to send the pair to extra holes.
