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Sahith Theegala’s decision to pay his own way Down Under paid rich dividends when he became the first American to win the Australian Master of the Amateurs tournament at Victoria Golf Club.
Theegala (above), a 22-year-old Pepperdine University senior, carded rounds of 66, 68 and 69 to claim a five-shot lead and then defied difficult conditions in the closing round to post a 75 and finish four shots ahead of South Korea’s Jang Hyun Lee on 10-under-par 278.
“This is huge,” said Theegala, whose parents emigrated to Los Angeles from India when they were in their 20s and who plans to turn professional when he graduates in June.
“This is one of the best events in the world. Even back in the States, everyone knows this event and it’s highly rated. So, to come here and win, that’s pretty special.”
Malaysia’s Alyaa Abdulghany, a 20-year-old junior at the University of Southern California, won the concurrent women’s event, recovering from a bogey on the 71st hole to birdie the last and then beat South Korea’s Ho Yu An and Australia’s Cassie Porter with another birdie on the first playoff hole.
“I haven’t won in a while and this win is very important to me,” said Abdulghany, whose family moved to the U.S. from Malaysia when she was 6. “It’s a boost for me and gets me ready for the season coming up at college. I’m very excited to see where it’s headed.”
RESULTS: MEN | WOMEN
Amanda Doherty won her second consecutive title at the Women’s South Atlantic Amateur, also known as the Sally, on Saturday.
Doherty, a senior at Florida State ranked 56th in the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, entered the final round four strokes behind Alexa Pano, 15, who is ranked 22nd in the women’s WAGR. But by the time the players reached No. 9 at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla., Doherty had made up the four shots on Pano and the two were tied at the top of the leaderboard.
Doherty proceeded to make four birdies on Nos. 10-13 to take the lead. She never relinquished it, although she made a bogey on No. 14 and a double bogey on No. 15. She closed with three pars for a final-round 71 and a four-day total of 2-under 286. Doherty finished four strokes ahead of Pano (closing 79) and became the first back-to-back Sally champion since Vicki Goetze in 1991-92.
Emilia Migliaccio, the 2018 Sally champion, finished third, five strokes behind Pano.
RESULTS
Staff and Wire Reports