Higginbottom wins New Zealand Open
Australian teenager Jake Higginbottom became the first amateur to win the New Zealand Open since Harry Berwick in 1956, closing with a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke victory Sunday.
The 19-year-old Higginbottom also become the second amateur winner in the last three Australasian Tour events. Fellow Australian teen Oliver Goss won the Western Australia Open on October 28 at Royal Perth, beating Brady Watt - also an amateur - on the fifth hole of a playoff.
Higginbottom finished at 7-under 281 on the Clearwater course. Australia's Jason Norris and Peter Wilson tied for second. Norris shot a 66, and Wilson had a 68.
After making four birdies in a five-hole stretch to take the lead, Higginbottom bogeyed the par-3 16th to fall in a tie with Wilson and Norris. The amateur birdied the par-4 17th to reclaim the lead and closed with a two-putt par on the difficult par-4 18th.
LEADING FINAL SCORES
281 – Jake Higginbottom (AM) 72 70 72 67
282 – Jason Norris 77 73 66 66 , Peter Wilson 72 71 71 68
284 – Mark Brown 72 73 66 73
285 – Richard Lee 76 70 70 69
286 – Peter O'Malley 74 73 68 71 , Brody Ninyette 80 69 69 68 , Clint Rice 74 74 69 69
287 – Nick Cullen 71 77 69 70
288 – Craig Hancock 68 75 72 73 , Aaron Townsend 73 71 73 71 , Mahal Pearce 72 72 74 70 , Michael Hendry 74 71 70 73 , Michael Moore 77 70 72 69 , Aaron Pike 73 77 67 71
289 – Marcus Cain 73 74 70 72 , Ryan Fox 70 73 75 71 , Daniel Pearce 76 72 71 70 , Gareth Paddison 71 72 75 71 , Andrew Tschudin 73 74 72 70 , Ryan McCarthy 75 73 71 70
290 – Clarke Osborne 79 72 69 70 , David Bransdon 74 74 70 72 , Ryan Haller 71 71 77 71 , Steven Jones 75 73 72 70 , Martin Dive 79 71 67 73 , Pieter Zwart 72 76 71 71
