Jasper Stubbs now gets an invite to the 2024 edition of The Masters, taking place from April 11-14 at Augusta National and exclusively live on Sky Sports; He will also get to be part of the field for The 152nd Open at Royal Troon from July 18-21, also exclusively live on Sky Sports
Sunday 29 October 2023 14:34, UK
Australia's Jasper Stubbs won at the second play-off hole to claim the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship on Sunday and booked his place at the 2024 Masters and The 152nd Open.
Stubbs, who lives two miles from Royal Melbourne, finished tied with Chinese pair Sampson Zheng and Ding Wenyi at one-over 285 forcing a play-off.
The 22-year-old Stubbs and Ding both made birdie at the tricky par-four 18th, but Zheng could only make par and was eliminated.
Stubbs started the day six behind Zheng, the third-round leader, but used his experience in the Sandbelt to card a two-under-par round of 69 and finish with a one-over-par total of 285 for the Championship.
Stubbs becomes the fourth Australian winner of the Championship after Antonio Murdaca claimed the title in 2014, Curtis Luck, who won in South Korea in 2016, and Harrison Crowe, who won in Thailand last year.
Zheng led by four at the start of the day but had a nervy start with a double bogey six at the second. Scoring was difficult for the entire field in the warm and blustery conditions, but the 22-year-old gained a shot back with a birdie three at the fifth.
Consecutive bogeys at the 11th and 12th reduced Zheng's lead over Ding to one but he bounced back with a birdie three at the 13th, a hole he birded in each of the four rounds.
Ding also bounced back from a dropped shot at the par-three third with birdies at the ninth and 11th, but a birdie putt slipped past the hole on the 15th allowing Zheng to keep his lead.
Zheng's par putt on the par-four 15th didn't make the hole so his lead was reduced back to one shot with three holes to play.
Stubbs moved within one shot of Zheng with birdies on the 11th, 13th and 17th but his 35-foot birdie putt on the 18th was short which saw him finish one-over par alongside Ding.
On the 17th, Zheng found a bunker short and right of the green and his birdie putt turned away from the hole, leaving a four-foot par putt that he missed.
Zheng found a front-right bunker on the 18th, splashing out to a few feet and saved his par to finish one over par and head into the play-off.
The players went back to the 18th for the play-off with Stubbs playing an approach shot to the back of the green and Ding followed him to a similar distance.
Zheng went to the back of the green and put a downhill chip past the hole. Stubbs and Ding both holed their downhill putts for the only birdies on the 18th while Zheng was eliminated.
Stubbs found the back of the green again on the second play-off hole and rolled a 60-foot putt down to a few inches from the hole, while Ding's approach shot found a bunker right of the green but his putt lipped out, leaving Stubbs a tap-in to claim the title.
Jasper Stubbs now gets an invite to the 2024 edition of The Masters, taking place from April 11-14 at Augusta National and exclusively live on Sky Sports. He will also get to be part of the field for The 152nd Open at Royal Troon from July 18-21, also exclusively live on Sky Sports.
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