Jiyai Shin, Michael Hendry win Vic Open women, men titles
BARWON HEADS, Australia (AP) — Former No. 1 Jiyai Shin of South Korea mastered windy conditions with a solid one-under 71 Sunday to win the women’s Vic Open by five shots.
Shin began her final round two shots behind Australian hope Cassie Porter but found herself five shots in front after nine holes as Porter struggled in the breezy conditions. The 11-time LPGA Tour winner finished with rounds of 67, 71, 66 and 71 for a four-under total of 275.
While Shin had three birdies and a single bogey on the first nine, the 21-year-old Porter, who led after the first three rounds, had five bogeys in an outward 41, eventually signing for a seven-over 79 which saw her drop back into a tie for fourth with American Emma Talley, six shots off the lead.
Shin’s main challenge in the last round came from Australia’s Grace Kim who also shot a one-under 71 to move up from fifth into a second place tie with Pavarisa Yoktuan of Thailand.
The women’s and men’s Vic Opens are being played concurrently on a 36-hole layout at 13th Beach Golf Links at Barwon Heads, near Geelong in Australia’s Victoria state.
New Zealander Michael Hendry finished with an even-par 72 to win the men’s title by four shots.
Hendry started the final round with a three shot lead over Australia’s Justin Warren. He had birdies on the first two holes of his final round and at one point led by eight shots. But he mixed three bogeys with three birdies on the first nine played in testing conditions.
Australia’s David Micheluzzi was the big mover Sunday, shooting a three under 69 to move up four places into a lone second place.
Warren shot 76 and dropped back into a third place tie with compatriots Andrew Martin and Tom Power Horan.
The 43-year-old Hendry has been a regular on the Japan Tour for a decade and also has won the New Zealand Open once and PGA twice. His rounds of 64, 62, 69 and 72 gave him a four round tally of 267.
“The last time I won on the Aussie tour was the 2017 New Zealand Open, so it was great to get across the line again," Hendry said. “Just nice to be feeling fit and proving to myself that I’ve still got it.
“I'm not going to beat the golf course up; I don’t have the length any more. Just being a pretty accurate golfer and pretty good at controlling my ball flight maybe gave me an advantage today because I knew I was going to be able to keep it under the wind more then the guys who hit it long.”
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