Hai Phong, Vietnam: Australia retained their men’s and women’s titles at the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Senior Amateur Championships, while Korean Heo Ji-baek and New Zealand’s Lisa Herbert had the distinction of claiming individual honours.
In the team events, Australia proved too strong for their rivals at Vinpearl Hai Phong, clinching the men’s and women’s crowns for the third year in succession.
Over the Marsh Course, Peter Bennett, Ken Brewer, David Gannon and Bradley Dowling cruised to a 12-shot victory from Korea with New Zealand a further four strokes back in third.
On the adjacent Lake Course, the trio of Sue Wooster, Gemma Dooley and Louise Mullard emerged triumphant for the second year in a row, enjoying a 10-shot winning margin from Japan with New Zealand third.
“Congratulations to the Australians for retaining their team titles and also to Heo Ji-baek and Lisa Herbert for their outstanding individual performances,” said Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the APGC.
“It’s been a fabulous week and our thanks and appreciation go to Vinpearl Hai Phong and the Vietnam Golf Association for making it possible."
In the men’s team championship in which the best three daily scores from each four-man team are counted, Australia posted a final-day score of 216, courtesy of Gannon’s 71, an even-par 72 from Dowling and a 73 for Bennett. Brewer’s 75 was not needed.
“We came here to win the team event and we’re pleased to have achieved that,” said 64-year-old scratch-handicapper Brewer, who was also a member of the winning Australian line-up in Malaysia in 2022.
At one stage early on the back nine today, Korea reduced their 13-stroke overnight deficit to six. That was the closest they managed to get, despite the best efforts of Heo, who added a 69 to two previous 70s.
Heo raced to four-under through the first nine holes to keep distance between him and his pursuers and could even afford the luxury of dropped shots at 12 and 13. A fifth birdie of the day at 14 put the gloss on another accomplished sub-par round.
“I’m very happy and proud,” said the 59-year-old from Seoul, whose team-mates congregated at the 18th green to cheer him as he putted out.
Australia began the final day of the women’s team championship with a three-stroke buffer over Japan and never came under serious threat.
For that they had Mullard to thank. In the event in which the best two daily scores are counted, Mullard’s returns of 76 and 77 had not been required on the first two days.
But with both Wooster and Dooley struggling to find their top form in the final round, Mullard stepped up to the plate with a 73, the best score among the Australians.
New Zealand’s last-day tally of three-under 141, courtesy of Herbert and Diana Syer, was the best daily team score of the women's tournament. Despite double-bogeys at two of the par-threes, Syer’s closing 74 was a seven-stroke improvement on her scores on the opening two days.
It was her team-mate Herbert, however, who shone brightest to deny Wooster a second successive individual crown.
Four shots behind pace-setting Wooster in fifth place after two rounds, left-handed Herbert produced one of the rounds of her life, signing for a bogey-free five-under 67, the best round of the week.
With a 54-hole total of 215, she was the only female to finish in red figures, ending five strokes in front of second-placed Wooster, who carded a 76.
“It’s certainly one of the highlights of my golfing career,” said Herbert, who made birdies at the second, eighth and ninth before setting the seal on her success by chipping-in from off the green for an eagle-three at the long 16th.
“I played steadily and didn’t make any bad mistakes,” said Herbert, who carded triple-bogeys in her first-round 73 and second-round 75.
Leading Men’s Team Scores
647 – Australia 220-211-216
659 – Korea 223-221-215
663 – New Zealand 223-222-218
695 – Myanmar 230-233-232
696 – Hong Kong China 231-232-233
697 – India 226-235-236
702 – Vietnam 234-234-234
Leading Men’s Individual Scores
209 – Heo Ji-baek (Korea) 70-70-69
215 – Peter Bennett (Australia) 73-69-73
216 – Ken Brewer (Australia) 72-69-75
217 – Jang Myung-duk (Korea) 70-77-70
218 – Stuart Duff (New Zealand) 75-71-72; Kim Dong-sub (Korea) 73-71-74
219 – David Gannon (Australia) 75-73-71; Jay Won (Hong Kong China) 71-75-73
222 – Bradley Dowling (Australia) 76-74-72; Malcolm Gullery (New Zealand) 74-73-75
Leading Women’s Team Scores
439 – Australia 145-145-149
449 – Japan 149-144-156
451 – New Zealand 154-156-141
485 – Hong Kong China 160-160-165
496 – Singapore 159-175-162
Leading Women’s Individual Scores
215 – Lisa Herbert (New Zealand) 73-75-67
220 – Sue Wooster (Australia) 73-71-76
222 – Gemma Dooley (Australia) 72-74-76
224 – Shiori Uchiyama (Japan) 75-72-77
225 – Haruko Hirabayashi (Japan) 74-72-79
226 – Louise Mullard (Australia) 76-77-73
236 – Diana Syer (New Zealand) 81-81-74
239 – Cathy Chung (Hong Kong China) 78-80-81
244 – Ghazala Yasmin (Pakistan) 81-81-82
245 – Emily Lee Beng Hua (Singapore) 75-91-79