American Ryggs Johnston and South Korea’s Shin Ji-yai Triumph at Australian Open

The Australian Open, a mixed golf tournament featuring men and women competing in alternating groups on the same courses, concluded with victories for American rookie Ryggs Johnston and South Korean former world number one Shin Ji-yai. Johnston secured the men’s title, marking the biggest win of his career with a final-round score of 68. Shin, meanwhile, claimed her 65th career victory by winning the women’s championship at the event, which uniquely hosts both Opens simultaneously on the same course. Johnston, named after Mel Gibson’s character Martin Riggs from the “Lethal Weapon” movies, only turned professional this year and earned his playing card through the DP World Tour qualifying school. The 24-year-old, ranked 953rd globally, finished the tournament at 18 under par at Kingston Heath in Melbourne. This achievement grants him an exemption to next year’s Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Johnston began the final round sharing the lead with Australian Lucas Herbert, holding a two-stroke advantage over the rest of the field. However, Herbert struggled amid the wet and breezy conditions, leading to another Australian, Curtis Luck, emerging as Johnston’s primary challenger. Decisive birdies on the 10th, 14th, and 15th holes gave Johnston the crucial edge. Luck’s hopes for victory faded after bogeys on the 17th and 18th, resulting in him finishing three shots behind the winner. The Australian pair of Marc Leishman and Jasper Stubbs finished in third place at 14 under par, while Herbert concluded the event tied for fifth, two shots further back. In the women’s competition, Shin, a former two-time British Open winner, successfully withstood a late comeback attempt from South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai, who was seeking her third consecutive title. Shin had initially built a substantial eight-shot lead, but her rival mounted a strong charge, narrowing the gap to just two strokes. Despite this, Shin held on to finish at 17 under par, with Buhai at 15 under. Shin’s compatriot, 17-year-old amateur Yang Hyo-jin, secured third place, eight shots behind Buhai.