Teen stuns Micheluzzi

HARRISON Crowe has claimed the biggest scalp of his fledging golf career, eliminating No.1 seed David Micheluzzi in the first phase of match play at the Australian Amateur Championship.

Crowe, 17, took down the new world No.6 at the Woodlands Golf Club in Melbourne with a quality 2 and 1 victory that belied his last-man-in status as No.64 seed.

“It feels amazing. I did fight towards the end to grind out a victory and a few birdies helped, so I’m rapt,” said Crowe, who staged a remarkable comeback to even qualify for the match play component.

Crowe had been four strokes adrift of the eventual cut line with just nine holes to play in the second round of stroke play on Wednesday, and contemplating an early flight home.

However, he kept in contention with a string of birdies including one on the first playoff hole to book a showdown with last year’s runnerup. “I wouldn’t have thought about being here at all after 27 holes (of stroke play),” he said.

Fortunately for Crowe he replicated his form and held his composure on Thursday to stun Micheluzzi, who carded back-to-back rounds of eight under to firm as the title favourite.

Micheluzzi, though disappointed, was full of praise for his conqueror. “Harrison played really well the first three holes (par, eagle, birdie) so I was down early.

“I tried my hardest to fight back but he made two or three birdies in the last five holes as well. He’s a very fine young player and when I found out he was just 17 I was a bit shocked, he was bombing it past me.”