Australia romps to victory at World Amateur Team Championship

RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico: Australia completed a runaway victory in the World Amateur Team Championship, beating England by 19 strokes Saturday and sweeping the top two individual spots.

Australia won the Eisenhower Trophy for the fourth time, following victories in the biennial event in 1958, 1966 and 1996.

“It’s great for the game of golf back home,” Australian captain Matt Cutler said. “It started two years ago when the women won the Espirito Santo (Trophy). We got a taste of competing and winning internationally. They executed the plan perfectly this week. They had a determination to get it done.”

Cameron Davis closed with a 3-under 68 at Mayakoba El Camaleon to beat teammate Curtis Luck by two strokes for the individual title . Davis finished at 17-under 269.

“This is by far the best I have played in such a big tournament,” Davis said. “It was just an honor to be in this tournament in the first place and representing my country, but to come away with a win is pretty special.”

Luck, the US Amateur champion, also had a 68 for a recordtying 38-under 534 team to tal, with the best two scores counting each day for the three-man teams. Harrison Endycott had a non-counting 73.

Australia tied the team mark set by the United States in 2014, and had the third-largest margin in the history of the event.

“We came out with a pretty good strategy around both courses,” Luck said. “We did a really good job in the practice rounds of setting out where the pins would be and fortunately we pretty much got them all right. We did things extremely professionally.”

England was 19 under. Alfie Plant shot 66, Jamie Bower 70, and Scott Gregory 76.

Matthias Schwab shot a 67 to help Austria tie for third with Ireland at 18 under.

Norway was fifth at 17 under, and the United States tied for sixth at 15 under. Oklahoma’s Brad Dalke led the Americans with a 70, Stanford’s Maverick McNealy shot 72, and Texas’ Scottie Scheffler had a 73.

“It was a difficult day for all of them,” US captain Paul Caruso said. “I guess it is unusual that that happens and all three of them did not have their best today.”