DAVIS GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND IN OPEN WIN
CAMERON Davis headed to the Australian Open hoping to just make the cut.
Four days later he walked away with the trophy.
In only his 18th start as a professional golfer, a stunned Davis lifted the Stonehaven Cup following a helter-skelter final round at The Australian golf course in Sydney.
It was not only Davis’s first victory as a pro, it was his first top-10 finish.
But the $225,000 prize cheque was well deserved for the 22-year-old Sydneysider after he held his nerve as huge stars such as Jason Day fell away under the pressure.
Starting the day six shots off Day’s lead and, critically, six groups ahead, Davis carded a superb 64.
After being one of four players to lead in the last nine holes, Davis nailed a birdie on the 18th to be clubhouse leader.
Final-round pair Day and Lucas Herbert had earlier looked unassailable at the top before Day dropped four shots in five holes to drift away midround and Herbert dropped four after the turn as the pressure ratcheted up.
Matt Jones and Jonas Blixt, who finished tied for second, both had late runs but fell short.
Swede Blixt had a 3m birdie putt on the last to force a playoff but missed it, leaving Davis gobsmacked on the practice range when told he had won the Australian Open.
“I was just doing my own thing when someone came and told me it was all over,” Davis said. “I didn’t know what to say, it was a bit of a shock really.