BELMONT, NSW, Australia (Jan 29, 2012) -- Australian Amateur runner-up, Daniel Nisbet from Queensland turned the tables on his arch rival, German Marcel Schneider, who beat Nisbet the week before in the Australian Amateur Championship, when he won the Lake Macquarie International Men’s Championship by three shots at Belmont.
Mastering the strong north easterly winds, Nisbet returned a final round one under 71 to go with his earlier rounds of 65, 68 and 69 to finish on 15 under 273.
Schneider, who was the leader going into the final round at 15 under, faltered with the putter and returned a six over 78 to drop back into fifth place on nine under 279.
Royal Queensland player Cameron Smith finished second place when he had a 69 to go with his earlier 69, 70 and 68 to finish on 12 under on 276. Smith has won the Australian Stroke Play Medal for the past two years and also won the Queensland Amateur titles.
Best of the local brigade was Callan O’Reilly, of Toronto, who finished equal third on 10 under with German Sebastian Kannler.
Nisbet will be heading for Sydney tomorrow to play in the NSW Medal at the Northern Beaches courses. Before his win today he was 48th in world amateur rankings and he hopes to make the field in this year US Amateur Championships. The 21-year-old hopes to turn professional at the end of the year.
“This win means a lot to me,” he said. “Hopefully I will drop a little in the world rankings.”
Nisbet’s godfather, Garry Cooper, also from Caboolture, caddied for him in the tournament and his mother and father were among his gallery.
Twenty year old New Zealander, Vaughan McCall, who equalled the course record with a 63 during round 3 and was 13 under going into the final day, dropped out of contention with a series of bogeys on the front nine.
Lake Macquarie Amateur Golf Championship: Top Finishers
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