Yuna Nishimura and Christopher Crabtree (Golf Australia/Twitter photo)
In a field loaded with Australia’s best talent,
Christopher Crabtree rose to the top. The 23-year-old, a two-time club champion at Greg Norman’s Pelican Waters on the Sunshine Coast, finished with a one-shot victory after 72 holes at the Riversdale Cup.
What’s better, Crabtree had to bury a birdie putt on the final hole just to stay ahead of two younger chasers. Crabtree was 17 under for the week at Riversdale Golf Club in Victoria, Australia. His final-round 5-under 67 included an eagle at the par-5 sixth – his third of the week – and four consecutive birdies from Nos. 8-11.
At 23, of course, Crabtree is a bit older than the teenagers challenging for the title behind him. According to Golf Australia, Crabtree is coached by Cameron Smith’s mentor Grant Field and works out of the Queensland Academy of Sport. He played soccer until he was 14, thus getting a late start in golf.
Crabtree said he hoped the victory would raise his world ranking, and thus get him starts overseas this year.
“I feel like this performance has been coming,” he told Golf Australia. “It was just a matter of when.”
Among the men who Crabtree was barely able to keep at bay was
Blake Collyer. The fellow Australian won the Dunes Medal and the Cotton States Invitational (in the U.S.) in 2018. Countryman Aiden Didone also finished tied for second.
Nathan Barbieri, runner-up at both the New South Wales Amateur and the Australian Men’s Amateur, was part of a three-way tie for seventh.
Blake Windred, who carries the second-best world ranking of any Australian (behind only David Micheluzzi) tied for 14th.
In the women’s division, Japan’s Yuna Nishimura beat compatriot Miyu Yamashita and Australia Rebecca Kay by three shots. Most notably, Nishimura is the player who finished runner-up at the inaugural Women’s Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2018, and will play the event again this year considering that the winner earns a spot in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur
Information from Golf Australia used in this report
ABOUT THE Riversdale Cup
Australia’ second oldest amateur 72-hole golf
tournament is The Riversdale Cup. It is one of the
most
highly participated events in the Australian amateur
golf calendar. More than 250 men and women from
around the world compete in the event each year.
72
hole stroke play championship with a cut after 36
holes.
View Complete Tournament Information