Former Arizona State standout Ryggs Johnston wins Australian Open
December 1, 2024 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Ryggs Johnston, View results for Australian Open, Royal Melbourne Golf Club
The first American champion since Jordan Spieth claimed his second title in 2016, Johnston wins in his second pro event
Former Arizona State standout Ryggs Johnston wasted no time in making a splash on the professional golf circuit.
In just his second professional start, Johnston finished 18-under to win the 2024 Australian Men's Open at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Australia by three shots over Curtis Luck.
The 24-year-old and 2018 Montana State Amateur champion carded rounds of 65-68-68-68 to get to 18-under and secure his win after entering the final round tied for the lead with Lucas Herbert.
Johnston graduated from Arizona State in 2024 and qualified for the North America Swing of the PGA Tour Americas through the Class of 2024 PGA Tour U rankings after finishing No. 17.
This spring, he earned third-team All-America honors and first-team All-Pac-12 recognition. He ended his college career with four straight top-10 finishes, earning him 14 top-10 finishes in his Sun Devil career.
He was a third-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 honoree in 2021, and he finished T3 at the NCAA Division I Individual Championships
He shot rounds of 71-70-69-65-65-67 to finish 21-under and T7 at the DP World Tour Q-School final stage to earn his DP World Tour card.
"Getting a win and hopefully getting into more tournaments and just knowing that I've secured pretty legit status now, it's great," Johnston told Golf Australia.
According to Golf Australia, Johnston was looking at the Stonehaven Cup while the media spoke with women's winner Jiyai Shin, and he was able to take in the long history of winners etched into the Cup.
"It's just really cool to be in that group," he said. "I'm just pretty honored to be able to put my name on it now, too, and I'll cherish this moment forever."
Other former top amateurs, Wenyi Ding and Jasper Stubbs, played well, as Stubbs finished T3 at 14-under and Ding finished T5 at 12-under.
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Ding won the Asia Pacific Amateur in October of 2024, earning exemptions/invitations into the 2025 Open Championship and Masters if he stayed amateur. But he also earned a DP World Tour card via the Tour's new pathway program and decided to turn pro immediately.
Ding also won the 2024 Amer Ari Invitational and the 2024 Southern Amateur.
Stubbs turned pro in 2024 after playing in the 2024 Masters Tournament, an invite he received after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2023.
Kingston Heath Golf Club, located in Cheltenham, Victoria, is one of Australia's most prestigious golf clubs. Situated in Melbourne’s renowned sandbelt region, the course is consistently ranked among the top 3 in Australia and the top 20 globally.
Over the years, the club has hosted numerous major tournaments, including seven Men's Australian Opens, one Women's Australian Open, seven Victorian Opens, two Australian Masters, and the 2016 World Cup of Golf.
The Men's Australian Open was set to return to Kingston Heath in 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the Australian Open
The Australian Open is one of golf’s oldest national championships and now a key stop on the DP World Tour, co-sanctioned with the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia. Played in late November or early December at top venues like The Australian, Kingst...
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