Jasper Stubbs earns 2024 Masters, Open Championship invites after playoff win at Asia-Pacific Amateur event

At closing weekend’s Asia-Pacific Amateur, Jasper Stubbs hit the primary shot of the event and likewise the closing. Now he is on his approach to the Masters and the Open Championship. The 21-year-old Australian, who is helping his father with the circle of relatives industry, were given to start out the event at Royal Melbourne as a result of his standing at the Australian nationwide crew and the truth that the event was once being performed in his native land for the second one time. 

That opening pressure resulted in a 68 that left him two off the lead following Round 1. However, a couple of 74s within the heart had him smartly again of Sampson Zheng going into Sunday’s finale and and not using a nice probability of successful. But Stubbs closed like he opened — with the second-best spherical of the day (a 69) — and Zheng stumbled with a 75. Those two fell right into a playoff with Wenyi Ding.

The additional holes had been a curler coaster. 

On the primary playoff hollow, Stubbs and Ding each made long, curling downhill birdie putts and moved to the second one with out Zheng, who didn’t fit them. Both putts had been jaw-dropping.

The moment playoff hollow was once much less dramatic however surely extra significant to Stubbs, who, after Ding could not rise up and down, tapped in for par to win the event and get into two of the following 4 main championships.

“The Masters is something every kid’s ever dreamed of,” Stubbs told the Associated Press. “It’s the one tournament that every golfer wants to play in their life and now that that’s going to be the reality for me, I’m speechless, it’s life-changing.

“I’m actually excited for April now and likewise for the Open.”

The revel in was once even sweeter as a result of this was once a real house sport for Stubbs, who lives about 4 and a part Rory McIlroy drives from Royal Melbourne. Here’s Evin Priest of Golf Digest.

What helped Stubbs’ self assurance is the choice of instances he had performed Royal Melbourne during the last six years. His oldsters moved the circle of relatives from a rural the town known as Bairnsdale within the East Gippsland area, 4 hours east of Melbourne, when Stubbs was once 15. They sought after Jasper, and his more youthful sister Piper, to excel at golfing the usage of the elite amenities across the Melbourne Sandbelt area. Piper is the ladies’s membership champion at Royal Melbourne.

It was once additionally a go back to what is regarded as some of the nice golfing lessons on the planet. A spot that has now hosted two Asia-Pacific Amateurs, two Presidents Cups and numerous Australian Opens, Australian Amateurs and Australian PGA Championships. 

Stubbs is the second one consecutive Australian, the fourth total and the second one at Royal Melbourne to win this event.