Eighteen-year-old
Australian amateur Aaron Baddeley defied some of the biggest names in golf on
Sunday to win the Australian Open.
Baddeley triumphed by two strokes at the Royal Sydney golf course to become the
youngest winner of the tournament. He is also the first non-professional to win
the title since Bruce Devlin in 1960.
The Victorian teenager, the overnight leader going into Sunday's final round,
finished with a three-under-par round of 69 for a 14-under total of 274.
Australians Greg Norman and Nick O'Hern were tied in second place at 12-under.
At 18 years,
eight months and 11 days Baddeley is the youngest winner of the Open in its 95-year
history.
"It's
unbelievable," said Baddeley after his stunning victory.
"To
see my name on top, to finish on top is a dream come true.
"You
dream of it. I believe in my own ability and I thought I could win today and I
played the best I could and did it."
Asked about becoming the first amateur to win the title since Devlin, he said:
"It's scary, it's good. I'll keep working hard on my game and I'll improve."
What
people in the know have been saying about 18-year-old amateur Aaron Baddeley who
today became the youngest winner of the Australian Open golf championship:-
"He
is a better player than Jack Nicklaus was at the same age" - Gary Player when
Baddeley was 17.
"He
has it all. You can see it in his eyes" - Greg Norman.
"He
is incredible - he plays every shot without fear" - Michael Campbell.
"It's
hard to imagine an 18-year-old has the mental ability to play with the world No.3
(Colin Montgomerie) and stitch him up" - Commentator Jack Newton.
"I
played with him last week and the talent was evident then - they sky's the limit"
- Australian Open runner-up Nick O'Hern.
