The Punter's De-brief: Huge outsider claims the spoils at Australian Open

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The 2022 Open champion, Cam Smith, was matched at just 2.789/5 to win the Australian Open when tied for the lead with nine holes to play on Friday, but he capitulated after the turn and shot 76-71 on the weekend to finish tied for 39^th.

Pre-event 16/117.00 chance, Lucas Herbert, opened the event with an eight-under-par 63 to lead by two and he was matched at a low of 1.654/6 during round two before leading at halfway by four.

Herbert shortened up from around 1.910/11 to 1.84/5 before the third round kicked off but he was caught and passed by the 250.0249/1 outsider, Ryggs Johnston, after just seven holes of round three.

Johnston was matched at just 2.77/4, when he led by two with five to play in round three, but a poor drive at the par five 14^th led to a double bogey seven and he and Herbert were tied at the top with a round to go.

With a gap of two back to the rest, Herbert was trading at just over 2/13.00 after 54 holes and Johnston was a 5/16.00 shot but it was the inexperienced American that started the best on Sunday, eagling the opening hole and birdying the third to lead by two.

Johnston dropped a shot at four but it could have been worse. He holed a lengthy bogey putt to keep his nose in front.

Herbert then birdied the fifth to tie the lead and the two were still locked together on 15-under-par as they made the turn, but they'd been caught by my 150.0149/1 Find me a 100 Winner pick, Curtis Luck. The experienced Aussie, Marc Leishman, was just one back in fourth.

Herbert scrambled a par at 10 as Johnston made birdie and that was the beginning of the end for the Aussie, who fell away badly on the back-nine to finish a very sweary tied fifth.

After a lengthy birdie at 13 and another at the par five 14^th, with just four to play, Luck struck the front. He was matched at as low as 1.42/5 after a quite brilliant par save on the tough par three 15^th and a solid drive at 16.

If Luck could par the last three holes it looked like he might post a target nobody else could reach, but Johnston hadn't finished fighting.

His putter was his lethal weapon all week and, after rolling in a lengthy birdie putt at the par five 14^th, he hit the front again with this cracker at the par three 15^th.

What a putt! Ryggs Johnston gets to -18 #AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/nw3IAI5scK

-- DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 1, 2024

As a Luck backer, I found it tough to take, but it was also impossible not to be impressed by the way the 24-year-old American closed out the event.

After Luck had bogeyed the last two holes, Johnston was able to coast to a three-stroke victory and it was a frustrating finish all round.

Matt Cooper had brilliantly picked out Harrison Crowe at 250/1251.00 before the off and I'd backed him after round one each-way at 70/171.00.

With just two holes to play, Crowe sat alone in third but, like Luck before him, he finished the event with back-to-back bogeys. He slipped back down into a tie for fifth alongside five others.

That resulted in a greatly reduced return for Matt and a lost bet for me given only four places were offered after the opening round.

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