Aaron Baddeley became the first amateur in 39 years and the youngest in history to win the Australian Open when he finished two strokes clear of Greg Norman and Nick O’’Hern with the trio of Colin Montgomerie, Paul McGinley and Michael Long a further shot adrift.
Baddeley, 18, shot a closing 69 at Royal Sydney GC for a 14 under par total of 274 to become the youngest winner ever in the 95-year history of the even after
Norman, the five-time former champion, finished second with fellow Australian Nick O'Hern while Montgomerie finished tied for fourth, at 11-under par with Ireland's Paul McGinley and New Zealand’’s Michael Long.
Montgomerie shot a closing 71 that included five birdies but four uncharacteristic bogeys.
Montgomerie, playing with Baddeley in the final group, said: "Aaron did very well. He was very mature from the word go and putted very well and holed some crucial putts but the most important putt he holed all day was the second putt on the fourth.
"He charged his chip and missed the one coming back but he holed it from nine feet past for a bogey and I think if he had not of holed that I don't think he would have won. That was his most important putt all week."
But whereas Montgomerie singled out the fourth hole as crucial, it was Baddeley's second shot at the par-5 16th, that the youngster picked out as pivotal.
"I knew if I hit a good shot in there for a three or a four, I was in with a good chance to win," he said. Baddeley birdied the hole that gave him a two-stroke cushion over O'Hern and Norman, who was in the clubhouse, at 12 under after exciting his fans with a 25-foot birdie putt at the last.
Baddeley first burst onto the amateur scene when he finished second in the 1997 Australian Junior Championship.
Montgomerie, the seven-time winner of the Volvo Order of Merit, began the closing round one stroke off the lead and looked intent on initiating a typical last day charges when he birdied the first two holes. But a bogey at the fifth, dropped the Scot one behind and when Baddeley eagled the seventh, and Montgomerie could only birdie, the gap was two. Montgomerie then dropped three behind with a bogey at nine and then four adrift with another dropped shot at 11.
"I just had too many bogeys, which is not me at all because I usually pride myself on the number of mistakes I don't make but today I made far, far too many mistakes,” he said. “I three-putted twice and just didn't hit the ball well. I don't know what went wrong.
"It was very unusual because one of my strengths is how far I hit the ball and today it was going too far. I dropped four shots today which is more than I usually do in a whole tournament."
Englishman Steve Webster finished the week on a high with a new Royal Sydney course record after a nine-under-par 63 effort, one stroke better than Norman and Paul Gow's effort earlier in the tournament.
Leading final-round scores (Aus unless stated, par 72):
1 A Baddeley 67 68 70 69 274
2 G Norman 70 73 64 69 276
- N O'Hern 68 68 70 70 276
4 P McGinley (Irl) 67 70 69 71 277
- M Long (Nzl) 70 68 68 71 277
- C Montgomerie (Sco) 72 67 67 71 277
7 M Campbell (Nzl) 69 65 74 70 278
8 P Lonard 73 66 70 70 279
9 S Webster (Eng) 73 72 72 63 280
10G Ogilvy 70 69 69 73 281
Selected others:
284 N Faldo (Eng) 68 74 73 69
287 D Howell (Eng) 69 72 76 70
287 A Wall (Eng) 69 68 72 78
288 J Van de Velde (Fra) 71 73 75 69
289 R Russell (Sco) 70 73 76 70
291 D Tapping (Eng) 71 72 72 76
292 T Bjorn (Den) 71 70 75 76
