Griffin tops in New Zealand

Australian Matthew Griffin claimed the BMW ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open with a clutch birdie on the final hole of the tournament.

Starting the day two shots behind Japan’s Hideto Tanihara, Griffin opened his final round by eagling the first.

With his nerves settled, Griffin went head-to-head with Tanihara all day but found himself one behind his competitor with three holes to play.

A clutch birdie at the last, where Tanihara made bogey, saw Griffin claim the title and his sixth win as a Professional.

Griffin fired 5-under 67 in the final round to post a winning total of 20-under 267 in front of his parents who had travelled overseas to watch him play for the first time.

For his win Griffin picked up NZ$180,000 and top billing on the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit.
“This is by far the biggest event I’ve won,” Griffin said. “To win the New Zealand Open, it’s got so many good names on the trophy, it’s a real step forward for me.”
Finishing tied for third and six shots off the lead was leading New Zealander Michael Hendry and Japan’s Shunsuke Sonoda.

Yoshinori Fujimoto (JPN) finished outright 5th on 13-under 274 with Steven Alker (NZL) a further shot back.

Taking out the pro-am component of the BMW ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open were Deyen Lawson and his amateur partner Anton Booy. Lawson picks up a bonus NZ$12,000 for his team’s effort.

  new zealand open