WODONGA’S Zach Murray has shrugged off talk of turning professional after clinching a stunning win in the Australian Master of the Amateurs championship at Royal Melbourne yesterday.
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Murray, who turns 18 in March, became the youngest winner of the tournament when he fired a final round 71 to finish at 12-under and two shots clear of fellow Golf Australia national squad member Cory Crawford.
The win earned the Catholic College schoolboy a start in several major amateur events in the UK and US later in the year.
“I played unreal this week,” Murray said after rounds of 69, 69, 67 and 71.
“It’s my biggest win yet and it feels great.”
Murray’s playing partner Frazer Droop, of Yarrawonga, fell off the pace during the final round with a 76 to drop to equal fifth position.
The tall right-hander said he was more focused on year 12 studies than talk of turning professional.
“It’s not even on my mind at the moment,” he said.
“I have got to finish this year and hope to continue my golf at the Victorian Institute of Sport next year — we’ll just see how I go from there.
“Right now it just feels great to be on that list of great names (including Jason Day) and when I look back in the future to see my name among them will be a good feeling.”
Murray had barely made a false swing all week until he came up short on the par-three 16th tee, then unexpectedly bumped his second through the green and took bogey to slash a shot off what had been a four-shot buffer.
His heart then flew into his mouth when he flared an iron tee shot off the 17th into a bunker so far short and right of the 17th green that some onlookers didn’t even know it existed.
Murray didn’t know the sand was there and hit a provisional ball fearing the worst.
His pulse rate recovered when he saw the ball plugged in the face of the bunker.
He proceeded to escape with “one of the better bogeys” in his golfing life before making a regulation four up the last hole to seal victory.
Murray said playing with Droop over the final 36 holes helped calm his nerves.
“I went up to ‘Droopy’ and we walked the 17th and 18th together,” he said.