In a stunning turn of events at the Australian Open golf championship, a little-known American has stormed into a share of the lead after the third round at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne. Montana native Ryggs Johnston, ranked a lowly 954th in the world, fired a sizzling round of 68 on Saturday to join hometown favorite Lucas Herbert atop the leaderboard at 14-under par.
Herbert, fresh off a victory at the NSW Open and looking to become just the second wire-to-wire winner in Australian Open history, saw his four-shot overnight lead evaporate amidst wild and wet conditions in the Victorian capital. The 28-year-old fan favorite ground out an even-par 72 to retain a piece of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
Surprise Challenger Emerges
While Herbert may be a household name in Australian golf circles, the same cannot be said for his co-leader from across the Pacific. Johnston, who only arrived in the country on Monday after a tie for 43rd at last week’s Australian PGA Championship, has been the surprise packet of the tournament.
The 24-year-old, who earned his DP World Tour card through Qualifying School, played the event’s other host course Victoria Golf Club sight unseen on Tuesday before weather intervened and prevented him from seeing Kingston Heath prior to Thursday’s opening round.
“I was pretty much blind out there, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing in golf,”
a grinning Johnston said after posting an opening 65 that left him one shot off Herbert’s blistering pace.
Named after the Mel Gibson character in the Lethal Weapon movie franchise, Johnston backed up that performance with a 68 on Friday before matching that score in the tougher weekend conditions. His round was highlighted by four straight birdies on the front nine as he caught Herbert before the turn.
Chasing Pack Within Striking Distance
Herbert and Johnston will take a two-shot lead into the final round, but a host of challengers are within striking distance on a bunched-up leaderboard. Defending champion Joaquin Niemann of Chile equaled the low round of the day with a 64 to vault into a tie for third at 12-under, alongside newly-crowned Australian PGA winner Elvis Smylie, Finland’s Oliver Lindell, and former Asia-Pacific Amateur champions Jasper Stubbs and Wenyi Ding of China.
Australia’s top-ranked player Marc Leishman carded a 68 to lurk just three shots back in a tie for eighth place at 11-under. Last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Harrison Crowe is also at that number after a 69 on Saturday.
Smith’s Winless Summer Continues
For Cameron Smith though, a winless Australian summer looks set to continue after the reigning Open champion and LIV Golf star struggled to a 76 in the third round. Despite a defiant claim that he was still in touching distance of the lead after a difficult Friday, Smith now finds himself back in a tie for 49th place at 2-under par.
It would take something approaching a miracle for the world No. 3 to chase down a dozen shots and overtake the likes of Herbert, Johnston and the rest of the contenders in the final round. More likely, Smith will look ahead to some time off over the Christmas break before resuming his sophomore LIV season in 2023.
Final Round Showdown Looms
So the stage is set for a final round shootout at Kingston Heath, with the prospect of a first American winner of the Australian Open since Brad Faxon in 1993 very much alive. But Herbert, chasing his biggest title yet in front of an adoring home crowd, will have something to say about that.
“A little bit frustrating but sort of no ground lost really. I might have just let a few more people back into the tournament but still leading, still where I want to be so, yeah, good result from a frustrating day,”
Herbert said after his gritty round on Saturday.
With more rain forecast and the famed Melbourne sandbelt course playing every bit of its 7,024 meters, the 107th Australian Open is set for a dramatic finish on Sunday. Johnston will look to continue his dream run and become the first American born in the 2000s to win one of golf’s oldest championships, while Herbert aims to add his name to the Stonehaven Cup and complete a memorable month on home soil.
An intriguing final group containing the last two Asia-Pacific Amateur winners in Stubbs and Ding only adds to the storylines, while pre-tournament favorite Adam Scott will have to go low from six shots back if he is to claim his first national title since 2009 and second at Kingston Heath 18 years on from his playoff loss to Robert Allenby.
Regardless of who lifts the trophy, the remarkable rise of Johnston is set to be one of the main talking points to emerge from an Australian Open long on star power but perhaps short on household names in contention. The unheralded American will look to etch his name in the history books on one of the world’s most famous courses, far from home but potentially on the verge of a life and career-changing victory.
