David Micheluzzi secures first Australasian Tour win in WAPGA
Micheluzzi with his WAPGA trophy – photo PGA of Australia
Victorian David Micheluzzi has today won his first PGA Tour of Australasia title with a three-shot victory over West Australian Ben Ferguson at the WAPGA Championship with another shot back to former Australian Amateur Champion Andrew Martin of Victoria and yet another West Australian Jarryd Felton.
The event was the first of the Australasian Tour’s summer of golf and the $45,000 Micheluzzi earned for his win sets him up well for the following five months of golf in this region.
Felton had taken a one-shot lead over Micheluzzi into the final round but on a gusty final day, Felton, a winner of three PGA Tour of Australasia events previously, dropped fours shot late in his round to open the door for Micheluzzi.
Four birdies in his last six holes enabled the 26-year-old Micheluzzi to break through for his first win but he had been one of the more consistent performers in PGA Tour of Australasia events, having recorded seven top tens in events including when 5th as an amateur behind Abraham Ancer at the 2018 Australian Open.
His amateur career which was completed in 2019, also included wins at the Master of the Amateurs, the Victorian Amateur and the Port Phillip Open so while the professional win has taken time, it has not been unexpected, and more victories are likely to follow.
“It’s now starting to sink in a little bit,” said the winner.
“It feels amazing. I knew I had to play good golf from 13 onwards because ‘Felts’ was three in front. I knew what the scores were and to hit that good of a golf shot into 13, hole the putt, hit a mint drive down 14 – hit a pretty average wedge shot but it was 40 feet and I holed a really good putt there.
“It’s weird winning a tournament. I haven’t won one in five years, and I think I’ve only won about five tournaments ever.
“Because I haven’t won much I had to watch people win and see what people do around the lead.
“With guys that are young who haven’t been in that situation before, after those two bogeys the head’s down and all that. My thing when I start to play a bit average, I get angry internally. I kind of show it a little bit but that frustration, I need to let it out.
“I just didn’t want it to be another sob story. What it could have been and all that. It woke me up a little bit.
“I didn’t think it would be like this but I’m so happy it went like this. I really got to see what I was like as a person.”
Felton still appeared the likely winner through eleven holes of today’s final round but four bogeys in his last six holes saw a seven shot swing between he and Micheluzzi and a share of 3rd was the best he could do.
Ferguson, too was chasing his first win in professional golf and having not made the weekend in eight of his last ten starts in events on development tours in Europe and Australasia, this was the 24 year old’s best finish in tournament golf by some way.
The PGA Tour of Australasia now heads to the West Australian Golf Club for the West Australian Open beginning on Thursday 20th October.
