Hendry and Shin Claim Vic Open titles
Ji Yai Shin and Mike Hendry – enjoying their Vic Open spoils
New Zealander Mike Hendry and Korean Ji Yai Shin are the respective winners of the Men’s and Women’s Vic Opens played at the 13th Beach golf facility on the Bellarine Peninsula over the last few days.
Hendry, whose last win was at the 2017 New Zealand Open, controlled the event throughout the final 54 holes, his second round of 62 taking him to a two shot lead heading into the weekend before extending that lead to four over the final 36 holes and winning by that margin over Victorian David Micheluzzi.
“It’s been a while. The last time I won on the Aussie Tour was the 2017 New Zealand Open so it was nice to get across the line again,” Hendry said.
“It’s just nice to be feeling fit and proving to myself that I’ve still got it.”
Hendry has played the Japan Tour over the last ten years or so but has lost full status there and this win has proven timely given that it will move him to 8th on the PGA Tour of Australasia’s points table. With the leading three at the end of the season in late March earning DP World Tour status he has the chance with the lucrative New Zealand Open coming up in three weeks to jump into that group.
Micheluzzi has taken the lead on the Order of Merit following a series of top tens in recent months in addition to his win at the WAPGA Championship.
Shin, a two time winner of the Women’s British Open and a former winner of the Australian Women’s Open, overcame a two shot deficit behind Queensland’s Cassie Porter heading into the final round but by the turn Shin was five ahead and although the margin close to just one when Shin bogeyed the 10th and 11th holes, and Porter birdied both, Porter dropped four shots on the way in from that point.
In the end it was recent LPGA Tour graduate Grace Kim and Thailand’s Pavarisa Yoktuan who would eventually finish in a share of second place, albeit five shots from Shin.
