Maverick Antcliffe – file photo courtesy of China Tour
27-year-old Queenslander, Maverick Antcliffe, might not be a name well recognised in Australian professional ranks but it is fair to assume it won’t be long before it is.
Antcliffe, today, earned his biggest cheque in professional golf when he finished in a share of third place at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Ballymena in Northern Ireland.
Antcliffe, in his rookie season on the European Tour, finished three shots behind the American John Catlin who won his second event in recent weeks having won the Andalucia Masters two starts ago.
Antcliffe arrived on the European Tour this season courtesy of his standing on the China Tour in 2019 where he won three times and recorded numerous other top tens to take the top honours in what is a feeder tour to the European Tour.
Antcliffe actually had a share of the lead halfway through today’s final round but consecutive bogeys early in his back nine cost him a winning chance. To his credit he was able to birdie the last to finish in a share of third with Asian superstar, Jazz Wattenanond.
The share of third place earnt Antcliffe a cheque for €66,000 ($A108,000) and moves him 63 places to 83rd on the Race to Dubai standings.
Antcliffe is from just south of Brisbane and like his fellow Queenslander, Jason Day, attended the Hills International Academy in Jimboomba, then playing golf at Georgia State in the USA before turning professional in 2017.
He played the China, Australasian and Asian Tours before focusing on the China Tour in 2019 where he dominated proceedings with an outstanding season.
Making eight of his 15 cuts to date on the European Tour he is beginning to find his feet and now has earnings of €130,000 and appears to have well and truly established himself in Europe.
Lucas Herbert fresh from his performance as the leading Australian at last week’s US Open also had a good finish when he tied for 7th and improved to 7th in the Race to Dubai rankings.
