Maverick Antcliff – photo China Tour
Queensland’s Maverick Antcliff has made a solid start to his European Tour career, following up a cut made at the recent Australian PGA Championship with a 13th place finish at the South African Open in Johannesburg over the weekend.
Antcliff gained the right to play the European Tour through as a result of leading the China Tour Order of Merit in 2019, having won three events on that tour last year. He also recorded nine other top tens to comfortably head to money earners and earn playing rights for Europe in 2020.
The China Tour has played a key role in Antcliff’s development as a professional golfer having played there in each of the last three years, earning the Rookie of the Year title in 2017 and eventually leading the money list last November.
The China Tour is not to be confused with the PGA Tour Series China, the China Tour run by the China Golf Association after a split with the tournaments run by the PGA Tour in 2017 and one that aligns itself with the European Tour.
The 26-year old Antcliff hails from Beaudesert south of Brisbane and is yet another product of the Hills International College in Jimboomba near Beaudesert where some of the notable alumni include Jason Day, Yani Tseng, Anthony Quayle and Aaron Pike.
On completion of his time at the Hills, Antcliff headed to the US where he attended college at Augusta State before eventually turning professional in late 2016.
Antcliff recorded a final round of 67 in Johannesburg, the third of three similar rounds he produced during the week and earned a cheque for €18,000 (A$29,000).
Although ten shots behind the winner Branden Grace, it was an encouraging week for Antcliff whose next start is likely to be the Vic Open at 13th Beach as his current ranking on the European Tour is likely to preclude him from starts in the next three events in the Middle East.
Min Woo Lee was the next best of the Australians when a shot behind Antcliff in a share of 15th place this week, Jarryd Felton was 62nd, Brett Rumford 66th and David Micheluzzi 69th.
The winner of the event was Branden Grace whose final round of 62 was too much for the defending champion and runner-up at the recent Australian Open, Louis Ootshuizen, who finished alone in second place but three shots from Grace who won his national open for the first occasion.
The winner, Branden Grace, also earned a start at the Open Championship – R&A
