Pro careers beckon for Aussie pair after the Asia-Pacific Amateur – Australian Golf Digest

by Admin
October 6, 2024

Jasper Stubbs and Quinn Croker will make an immediate switch to concentrating on their professional golf careers after finishing the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan on Sunday.

And the leading Australian at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba, Phoenix Campbell, won’t be far behind once he completes his Japanese double.

One of the men Stubbs beat in last year’s playoff at Royal Melbourne, China’s Wenyi Ding, gained redemption by claiming the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur title with a 12-under-par total, proving why he was the highest-ranked player in the world amateur ranking coming into the event.

Four consecutive rounds of 67 gave the 19-year-old, who is heading for the DP World Tour, a one-stroke margin over countryman Ziqin Zhou.

Stubbs will be the first of this year’s Australian AAC contingent to play as a professional. He faces 16 hours of flight time to reach Western Australia and the resumption of the 2024-2025 Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia after finishing his title defence in a share of 32nd place at five-over-par.

Meanwhile, Croker [pictured, top] will tackle the first stage of Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School in Florida from October 15-18 before taking up the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia membership he earned by winning the Future Tour category last season.

The reigning Australian Amateur and Queensland Amateur champion closed with his best round of the week in Japan, a two-under 68, to be one-over overall and tied for 19th.

Campbell ended up in a share of 13th at two-under after closing with a 68.

The only Australian with a chance of securing the title heading into the final day, Campbell’s victory chances disappeared when he dropped three shots late in the third round, which concluded on Sunday morning.

Campbell has just one tournament left to play as an amateur, the Japan Open at Tokyo Golf Club this week, before he too switches to the professional ranks. Campbell will take up the two-year exemption available to him courtesy of his win at the Queensland PGA Championship last year.

The Victorian’s debut as a pro will come at the 100th WA Open, starting on October 17 at Mandurah Country Club.

“To finish as the top Aussie is a nice achievement,” Campbell said. “There’s a bit there to work on for next week but, overall, I’m pretty pleased with the week.”

Stubbs’ first event as a professional is now just four days away in much different surroundings than he’s encountered in a very wet Japan this week – the CKB WA PGA Championship in Kalgoorlie.

“I never really felt like I could get anything going,” the Victorian said of his title defence. “As soon as I’d make a couple of birdies, I’d give them straight back, and that’s how the whole week sort of went.

“It’s been a cool week trying to defend. Unfortunately, not the week I was hoping for, but still a special week.”

Just off the pace from day one, Croker was keen to finish his second AAC on a high and he achieved that with a closing 68 that lifted him inside the top 20.

“You definitely don’t want to leave Japan and not finish under par in at least one round,” the Queenslander said. “It was good to finish off the way I did. It could have been anything out there. There were a lot of putts that could have gone in and I could have finished off really special but it wasn’t to be.

“Obviously I wanted [the week] to be slightly better, but I’ll take that for the first time in Japan.”

His first PGA Tour of Australasia event as a professional will be the Webex Players Series South Australia event at Willunga Golf Club.