Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur: James Lavender and Sue Wooster win the titles
24 Nov 2023
by Amit Pandey of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Sue Wooster Rankings
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James Lavender and Sue Wooster (Vietnam Golf Association Photo)
James Lavender, 62, and Sue Wooster, 61, of Australia clinched the men’s and women’s Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Senior Amateur titles at Vinpearl Golf Nam Hoi An in Qu?ng Nam, Vietnam.
The pair was also instrumental in the successes of the Australian men’s and women’s teams.
Lavender, a two-time Australian Senior Amateur champion, secured victory with rounds of 68-72-76, finishing at even-par.
He clinched the title by a narrow one-shot margin, defeating his fellow countryman and defending champion, Greg Rhodes, as well as Stuart Duff of New Zealand, the 2019 tournament winner.
Rhodes carded rounds of 73-72-72 to match Rhodes’ 75-69-73 to finish T2 at 1-over.
Lavender entered the final round with a two-shot lead, having posted impressive rounds of 68-72 for a 4-under total. Sandeep Sandhu of India trailed by two shots at 2-under after carding rounds of 71-71.
Lavender followed up earlier rounds of 68 and 72 with a closing 76. A tap-in bogey on No. 18 was good enough to secure him the title and an exemption into the 2024 R&A Senior Amateur.
In the women's section, Sue Wooster, formerly positioned as the top player in the Senior World Rankings for women, secured victory with a 3-over, recording rounds of 75-72-72.
She clinched the title with an impressive five-shot win over Gemma Dooley, who posted rounds of 74-75-75 and finished T2 with a total of 8-over.
It was the second edition of the APGC Women’s Senior, Wooster finished runners-up in the inaugural edition played last year in Malaysia.
In the team competition, the Australian Men's team, comprising James Lavender, Greg Rhodes, Mark Allen, and Ian Frost, showcased remarkable skill with rounds of 216-218-224, accumulating a total score of 658 to secure the title.
They faced a close challenge from South Korea, whose rounds of 226-218-221 earned them a commendable runners-up position with a total score of 665.
In the Women’s team competition, Team Australia, represented by Sue Wooster, Gemma Dooley, and Louise Mullard, dominated the competition with rounds of 149-147-147, clinching a resounding victory with a 26-stroke margin. New Zealand, with rounds of 155-157-157, finished as runners-up with a total score of 469.