Golf Australia National Squad members Cameron Smith and Jake Higginbottom finished in fourth and sixth place respectively at the Asian Amateur Championship at The Singapore Island Country Club. Smith finished with rounds of 68-69-69-67 to be at 15-under par, three strokes behind Japanese winner Hideki Matsuyama who successfully defended his title. Higginbottom closed with a 7-under par 65 to finish with rounds of 68-72-72-65 and be at 11-under par. Fellow National Squad member Matt Stieger finished in a tie for 14th place at 5-under par. Luke Humphries (NSW) finished in 23rd place at 1-under par for the championship while the ACT s Matt Smith finished in 43rd place following a final round even par 72. The championship field includes the top male amateur golfers invited from 27 APGC member nations and territories. The Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters Tournament and The R&A created the Asian Amateur Championship in early 2009 to help develop golf in Asia and provide a focal point for the amateur game in an area of the world where the game s growth has unlimited potential. The champion receives a place in the following year s Masters Tournament and, along with the runner(s)-up, a berth in International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship in the next year.
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