MELBOURNE, Australia — Libby's Ryggs Johnston on Sunday captured his first professional golf title, winning the ISPS HANDA Australian Open.
Johnston shot 4-under 68 in the final round at the Kingston Heath Golf Club, finishing 18-under for the tournament. Johnston outpaced runner-up Curtis Luck by three strokes and third-place finishers Marc Leishman and Jasper Stubbs by four.
From Montana to Melbourne 👏
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 1, 2024
The moment Ryggs Johnston won the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at Kingston Heath 🏆#AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/iAAmBYZ7Uu
According to the tournament website, Johnston joins a list of Australian Open winners that includes Americans Jordan Spieth, Brad Faxon, Mark Calcavecchia, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer and Gene Sarazen.
Johnston is in his first professional season. He secured a DP World Tour card by finishing in the top-20 in the final stage of European Tour Qualifying School in November.
Johnston recently played in the PGA Tour Americas, qualifying for that event by virtue of finishing in the top 25 of the 2023-2024 university rankings while playing at Arizona State.
At Libby High School, Johnston was a four-time Class A state golf champion, and then went on to a five-year career at Arizona State where he earned third-team All-America status and helped the Sun Devils to the 2024 Pac-12 title. He also earned a third-place individual finish at the 2021 NCAA championships.
