What Happened at The Australian Open 2024

Some things are just not meant to happen. Step forward anybody who had a wager on American rookie Ryggs Johnston winning the Australian Open. He began the week ranked 953rd in the world and ended it with a remarkable success after a final round of 68.

"I really didn’t have any expectations," Johnston said, "which probably helped me in the end."

At the opposite end of the scale, South Korean former world number one Jiyai Shin secured her 65th career victory as she won the women's title at the event, which sees the men's and women's Opens played on the same course at the same time.

Johnston, named after Mel Gibson's character Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon movies, only turned professional this year and earned his playing card through the DP World Tour qualifying school.

The 24-year-old finished on 18 under at the brutally tough Kingston Heath in Melbourne to earn an exemption to next year's Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Johnston started the final round in a share of the lead with Australian Lucas Herbert, two strokes clear of the rest of the field with most onlookers expecting him to collapse.

However, it was Herbert who struggled in the wet and windy conditions and another Australian, Curtis Luck, turned out to be Johnston's main challenger.

Birdies at the 10th, 14th and 15th gave Johnston the edge heading home and Luck's victory hopes disappeared after bogeys at the 17th and 18th saw him finish three shots behind the winner.

Australian pair Marc Leishman and Jasper Stubbs were third on 14 under while Herbert finished tied for fifth two further shots back

In the women's event, former two-time British Open winner Jiyai Shin held off a late fightback from South African Ashleigh Buhai, who was bidding for a third title in a row.

Shin took control to lead by eight at one point but her rival came storming back to make it within two shots.

But Shin held on to finish on 17 under with Buhai on 15 under and Shin's compatriot, 17-year-old amateur Yang Hyo-jin, eight shots further back in third.

Who is Ryggs Johnston?

A very good question. To be frank, details are pretty scant.

Born in Libby, Montana, he attended Arizona State University.

He competed in 10 PGA Tour Americas events and made the cut in seven, with one top-10 finish.

This was just his second start on the DP World Tour after coming through the grind that is qualifying school. He finished in a tie for 43rd place at the Australian PGA.

He began the week ranked 953rd in the world and ends it in 25th place in the Race to Dubai at this very early stage in the new season.

He averages 297.83 yards from the tee, finds 68.97% fairways and hits 70.37% of greens in regulation. He averages 28 putts per round, gets up and down from the sand 77.78% of the time and has a stroke average of 68.43.

Get to Know Jiyai Shin

Shin was born in South Korea on April 28, 1988.

In 2004 at age 16, Shin's mother was killed in a car accident. Her younger brother and sister were seriously injured and spent nearly a year in a hospital. Her mother's life insurance money funded the beginning of her golf career.

A former world No. 1, she plays primarily plays on the LPGA Tour of Japan. She has also played extensively on the LPGA Tour and LPGA of Korea Tour, breaking numerous KLPGA records - in 2007 she won 10 times in just 19 starts. In 2008, playing only 10 tournaments on the LPGA Tour as a non-member, she won three events, including the Women’s Open and the ADT Championship.

She spent 25 weeks as the world’s top ranked golfer, the first Asian to achieve the feat. With 65 victories on six different tours, she is the most successful Korean golfer of all time - male or female.

In 2014 she gave up her membership of the LPGA Tour because she was missing her family and friends. She joined the LPGA of Japan Tour and promptly won four times that year.

She averages 231.29 yards from the tee, hits 76.27% of fairways, gets up and down from the sand 66.67% of the time, has a stroke average of 71.25 and hits 73.25% of greens in regulation.