Ivanys clinch Oz Open pro-am
BROTHERS Paul and Peter Ivany have won the 2011 Australian Open Pro-Am Championship in Sydney, teaming up with rising American professional Dustin Johnson to clinch the title.
BROTHERS Paul and Peter Ivany have won the 2011 Australian Open Pro-Am Championship in Sydney, teaming up with rising American professional Dustin Johnson to clinch the title.
It was the first time the two had completed the event, as last year’s tournament, which they were due to compete in, was washed out.
“It was very special to win it with my brother. We just went there to compete, so winning it was the icing on the cake,” Paul told The AJN.
“It is definitely something we will cherish forever.
“I just wanted to go there and do my best, but you never know what the golfing gods will give you, brilliant one day, crappy the next, so we got the good side of it,” Paul said.
Pro-am tournaments are very different to typical golf events, combining the scores of one professional with those of three amateurs to reach a group total.
The Ivany brothers and Johnson finished with a score of 55, 17 under par to top the leaderboard.
“He was very encouraging and just really relaxed on the course,” Paul said of five-time PGA winner Johnson.
“Hitting balls with him was great, but then Tiger Woods and Fred Couples would come past you and play their shots. It was quite amazing.”
The pro-am was a warm-up event for this year’s Australian Open, which was won by Greg Chalmers, who was supposed to be in the Ivanys’ group last year.
With the President’s Cup taking place in Melbourne this week, there were plenty of stars involved in the lead-up tournament.
But some celebrities competed as amateur players as well, the likes of The Footy Show host Sam Newman and former Wallaby and St George star Wendell Sailor also getting in on the action.
“There were big names out there with Woods, Couples, Adam Scott, John Daly and many more,” Paul said.
“There were crowds there as well following the stars. We were standing on the first tee and there were at least 300 people there watching us.”
They didn’t come away empty handed either, both winning Strixon golf bags, but as Paul said, “The biggest achievement is actually the unlimited bragging rights we now have.”
The event was the biggest they have competed in, usually playing in lesser tournaments at Cranbourne and with the Maccabi Golf Club. But with Peter on the board of Events New South Wales, the two were guaranteed entry.
“It was great to be there with Peter, he got us into the event. Whether we end on a high this year or go again next year, we don’t know,” Paul said.
Regardless, the brothers’ achievements will go down as one of the best of any Jewish golfers in Australia.
ASHLEY SHENKER
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