Bond University’s rising golf star James Goffman has pulled off the biggest win of his career at the Fiji Open in Suva.
The Royal Queensland amateur shot rounds of 73-69-71 to finish at 3-under to win against a field of professionals and collect a prize purse of $10,000 tournament.
He was a runaway leader of the amateur field, finishing 14 shots clear of his nearest rival.
“This is a special one, my first professional win as an amateur,” he said.
“I wrote to the organisers a while ago asking for an invite and they gave me the last international spot.
“I went there hoping to win the amateur event, I never really dreamed I could win the whole thing, as an amateur that pretty much never happens.
“Fiji will be a special place for me now.”
Goffman, who finished 9th on the Australian National Order of Merit for open men, was the clubhouse leader by two shots after the opening two rounds before losing the lead on the front nine of the final round.
However, the Bond University Bachelor of International Relations student recovered with three birdies on the back nine to set up the win.
There was a hiccup on the final hole when he missed his drive, putting the ball about a metre from the edge of a waterway where a palm tree stood between him and the flag.
But a nicely shaped wedge shot put him on the green where he two putted for par.
The 21-year-old is in a rich vein of form having claimed a sudden death play-off victory in the Northern Territory Classic in August.
And he was the final Aussie standing when he was in the round of 16 match play at the New Zealand Amateur in Aukland.
Last year Goffman shot to prominence when he won the Alice Springs Open with a bogey-free course record final round of 63 to record a whopping 13-stroke victory – his first nationally ranked win.
The Bond Elite Sports Program golfer gained a world ranking for the first-time last year with professional wins in Darwin Open and the Tasmanian Amateur strokeplay as well as the Alice Springs Open .
He is attempting to juggle the final year of his studies with an expanded playing schedule that now includes international events.
“I’m really thankful for the support I get from Bond University to combine my studies with my ambitions to turn professional and compete on tour with the world’s best,” he said.