In the W.S Cox Plate of 1986, Our Waverley Star and Bonecrusher fought a two-horse war down the short straight at Moonee Valley; it was a barnstorming, barn-burning finish and one of the great races in Australian thoroughbred racing history.

See it: at the 600-metre post of the 2040m journey, the two Kiwi animals cleared out from the rest of the field and went head-to-bobbing-head to the line, striving and straining, jockeys going hammers and tongs, the race-caller just about leaping out of his seat.

Ultimately, Bonecrusher got up, and they called it “Race of the Century”. And the old lags still talk about it today.

The finish of the women’s Australian Open at Kingston Heath was not like that. It was more like The Wacky Races; even if it did dish up a very worthy champion.

On the first tee we were introduced to three major champions – Hannah Green, Jiyai Shin and Ashleigh Buhai – who were presented with warm and sunny conditions that brought to mind the mantra: “In the breeze, swing with ease.”

Or, in this case, the lesser-known mantra: “In a 50-kilometre nor-wester from the Hay Plain, do your very best.”

Jiyai Shin tees off in the final round of the Australian Open at Kingston Heath. PHOTO: Getty Images.

It was a three-club wind, gusting and buffeting, nearly a buster. And yet, how Green, Shin and Buhai swung their golf clubs could be in the training manual for said conditions.

The three players all found the basin in front of the par-5 in two shots - though only Shin got up and down for birdie.

The second was also downwind, yet three pars were hard won and in different ways; Green with a long bomb par-putt that earned healthy cheers from the good thick gallery.

Into the breeze on three and there were three easy, beautiful swings – the tempo, rhythm, purity of ball-striking; it was all very good - even if Buhai’s ball sliced out into the ti-tree.

She got some luck, though, nipped her ball out into the front trap, before wafting it out close for an up-and-down sand-save.

Jiyai Shin punches out of danger on the fourth hole at Kingston Heath. It would win her the tournament. PHOTO: Getty Images.

It was imperious, brilliant golf. But then what wouild you expect? Buhia won our national open twice. She won the British Open at Muirfield in 2022.

Shin, too, is no mug. She won the British Open twice (in 2008 and 2012) and the Australian Open at Royal Canberra in 2013. 

She has the build of former Footscray rover Tony Liberatore. She picks the club up oddly brings it down on the ball in punchy fashion.

And it seems to work. Yet if men are from Mars and women from Venus, Shin’s golf shot on the fourth hole at Kingston Heath was from one of Neptune’s satellite moons.

 

 

See it: after tugging her driver left into a white-sanded waste area, Shin was faced with perhaps 80 metres to the flag, with a backswing restricted by bush.

She gripped down on a mid-iron, punched out, set it free, and watched it roll and roll and roll, and drop in for eagle-two.

What a shot. She didn't know how she did it, and sort of waved to the crowd, as if to say: nothing to do with me.

When Green made bogey, Shin led by five shots. Then she birdied five and led by six.

When Green bogied six, hooked wildly and made double-bogey on seven, and bogied nine, you didn't want to say it was over.

But it was over.

Hannah Green won't remember her final round at Kingston Heath with fondness. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Green did her best to maintain an outward visage of just-playing-golf-nothing-to-see-here. But even behind dark shades, you could feel her disappointment. 

Green would sign off for 79 while Buhai hung on and nearly made it interesting on 18 with a hybrid approach (below) that didn't get above knee-height for all of its 200-metre journey, and end 20-feet pin-high.

But her birdie putt slid by and Shin made par, and the Patricia Bridges Bowl is off to Korea.