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Griffin glorious in Korea;
looks ahead to Fiji
A
ustralia’s Matt Griffin continued
his love affair with Korea, claiming
his third win in the country at last
month’s Korean PGA Championship.
The talented Victorian overcame a strong
field at Sky72 Golf Club, near Incheon, via
bogey-free rounds on the opening 36 holes,
followed by back-to-back 66s at the weekend
for a 20-under total of 268 and a three-stroke
advantage over Moon Kyong-jun.
The victory earned Griffin a tidy 200,000,000
Korean won (approximately A$207,000), and
represents his third win in Korea, including
victory at the 2012 High1 Resort Open and
the 2013 SK Telecom Open. Both wins were
on OneAsia, the latter helping him to the
number one spot on the OneAsia Order of
Merit.
Following the win, Griffin announced that
he will return to Natadola Bay Championship
Golf Course, the place that helped launch his
career, for the inaugural Fiji International
from 14-17 August.
Griffin won the 2009 Fiji Open and will
return to the challenging course with fond
memories.
“Being a previous winner gives me a big
advantage heading into the tournament,”
said Griffin.
“I have played the course a number of times
and feel confident around the testing layout.
Given the strong winds expected having
previous knowledge will be a big advantage.”
Now a more experienced player, Griffin will
Matt Griffin (Photo: Korean Tour)
be one of the favourites to win the inaugural
Fiji International.
“I have continued to develop under my
coach Denis McDade and I feel my game is a
lot more consistent than it was back in 2009,”
added Griffin.
“In 2009 I missed a lot of cuts and only
played well occasionally whereas now I feel I
give myself more chances to win.”
With Major winners Vijay Singh and Nick
Price as well as Indian rising star Anirban
Lahiri also in the field Griffin acknowledges
that the competition will be fierce.
“But there are a number of great players
playing the Fiji International and many that
can take the prize come Sunday.”
“I have