AU alum Antcliff finishes second in European Tour event on Canary Islands
By Chris Rickerson | Sports writer
After a slow start, Augusta University alumnus Maverick Antcliff found his groove to finish in second place at the Canary Islands Championship on Sunday, May 9.
The European Tour tournament started on Thursday, May 6, taking place at the Golf Costa Adeje in Tenerife, the Canary Islands (which is part of Spain).
Antcliff started out a little slow on the first day, shooting a 71, but fought back strong the last three days, finishing the tournament with a solid performance of 21 under par. In rounds two through four, Antcliff shot two rounds of 64 and a final round of 65.
“I was pleased with my putting,” Antcliff said Saturday after his second straight 64. “I just holed a couple of nice putts early. I got some momentum going and saw a few go in. That’s nice.”
Antcliff won €151,810 ($184,710) for his performance.
South African Garrick Higgo went on to beat Antcliff and win the championship on Sunday, shooting 27 under par.
Antcliff, the Beaudesert, Australia native, was a member of the AU men’s golf team from 2012-2016. He is one of many former AU golfers who are having successful careers at the professional level.
Since turning pro in 2016, Antcliff was dominant on the China Tour and won three tournaments and had plenty of top finishes.
In 2020, Antcliff earned his European PGA Tour card and his performance at the Canary Islands Championship marks his best performance on the European Tour. Before this, Antcliff’s best finish on the Euro Tour came back in September of last year at the Irish Open when he finished third. He had finished 19th at the Qatar Masters back in March.
The next tournament for Antcliff will be at the British Masters hosted by 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett, at The Belfry’s Brabazon Course in Wishaw, England. The event will take place May 12-15.
Contact Christopher Rickerson at crickerson@augusta.edu.
Note: In photo at the top of the page, Maverick Antcliff finished second at the Canary Islands Championship and tied 21st at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open. (photo courtesy of AU men’s golf)
