Two-time Australian Open leading amateur James Nitties will start as favourite to claim the Australian Amateur Championship when it commences at Royal Adelaide Golf Club and Glenelg Golf Club on Thursday.

Nitties, 21, from Charlestown Golf Club in Newcastle, has recorded myriad strong performances in recent times (including winning the 2003 New Zealand Amateur crown and a semi-final finish at the Australian Amateur in 2002) but it was his performance alongside Robert Allenby in the final pairing of last year's Australian Masters that caught the eye of the golf media & public. Nitties ultimately finished in a tie for 8th at Huntingdale and then continued his form two weeks later at Moonah Links where he secured Leading Amateur honours at the Australian Open (tied 30th overall).

Other Australians expected to perform strongly in Adelaide
* 2004 Riversdale Cup winner and 2002 Australian Amateur runner-up Michael Sim (19 years of age and a member of Western Australia's Joondalup Country Club).
* 2003 & 2004 Lake Macquarie Amateur champion, Jarrod Lyle (22, Shepparton Golf Club, Victoria).
* 2002 Victorian Amateur champion Luke Hickmott (22, Southern Golf Club, Victoria).
* 2003 Indooroopilly Jug winner Andrew McKenzie (21, Federal Golf Club, Australian Capital Territory).
* Royal Adelaide and National Squad member Henry Perks (21) – a quarter-finalist at last year's Australian Amateur in Perth.
* The winner of the 2002 and 2003 SAGA Invitationals (the national selection trial held at Royal Adelaide), Robin Hodgetts (27, Mowbray Golf Club, Tasmania).
* The reigning Amateur champion of New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, Gavin Flint (22, Virginia Golf Club, Queensland).

Whilst players will travel from Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and the United States of America, (in addition to all of the Australian states and territories) to compete in Adelaide, the internationals most likely to mount a challenge are:
* 2003 Australian Amateur runner-up, and the winner of the 2003 North and South Island championships of New Zealand, Bradley Iles (20, Manor Park Golf Club, New Zealand).
* The winner of the 2003 USA NCAA II Championship and also three other events in the USA last year, plus quarter-final finishes at both the 2003 British and Scottish Amateur championships, Andrew McArthur (24, Windyhill Golf Club, Scotland).

After an Adelaide record of 302 entries was received, a capacity-field of 276 players (the handicap ballot mark was 2.7) will start the first two rounds of stroke play qualifying this Thursday and Friday (18 and 19 March) at Royal Adelaide and Glenelg. There will then be a cut, with the leading 100 players and ties progressing to round 3 (Saturday at Glenelg). Round 4 will be played at Royal Adelaide on Sunday. The leading 32 players will then decide the championship over five rounds of elimination match play at Royal Adelaide from Monday 22 to Wednesday 24 March (with only the final being played over 36 holes).

The Australian Amateur champion will receive a three-year exemption into the field for the Australian Open.

Other points of interest
* The last Australian Amateur final to be played at Royal Adelaide was in 1992 when Michael Campbell defeated Jarrod Moseley.
* Glenelg has also hosted an Australian Amateur final – in 1986 when David Ecob outlasted Lester Peterson. Peterson will contest this year's championship.
* This will be the 99th staging of the Australian Amateur Championship.
* The last champion to win multiple titles was Doug Bachli (1948 & 1962).
* Since 1952 there have been 52 different champions.
* Three golfers have won the title four times - H A Howden (1896-98, 1901), the Honourable Michael Scott (1905, 07, 09-10) and Jim Ferrier (1935-36, 38-39).
* Previous winners now in the professional ranks include Bruce Devlin (1959), Bob Shearer (1969), Terry Gale (1974), Mike Clayton (1978), Wayne Smith (1983), Chris Gray (1990), Lucas Parsons (1991), Michael Campbell (1992), Greg Chalmers (1993), Warren Bennett (1994), Mathew Goggin (1995), David Gleeson (1996), Kim Felton (1997), Brett Rumford (1998), Brendan Jones (1999), Brad Lamb (2000), Andrew Buckle (2001), Kurt Barnes (2002), and Jack Doherty (2003). The late Roger Mackay was also an Australian Amateur champion (1980).

Source - AGU

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