Iles again shows form at Australian Amateur Championship

BY Bruce Young | Australian Mens Amateur Tour | 2004 Australian Amateur Championship | Wrap | 21 Mar 2004

20-year-old New Zealander Bradley Iles, has today finished at the head of the field at the 72 hole stroke play qualifying for the Australian Amateur Championship.

The event has been played over both the Glenelg Golf Club’s course and the Royal Adelaide Golf Club’s layout in southern Suburbs of Adelaide, with today’s final round being played at Royal Adelaide.

Iles, who finished runner up in the Australian Amateur Championship last year when beaten in the final by Scotland’s Jack Doherty, took the lead in this week’s qualifying from his opening round of 66 and was never headed. His final round of 72 was good enough to see him home by four shots over two local golfers in Adam Bland (Royal Adelaide) and Brad Smith (Kooyonga) with Victorian, Jarrod Lyle, one further back in fourth on his own.

Iles plays his fellow countryman Mark Smith in the opening round of match play tomorrow. Smith had to survive a five man playoff for three spots before claiming his place in the match play at the fourth extra hole. That was the good news, the bad is that he plays the in form Iles in round one.

Iles has had a good twelve months in the game although of interest now will be the outcome of recent upheaval at the New Zealand Golf Association where Iles coach and the recently resigned National Coach, Mal Tongue, is no longer in charge of the National Squad in New Zealand.

Iles was a member of the Southern Cross winning team in South Africa late last year, is a member of the Manor Park Golf Club in Wellington and is now regarded as the best amateur in his homeland.

Other notables to make the field for the match play are National Squad members, James Nitties, Andrew Dodt, Robin Hodgetts, Henry Perks, Mitchell Brown and Gavin Flint. The biggest surprises, amongst those who missed, being British Amateur Champion Andrew McArthur, Australian representative Michael Sim who both missed by a shot, last year’s beaten semi-finalist Anthony Still and National Squad member, Luke Hickmott, who lost a playoff for one of the last spots.

Pre-tournament favourite Nitties plays Victorian Marc Leishman in round one. Queenslander Gavin Flint who currently holds the Queensland, Victorian and New South Wales titles, will be looking to add to those when he takes on South Australian Peter Cooke in tomorrow’s first round.

The event finishes with the 36-hole final on Wednesday.