Boland too strong at Aussie Stroke Play

BY Liz White | Australian Ladies Amateur Tour | 2009 Australian Women's Amateur | Strokeplay Wrap | 21 Mar 2009

Julia Boland has added to her rapidly growing list of victories taking out the Australian Stroke Play Championship at Brisbane Golf Club today.

Playing on a course she had not seen until earlier this week, Boland was just too consistent, posting rounds of 70, 73, 72 and 75 to finish on 2 over 290, three shots ahead of South Australia’s Ebony Heard.

“I am pumped, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet, but I think I’m pumped,” she laughed.

The Australian Stroke Play is Boland’s third major title in three months and the 23 year-old is at a loss to explain why.

“I don’t know, maybe because I’ve finished uni and I can give golf more attention and the course was maybe set up to favour me more I think,” she said.

“I have just been trying to play as good as I can in whatever situation I am in, I guess.”

Despite shooting a three over round of 75 today, her only above par score for the tournament, Boland was pleased with her performance.

“When I walked on this course a few days ago, I thought 75 was about par,” she said.

“There are par fives which I can’t reach in two.

“There is only one hole where you have got wedge in your hand. I think I maybe had wedge in my hand four times this week.

“I have had four irons into par fours, it’s been really tough.”

Boland started the day with a three shot lead over Ebony Heard, a gap the South Australian was unable to narrow today. A round of 75 gave Heard a runner-up finish with a four round total of 5 over 293.

“I just played my own game today I wasn’t worried about Julie or anyone else,” she said.

“I was really happy, my tee shots were a lot better today.”

Heard’s game has been a revelation since she returned to the sport after an enforced six month break. Just four weeks ago she was runner up to Boland at the Victorian Stroke Play.

“I have completely changed everything. I used to put so much pressure on myself,” she said.

“I have been taking each hole as it comes all week.

“I was actually really happy with the way did all that this week because I have a bit of trouble with that normally.

“I am actually really happy to finish second. Julia puts a lot of work into her golf and she deserves her success.”

The 22-year-old believes her game is slowly coming together, as evidenced by her course record 5 under 67 at the Victorian Stroke and her solid performance this week.

“I am not too sure why. I am not doing anything different, but probably the way I am a lot more relaxed out on the course now and if I have a bad hole I don’t get down and out, I just keep going.

“Also, I am a lot more consistent than I used to be.

“I could never string four rounds together whereas the last few tournaments I have and it’s been great.”

While Boland and Heard were able to hold their rounds together in today’s blustery windy conditions, their playing partner Stacey Keating struggled.

Australia’s number one ranked amateur faltered with a final round of 7 over 79 to slip down to 9th place.

Queensland’s Bree Arthur, New Zealand’s Zoe Brake and Taipei’s Pei-Ying Tsai shared equal third with a four round total of 6 over 294.

Sharing equal sixth on 295 was NSW’s Justine Lee and Japan’s Saki Suzuki. Lee has shown she is one to watch after finishing leading amateur at the Australian Open last month and today storming home with the only sub par round of the day, a 1 under 71.

The baby of last year’s successful NSW Gladys Hays Team, Lee may well be the dark horse when the Australian Amateur starts at Royal Queensland on Monday.

And as the tournament kicks off, spare a thought for Ainil Johani Abu Bakar. After finishing equal 31st in the Australian stroke play today with three other girls, the Malaysian had to survive a four-way playoff for the final two spots in the 32-player match play field.

After such an epic battle, Abu Bakar then received the news that she is seeded to play the white-hot Boland in the first round on Monday.

In such scintillating form, Boland admits there is now pressure to go back to back and win the Australian Amateur Match Play final on Wednesday.

“I think there is but I think you put the pressure on yourself,” she said.

“I hope that I address it as one match at a time and anything can happen in match play.

“I would love to make the final but I will take Monday morning’s game as seriously as I will be taking Wednesday’s, if I am fortunate enough to get there.

“It would be great to do both.”