Ninyette leads Mandurah Open
BY Anthony Powter | Australian Mens Amateur Tour | 2009 Mandurah Easter Amateur Championship | Round One | 11 Apr 2009
Brody Ninyette from Joondalup Country Club in Western Australia fired an opening 6-under-par, 66, to lead the Mandurah Easter Amateur by a stroke over Jin Jeong.
Queensland’s Tim Hart is in outright 3rd at 4-under-par, whilst Western Australian Amateur champion, Jason Scrivener is four off the pace after opening with a 2-under-par, 70.
Ninyette finished a respectable 6th at the Lake Macquarie Amateur back in January and was the leading amateur at the 2008 Nedlands Masters.
The 21-year-old has featured as a State Representative for Western Australia ove the last two years and is yet to claim a National Trial event although in 2005, Ninyette won the Western Australian Junior title.
Ninyette’s best career finish at a National Trial event was a 4th at the Dunes Medal last December and he made the quarter-finals last week at the Western Australian Amateur only to be defeated 2&1 by eventual winner, Jason Scrivener.
Scrivener was less than impressed with his two-under-par opening round today at Mandurah Country Club, his home course.
“I could not of shot any more out there,” he said.
“The course is set up to be tough, but fair, and there’s a low number to be had out there. My form is still there from last weekend and I felt a little frustrated with the way I played and felt my score should have been a lot lower.”
With five players, including Daniel Nisbet and Michael Smyth, with Scrivener in seventh place and four strokes from Ninyette, the Mandurah Easter Amateur remains a tight affair.
Matt Jager is moving himself into contention, opening with a 3-under-par 69 to be 4-under-par and tied fourth with John Martino, finalist last week against Scrivener at the Western Australian Amateur. Ashley Umbers, who played well at the NEC Masters of the Amateurs back in January making the final group along with Rickie Fowler and Mark Anderson, is with Jager and Martino a stroke behind Hart.
Jager was runner-up in this event last year to Matt Griffin and is seeking to reclaim the form that had him Australia’s top ranked world amateur for the best part of 2008.
The cut will come in with the top 70 plus ties following tomorrow’s second round, with final 36 holes being played on Monday.
Past winners of the Mandurah Easter Amateur Open include Geoff Ogilvy (1998), Jarrod Moseley (1994, 1996), Marcus Fraser (2001), James Nitties (2004) and Matt Griffin (2008).
