Nisbet victorious at SA Amateur Classic

BY Anthony Powter | Australian Mens Amateur Tour | 2009 Golf SA Amateur Classic | Round Four | 19 Apr 2009

Daniel Nisbet has cruised to a wire-to-wire victory at the 2009 Golf SA Amateur Classic to claim his maiden National Trial event title.

The talented Queenslander never looked like losing after a solid opening round at Royal Adelaide of 5-under-par, 68.

The 18-year-old held the lead with subsequent rounds 70-70 to be at 11-under-par after three days and went into today’s final round, three strokes ahead of Bryden Macpherson.

Daniel Nisbet Audio Interview

Nisbet’s game was sound and unlike the majority of the field, he’d kept is mistakes to a minimum.

A finishing 2-under-par, 71, in another mistake free round handed Nisbet his first National Trial event title with a 13-under total and a three stroke win over nearest rival, Bryden Macpherson.

“I’m stoked with this,” said a relieved Nisbet.

Earlier in the week Nisbet commented that his goal was to record four sub-par rounds at Royal Adelaide. Should a win follow, he’d consider it a bonus.

“It’s a good feeling actually. I’ve been trying really hard to win one of these [National Trial event] since been selected into the National Squad and it’s finally good to have four rounds together and actually come out on top.”

The win at Royal Adelaide adds to Nisbet’s ever expanding list of tournaments, which included a stellar junior career. The list of achievements already reflective of Nisbet’s prodigious talent.

With wins including the 2008 Australian Junior Championship, the Gary Player Classic, Jack Newton International, Tasmanian Junior, the Aaron Baddeley World Final in China and a twice winner of the Australian Junior Order of Merit, Nisbet’s progression to the main amateur stage should be nothing more than a formality for a player of such talent.

Nisbet is at the next phase of his development as a player and today’s win has proved to him that he can take his game to the next level in major amateur golf.

“This might not be one of the biggest titles that I’ve won,” he said. “Yet for me personally it’s one of the biggest as it’s something that I’ve been working hard to win and just to put four under-par rounds is a real confidence booster for me.”

These next twelve months present a stern test for Nisbet. With a schedule that has him playing top amateur events in the UK and the US starting in May with the Scottish Links Trophy, Nisbet finds himself currently on the doorstep of world amateur golf.

Nisbet knows that to get to that next level that he needs to establish his position on the international amateur stage quickly and improve from his current world amateur ranking of 129.

That will come from playing the main UK and US tour events later in the year, in what is Nisbet’s first real season outside the junior arena.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he says.

“My goal is to try an feature well overseas and like I said earlier to keep putting four sub-par rounds into a tournament. That’s what I’m currently working on at the moment and it worked well this week here in Adelaide.”

Bryden Macpherson fired a closing 2-under-par round of 71 to finish three strokes behind Nisbet at 10-under in outright second, whilst Lachlan Cain was third at 5-under.

Following today’s victory, Nisbet finds himself amongst former champions of the South Australian tournament, who include Stuart Appleby (1992), Paul Sheehan (1997), Brett Rumford (1996), Greg Chalmers (1994) and more recently, Rick Kulacz (2005 & 2007).