Beaufils, Jeong & Smyth start at Monroe
BY Anthony Powter | US Mens Amateur Tour | 2009 Monroe Invitational Championship | Preview | 16 Jun 2009
Ray Beaufils, Jin Jeong and Michael Smyth are the only Australians competing in this week at the Monroe Invitational in Pittsford, New York.
Last year Beaufils was the top Australian performer at Monroe, finishing a creditable T11 at 4-over-par, with rounds of 73-71-68-72. American Phillip Mollica fired a 6-under-par four round total to claim the championship with a six-stroke victory from fellow countrymen Chris Gold and Christopher Deforest.
Beaufils only recently made his return to top flight amateur golf after a six month layoff where he focussed on completing his studies. At last week’s Sunnehanna Amateur, Beaufils finished in a tie for 35th in his first real hit out since returning to competitive golf.
On three occasions back in Australia Beaufils has had runner-up finishes in the 2006 Queensland Amateur Championship, the 2006 Keperra Bowl and 2006 Gary Player Classic. Beaufils has returned to competitive golf with vigour and is due for a win.
Michael Smyth, winner of the New South Wales Amateur earlier this year, will be seeking to improve on his opening US campaign at Sunnehanna where a closing round 79 pushed him well down the leaderboard. Smyth headed to US this season with some impressive Australian summer results, that included five top-10 finishes at National Trial events.
In a sign of things to come the Australian presence will be lesser than in previous years this season in the US. This is unfortunate, as traditionally Australians have competed well in the main US amateur tournaments.
Matt Griffin won the 2008 Rice Planters after a year earlier where Michael Foster won there in 2007, as did Tristian Lambert in 2005.
In 2005, Michael Sim won this event as well as the Sunnehanna Amateur. A few years earlier in 2004, Aron Price collected the Rice Planters Amateur and the prestigious Players Amateur in 2004. Price was also twice medallist at the Western Amateur in 2003 and 2004. These are just some of the results by Australians in main amateur events in recent times in the US.
Results like these will be hard to come with the apparent level of commitment this season by Australian authorities towards sending our players overseas. Whilst financial issues would undoubtedly have been the main deterrent regarding this decision, the development and future of Australian golf needs and requires such investment.
Irrespective of the position back in Australia, this week’s tournament will shape up to be another interesting contest with Phillip Mollica returning to defend his title. American Nathan Smith is the highest ranked player competing in the field, with the world number 27 coming off at tie 4th placed finish at Sunnehanna last week.
Smith is supported by 2008 Northeast Amateur and world number 36, Brendan Gielow, who also had a top-10 finish last week in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
The Monroe Invitational Championship has an impressive history. First played in 1937, previous top names to have competed here include Chris DiMarco (1988), Jeff Sulman (1981), Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods and Charles Howell III.
