Hutsby vs Manassero in British Am Final
BY Anthony Powter | World Amateur Mens Tour | 2009 British Amateur Championship | Semi-Finals | 20 Jun 2009
England’s Sam Hutsby will meet Italy’s Matteo Manassero in the final of the British Amateur Championship being played at Formby Golf Club near Liverpool.
The 19-year-old from Liphook, Hampshire, will carry the weight of a nation on his shoulders as he attempts to become the first Englishman to reclaim their national title since Gary Wolstenholme won at Royal Troon in 2003.
Hutsby during recent years has evolved into a world class amateur since first picking up a club as an 8-year-old and winning the junior championship at Fairthorne Manor Golf Club, a parkland golf course in Southampton in the south of England, with a round of 82.
In 2007, Hutsby won the Spanish Amateur as a 17-year-old and became youngest ever to win that title since Sergio Garcia. At last year’s World Amateur Championships in Adelaide he finished 5th in the individual stroke section. This season his best result was a runner-up finish at the Spanish International Amateur.
There is, however, a world of difference between stroke play and match play golf, between taking on the field and playing the player. Hutsby can certainly attest to that.
Last year at these Championships the Englishman was the only player under par after the two qualifying rounds, but he found the match play format much harder and lost his first-round match to little know American T.J Bordeauxby, 3&2, a college golfer from Tacoma, Washington, who had never previously left his shores, let alone played links golf.
Twelve months on Hutsby a different player. The world’s number 3 packs different game, he’s more experience and as shown this week here in Liverpool, he can play match play.
Hutsby’s casualties during this Championship include Eugene Wong, 6&5, Niall Kearney, 5&4, Maximilian Kieffer, 2&1, Jurrian Van Der Vaart, 5&3, and in today’s semi-final, Stiggy Hodgson on the 21st hole.
Manassero, in contrast, was the leading qualifier in these Championships with a opening round course record 65 at West Lancashire Golf Club. At 16 years and two months, he would be the youngest winner of the British Amateur since its inception in 1885.
Manassero would also be the first Italian to triumph though Edoardo Molinari, now a European Tour player, won the US Amateur crown in 2005 when he nailed a 25-foot birdie putt at the 33rd hole for a 4&3 over the American Dillon Dougherty.
At the BMW Italian Open last month Manassero had a respectable 25th finish and his pathway to this final has been spectacular.
A second round 6&5 win over Steven Brown, followed by a 5&3 win over Joon Kim. Arguably the Italian’s toughest opponent was last year’s finalist, England’s Tommy Fleetwood, which Manassero won 2&1.
A solid 4&3 victory over Darren Renwick in today’s semi-final, has set up his encounter against Hutsby for tomorrow’s final.
