Federal Amateur: Jager's Kick Start?
BY Anthony Powter | Australian Mens Amateur Tour | 2009 Federal Amateur Open Championship | General | 02 Oct 2009
Matt Jager is the first to admit that in the last six months he has struggled at times with his game. The world number 10 and Australia’s highest ranked amateur knows he needs to bag another major amateur title and this weekend at the Federal Amateur presents the perfect opportunity to get his game back.
It was the same time last year Jager came off an amazing run of events. He won his first National Trial selection event with the 2008 Federal Amateur with a one-stroke victory over France’s Victor Dubuisson, after recovering from a four shot deficit to finished the tournament with a 4-under-par final round to be at 13-under-par. Jager had fired rounds of 72-69-66 and a final day 68 in a display of peerless golf.
In the process he claimed his second major international amateur title in as many weeks after he had literally jumped off a plane from South America from winning the Tournament of International Jockey Club of Rosario in Argentina. It was the confidence boost the young Western Australian was after and the two victories singled the start of Jager’s presence in major amateur events, both locally and on the international stage.
This April, Jager then went on to secure the New Zealand Amateur Championship title, his first National title and biggest win to date, with a 6&5 victory over South Africa’s, Nicol Van Wyk, at Titirangi Golf Club in Auckland.
Then in June during the opening round of the British Amateur Championship in Liverpool, Jager shot a course record, 66, at Formby Golf Club. He’d at the time progressed to be as high as being the world number 5.
Then for some reason the spark in his game abated.
Since being knocked out of the third round match play at the British Amateur, Jager has in his own words, “not played his best golf”. He’s open to the fact recent performances have been below his expectations and it’s been frustrating for him.
“The past few months have been a little full-on for me,” says the 21-year-old.
The last US campaign didn’t produce the results either that Jager was after. It was a campaign that promised so much early in the season, with wins in New Zealand, Australia and a runner-up finish the year before in the US at The Player’s Amateur, yet nothing really eventuated for him.
“Ever since the UK, I have not performed at my best,” he says.
“I drove the ball terrible all throughout the US tournaments and the results showed that. It was just something that happened and you need to move on from that.”
Set backs are part and parcel with golf. Jager accepts that it goes with the territory, like when American Mark Anderson denied Jager of his maiden US victory at the 2008 Players Amateur. Jager had held the lead going into the final day, but there was nothing he could do as the American’s putter was too hot to handle, as Anderson fired a blistering final round 10-under-par 60, using the flat stick on just 21 occasions.
“I’m in the right frame of mind at the moment to kick-on and play some good golf because I know the last couple of months, as well as some recent international events particularly the British Amateur, have let me down a bit,” says Jager.
This week in Canberra there are positive influences surrounding the tournament for Jager and he’s hoping that will be what he needs so as to get his game back to the level he expects.
“The Federal Amateur is a great event and I’ve a lot of positives associated with it,” remarks Jager.
“The way that I was able to win there last year is something that I was proud of. I’m looking towards returning to Canberra this week and to post a strong performance. It’s a great feeling to have and hopefully it will flow onto my game.”
Irrespective as to what unfolds at the Federal Amateur, the immediate future has plenty installed for Jager. His confidence levels remain high despite recent set backs and Jager knows he can contend in any major amateur event he enters. That confidence just comes from experience from playing the main international amateur events, both locally and abroad.
“Since the New Zealand Amateur, that’s clearly my biggest win to-day and I’ve taken a lot of confidence from that.”
The win with the New Zealand Amateur sees Jager with a start in the New Zealand Open in January, a co-sanctioned Nationwide Tour event.
It is the professional events which he is now focusing heavily upon, despite having no guarantee of playing any of the main scheduled Australian Tour events this summer, including the Australian Open. It is a departure by the governing authority, Golf Australia, from previous years where main National Squad members would get a call to the national open at the very least.
The rational for the change has confused many of our top amateurs, including Jager.
“The way they have structured the season with eligibility and gaining starts is different to pervious seasons,” remarks Jager.
“I’ve no idea if we will get a start at the Australian Open like we have in the past. I’ve got to start playing these bigger professional events, rather than just playing amateur events like I’ve done for the last couple of years. That’s how you will get your game to the next level.”
With a solid work ethic coupled with considering all the options, this should see Jager forge his way back inside the world top-5 amateur ranking. That’s his immediate goal. With Eisenhower team selection of the three-man team also on the cards in 2010, there’s plenty for Jager to aim for this Australian amateur season.
“It’s been a little sluggish for me recently.”
“I’m looking forward to playing this year in Australia and getting some results particularly in the professional events which will improve your world amateur ranking. There are a lot of good events coming up and everyone is keen to get the season off to a good start.”
The results are already there for Jager, both locally and internationally, not to mention raw talent and should history repeat itself in Canberra at the Federal Amateur Open, it will be the kick-start that Jager is after.
