Kieran Pratt: Dominating The Amateurs
BY Anthony Powter | 21 Dec 2009
With three wins in as many starts, Kieran Pratt is making a name for himself on the Australian Amateur scene. Earlier in the month Pratt won The Dunes Medal to collect his maiden National Trial event title and has followed that with wins last week at the Victorian Medal and the Victorian Amateur Championship.
These victories have been in the making for some time for the 21-year-old, who was runner-up at the 2007 Victorian Amateur to Leighton Lyle and at the 2008 Riversdale Cup, where Pratt pushed eventual winner, Scott Arnold, to the wire at Riversdale.
Last March at the Australian Amateur Championship, Pratt also made it through to the quarter-finals to have his progression at the championship cut short by eventual winner, Scott Arnold, 2&1.
Pratt knew at the time his game had the edge to compete and win major amateur events, just that he’d came up short, with chances of victory slipping from his grasp after been so close on numerous occasions. Victory at The Dunes changed that for Pratt and it has been for the better.
“I kind of felt the win at The Dunes Medal got the monkey off my back,” said Pratt following his win earlier in the month on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
“In a number of events before I’ve managed to contest seriously and got myself into position to win, only to just come up short. To finally get a win under your belt is a fantastic thing.”
Pratt for the last twelve months has been working hard on his game through the Victorian Institute of Sport, a program which he attributes his recent run of form towards.
“The discipline and training you get from participating in programs like the VIS is great,” says Pratt.
“I’ve learnt more how to manage my game around the course and my short game has improved tremendously. The last few months with my results that I’ve achieved, I could not have asked for a better finish to the year.”
At last week’s Victorian Amateur Championship, Pratt was dominating winning the Victorian Medal by a stroke over Luke Bleumink, after closing with a 5-under-par, 67. Pratt entered the match-pay draw of the Victorian Amateur as the top seed and took the championship title proper with a 3&1 win over Tim Hart in last Wednesday’s final at Kingston Heath.
“I’m just focusing upon trying to win all these main amateur events,” says Pratt.
“Leading into the next couple of months I some big events to play, including some professional events like the Victorian Open and the Victorian PGA, so I’ll be aiming to hopefully get some good result there.”
With a world amateur ranking climbing steadily that has Pratt currently ranked 45th, Pratt is aware that he needs to take his game to the next level and compete internationally.
“To head over next year to play the US events is something I really want to do,” says Pratt.
“Winning events like the Victorian Amateur and The Dunes Medal obviously adds to your resume and hopefully that will get me some invites in the US. The US is all a bit uncertain at the moment for me and winning more events in Australia this season will only help my chances, both with US tournaments and national team selection.”
Pratt’s three wins from as many starts has set the season’s benchmark and in the process Pratt has confirmed his rightful position as one of Australia’s rising amateur players.
He’s young, athletic and already possess a school of discipline equal to any seasoned sporting professional. Pratt’s timing could also not have been better with the Australian Amateur schedule gaining full momentum in mid January and he’ll certainly be a player to follow as he continues to go for those sought after titles.
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