Top ANZ field lines up for British Am

BY Anthony Powter | World Amateur Mens Tour | 2010 British Amateur Championship | Preview | 13 Jun 2010

This British Amateur Championship commences tomorrow at Muirfield and North Berwick golf clubs  with one of the strongest international fields ever assembled as players from the USA, Europe, South Africa and Australasia compete against Europe’s best for the coveted title.

In its 125 year history, the British Amateur has evaded Australian hands for the last 56 years. Hopefully things will change this week at Muirfield and North Berwick golf clubs when six Australians start the tournament.

Bryden Macpherson, Kieran Pratt, Matt Jager, Jason Scrivener, Jordan Zunic and Jin Jeong, along with two New Zealander’s, Ben Campbell and Matthew Perry are confirmed starters in the field.

Douglas Bachli was the last Australian to claim the title in 1954 at Muirfield. Jim Ferrier in 1936 was defeated in the final and more recently Tim Stewart in 2007 went down to Drew Weaver at Royal Lytham & St Annes, 2&1. At last year’s championship at Formby, Matt Jager was the best of the Aussies making it through to the third round of the match-play, before being pipped by England’s John Carroll on the 20th hole.

Along with Jager, this will also be Scrivener’s and Macpherson’s second consecutive British Amateur, with Macpherson now a Freshman at the University of Georgia, majoring in Arts and Sciences, where the Melbourne native has been based since January.

“I’m feeling great,” says Macpherson after arriving in the UK this week from his US base.

“I’m hitting it solid and my short game has improved out of sight in the last six months since being based at Georgia and working under their program. The experience has been invaluable and I’m putting it well and my stroke feels really good.”

Like many here in Muirfield, they know this championship is more about survival and minimising mistakes during the opening stroke rounds. Make the 64 and progress to the match-play segment and anything might happen. The mental side to approaching a major amateur event like the British Amateur also should never be underestimated. A slight distractions on the course during the opening stroke rounds is surely to be punished.

Macpherson appreciates this and plans to have a strategy of keeping focused and slotting into the right frame of mind when play gets under way tomorrow.

“I just need to get my head in the right spot and have some things go my way and it should be a great week,” he says.

Macpherson’s game and recent experiences under the US collegiate system should see the 2009 Australian Amateur Stroke Champion do well this week as he goes after his second international title to add to his 2009 New Zealand Amateur Stroke title win.

Jin Jeong is another that also should play well this week.

Despite a disappointing result at St Andrews a week ago, Jeong since arriving in the UK has worked hard on this game to adapt to the variances of links golf. That’s taken Jeong some time, yet he’s feeling more confident as to where his game is heading.

“It was very different from Australia,” says the world number 7.

“It was ok with the wind, but I was struggling around the greens. I couldn’t use normal chip shots around greens, but this week I’ve worked hard on my short game and are looking forward to the challenge with playing my first British Amateur.”

With two national trial event wins this Australian season with the Tasmanian Open and Riversdale Cup and two runner-up finishes with the Australian Amateur Medal and at the Keperra Bowl, Jeong is a constant threat in any event he enters, be that locally or abroad. Despite his lack of experience in the UK, Jeong, who made the cut in two Asian Tour events this season, has the game to win an event like the British Amateur.

Australia’s highest ranked golfer, Matt Jager, comes off a stellar 2010 Australian Summer season as the first player since 1991 to win both the Australian and New Zealand Amateur Championships.

Jager’s long hitting and steely resolve when in the heat of match-play will certainly serve him well this week. Despite not making the cut at the St Andrews Links Trophy, Jager’s experience in the bigger events should never be underestimated and should the world number 6 make it through to the top-64 this Wednesday, I strongly favour Jager’s chances in this championship.

“I’ve been working on getting my ball flight lower and making a few changes to my swing,” says the 21-year-old Jager.

“Those changes are now starting to feel more comfortable. The short game is in great touch, so I’m looking forward to the fortnight ahead.”

The highest-ranked player in the field is the USA’s Jonathan Randolph at 4th in the world. Randolph leads a strong American contingent of 25 players at Muirfield and North Berwick, all hoping to emulate fellow American Drew Weaver’s championship win over Tim Stewart back in 2007.

UK players to watch include England’s Tommy Fleetwood, Welshman Rhys Enoch, Alan Dunbar of Northern Ireland and Scots, James Byrne and David Law.

Fleetwood lost to Dutchman Reinier Saxton in the final of the 2008 Amateur Championship at Turnberry and reached the quarter-finals at Formby last year.

The Englishman recently toured Australia where he finished runner-up to Jake Higginbottom at the New South Wales Amateur Championship and secured a top-5 finish at the Lake Macquarie Amateur.

Winless this season despite being a finalist at the Spanish International Amateur, Fleetwood will be seeking to emulate his win at the 2009 Scottish Amateur, where the world number 8 blew away the field with an eight stroke winning margin in the process of securing the tournament record at 16-under. The Englishman is certainly a player to follow during these championships and should Fleetwood make the match-play draw, like Jager, he’ll take some stopping.

The 115th British Amateur Championship will take place at Muirfield and North Berwick golf clubs from 14-19 June 2010. 288 players will play two rounds of stroke-play, one each at Muirfield and North Berwick, before 64 players and ties progress to the match-play rounds beginning on Wednesday at Muirfield Golf Club. The 36-hole championship final will be played Saturday 19 June 2010 at Muirfield.

Italy’s Matteo Manassero defeated England’s Sam Hutsby in the championship final last year at Formby. Manassero has since turned professional and will not be defending his title this week at Muirfield.

A place at the 2010 Open Championship and the 2011 Masters Tournament are on offer for the 2010 British Amateur Champion.