Beckmann fires at Southern Am
BY Anthony Powter | US Mens Amateur Tour | 2010 Southern Amateur Championship | Round One | 15 Jul 2010
Daniel Beckmann fired a 4-under-par, 68, at the Southern Amateur Championship to be in a tie for 4th position, three strokes from first round leader, Taiwan’s Cheng Tsung Pan, at Shoal Creek Golf Club in Alabama.
Beckmann, a dual national trial winner with the 2009 Mandurah Easter Amateur and the 2007 Federal Amateur, carded five birdies and a single bogey in his first round, opening with a 2-under-par front nine and closing with another 2-under-par back nine to be the best of the Aussies with fellow Victorian, Luke Bleumink, currently in a tie for 14th position after opening with a 2-under-par, 70.
Today’s opening round was Beckmann’s best since arriving in the US and showed promising signs the world number 46 is finding his straps here.
“I played very solid today,” said Beckmann, 22.
“I just need to play the par 5’s a little better and it could have been a really good score. It’s very hot and humid here so trying to stay hydrated is definitely a challenge. I was very happy with my opening round and hope to back it up with another good one tomorrow.”
Beckmann last week at The Players Amateur finished a respectable 29th in one of stronger amateur fields to compete this season. After opening slowly at The Players, Beckmann fired closing rounds of 69-71 with his third round the second lowest for the day.
Tim Hart has again opened well at a main US amateur event firing a 1-under-par 71 to be in a tie for 24th position along with Kieran Pratt. Hart’s campaign in the US has showed signs of promise with a top-10 finish last week at The Players Amateur and a top-20 result at the Northeast Amateur.
Jordan Sherratt, Jason Scrivener, Bryden Macpherson and Ryan McCarthy are currently in a tie for 47th position after opening at Shoal Creek with a even-par round of 72, with Kalem Richardson at plus-1. Brendan Smith will have to make his move to survive the Friday’s cut mark, with Smith firing an uncharacteristic opening round of 84.
The field boasts six of the top-10 players in the national college or world amateur rankings, including No 1 Russell Henley, top-amateur at the US Open, Alabama’s Bud Cauley, ranked 5th in the world and runner-up to Jordan Sherratt at the Master of the Amateurs and two-time US Mid-Amateur champion Nathan Smith.
Bobby Jones won it three times (1917,1920, 1922) before becoming a legend of the game. Several two-time winners of the Southern Amateur have made it onto the PGA Tour, including Fred Haas, Lanny Wadkins, Ben Crenshaw, Justin Leonard and Webb Simpson.
A field of 168 golfers will challenge the Shoal Creek layout with a 36 hole cut with the low 66 scorers and ties progressing to the final two rounds. The Southern Amateur winner gets a spot in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill
