Points to Prove at the Master of Ams!
BY Anthony Powter | Australian Mens Amateur Tour | 2011 Master of the Amateurs | Round Three | 13 Jan 2011
When you walk down the driveway leading into Royal Melbourne this week you confront an array of banners of past winners of the Australian Master of the Amateurs.
Previous Master of the Amateurs winners including Brendan Jones (1999), Ben Meyers (2002), Andrew Tampion, (2004) Ashley Hall (2005) and Jason Day (2006). More recently the like of Mark Anderson and Jordan Sherratt have donned the green jacket to claim the title.
This tournament will come down to a clash of the Australians against the English, throw in there a the New Zealander’s for good measure and its a potent mix of classic rivalries between nations that have bonded plenty of times in the sporting arena.
Following the third round of the Australian Master of the Amateurs, England’s Tom Lewis and Andrew Sullivan share the lead at 6-under-par along with Australian, Ryan McCarthy.
Lewis fired rounds of 72-69-69 with today’s 3-under-par round illustrated with precision placement off the tee and solid putting on the greens at Royal Melbourne and is seen as the player to beat at this tournament.
“Australia has been nice to me in the last eleven rounds,” said Lewis who was the top amateur last year at the Australian Open and runner-up to Peter O’Malley at the NSW Open at The Vintage.
“My driving is probably my strongest point in the game and now that the fairways are softer with the rain, we can hit drivers more. It’s has suited me in a way and I’ve played well.”
Lewis this week had only returned from the UK and entered this tournament without any high expectations.
“I’m pleased with were I lay at the moment,” said Lewis.
“I’m not going to put any pressure on me. I just need to see what happens. You have to hit it straight off the tee so you can get some spin into the greens, as the pins are tucked well. My driving has been the best part of my game and if I can hole out well, hopefully I will leave myself up in the mix.”
Ryan McCarty is certainly in the mix following stellar rounds of 65-73-72 and is in search to make amends for Lewis taking medalist honours over him at the Australian Open last month at The Lakes in Sydney.
“I feel like that I’m staying right in the present,” says McCarthy.
“There is also the potential for ’pay-back’ over an Englishman that took my medal at the Australian Open. I’m looking forward to it and have to take each moment as it comes.”
McCarthy in this tournament has held a firm grasp, or being not far, from the lead. The first round had the Tasmanian one stroke behind opening round leader Ryan Fox, before he shared the lead with Fox and England’s Stiggy Hodgson at 6-under-par following the second round.
“It is all about putting myself into situations,” says McCarthy.
“I’ve put in a lot of work with my coach Peter Knight and I’m feeling well. It’s time for me to start putting numbers on the board and get results. I feeling ready and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Overnight leader New Zealand’s Ryan Fox closed with a costly triple bogey seven on the 18th in a body blow, slipping the likeable Kiwi to be in a tie for 8th position after rounds of 64-74-75.
Stiggy Hodgson, who carded an impressive 3-under-par, 69, after opening with another 69 was hospitalised this afternoon after falling ill to a fever. The Walker Cupper was placed on fluids ending his chances at this tournament after posing a real threat to the field.
In events of this nature it is often commented the ’cream rises to the top’.
Ben Campbell is a classic illustration of this with the Kiwi dangerously position at 5-under-par and a stroke behind the leaders after rounds of 68-74-69.
I tend to favour Campbell’s chances at Royal Melbourne and it would be fitting for him to prove a point to Golf Australia for being snubbed last December from the Australian Open field, despite winning the amateur medal the year before, to claim what is arguably the biggest amateur event in this country.
Results speak volumes and in Campell’s case a 4th place individual finish at the recent World Amateur in Argentina and in the Asian Amateur in Japan the week earlier, illustrates what a prolific talent the 19-year-old New Zealander is.
Talking of recent results American based Aussie, Tarquin MacManus, is another dangerously lurking to claim this tournament.
Runner up last October at the prestigious the Asian Amateur Championships in Japan, the Arizona State collegiate player has the game, experience and cockiness poise to take this event out.
MacManus is one stroke from the leaders at 5-under pay after rounds of 74-67-70 to be a real threat at Royal Melbourne.
An inspection of the leader board sees eleven players within four strokes of the leaders. This tournament is anything but a closed affair and there’s a lot at stake.
The 2011 Australian Master of the Amateurs Champion will receive an exemption into the 2011 British Amateur Championship, the Porter Cup, The Players Amateur USA, The Dogwood Invitational USA, and the Canadian Mens Amateur Championship. That and the honour of knowing that they’ve won against arguably the strongest amateur field to compete this season in Australia. This event sets the bar for the others to follow, Australian Amateur included.
It will be a thrilling final round at Royal Melbourne with a combination of factors present.
An old score to settle with the mother country following the Australian Open result with Lewis over McCarthy, a Kiwi keen to make a statement to our amateur administration on Australian soil for past oversights and an English entourage bursting with talent headed by the gifted Tom Lewis to claim victory in Australia.
Throw in there the American collegiate connection and all are following the theme to the Australian Master of the Amateurs, namely, “living the dream”.
