Sullivan breaks away at Macquarie AM!
BY Anthony Powter | Australian Mens Amateur Tour | 2011 Lake Macquarie Amateur | Round Two | 22 Jan 2011
England’s Andrew Sullivan has fired rounds of 67-69 to be currently at 8-under-par and a stroke ahead of Brady Watt after the second round of the Lake Macquarie Amateur being played at Belmont Golf Club south of Newcastle.
Watt had started the second round in a tie for 4th after opening with a 4-under-par 68 and combined it with a second round 69 to make his move up the leader board.
The first round of the Lake Macquarie Amateur had seen three players in a tie for the lead at 5-under-par with Sullivan sharing the top stop along with Aussies Cameron Smith and Anthony Murdaca after the trio shot opening rounds of 67.
Following today’s round Sullivan enjoys a one stroke lead over Watt, with fifteen players within four strokes of him in an event that’s extremely close.
Sullivan, ranked as the world number 23, finished runner-up to Tarquin MacManus last week at the Australian Master of the Amateurs and is a multiple winner in the UK, including twice winning the Midland Open Amateur title and was the 2010 champion at the Hampshire Salver.
Six players currently share third position at 6-under-par including talented New Zealander, Ben Campbell, with the 19 year-old firing rounds of 70-68.
Campbell became the first Kiwi to make the top 20 in the world amateur rankings since Danny Lee in 2008 and was the leading amateur in the 2009 Australian Open. In 2010 he secured a runner-up finish to Australian Matt Jager in the 2010 Australian Amateur championship and had an impressive victory on the New Zealand Tour with the Tauranga Open.
Campbell is yet to claim a major Australian amateur victory and being two strokes off the pace at Belmont is nicely position in this tournament.
Brett Drewitt, Jake Higginbottom, Ben Loughrey, first round leader Anthony Murdaca and 2009 NSW Amateur Champion Michael Smyth are all at 6-under-par with Campbell and two behind Sullivan.
Australia’s top ranked amateur, Ryan McCarthy is at 5-under-par and in a tie for 9th along with Christopher Smith.
Overnight leader with Sullivan, Cameron Smith, faded with a second round 1-over-par, 73, to slip back into a tie for 11th.
The cut came in at 4-over-par with Ryan Fox, Italian Domenico Geminiani and former winner of this title Blake McGrory all making the weekend.
