Hart Extends Lead at Federal Am

BY Anthony Powter | Australian Mens Amateur Tour | 2011 Federal Amateur Open Championship | Round Two | 06 Mar 2011

Tim Hart has moved to an eight stroke margin over his nearest rivals, Kyle Grant and Dale Brandt-Richards, following the second round of the Federal Amateur championship being played in Canberra.

Hart fired a second round 70 after opening with a 69 to be at 5-under-par and the only player under par for the championship, with Grant and Brandt-Richards both at 3-over-par and in a tie for 2nd.

Gregory Foo from Singapore is in a tie for 4th with New Zealand’s Landyn Edwards at 4-over-par.

This Federal Amateur is turning into the perfect platform for Hart to win his first main Australian title after numerous runner-up finishes. The last occasion the Federal Amateur was played was back in 2009, where Hart took a three shot lead into the third round only to be surpassed on the closing nine by the defending title holder, Matt Jager, who claimed back-to-back victories by finishing two shots ahead of Hart.

This year’s field at the Federal Amateur may not be as strong as in recent years with some of our top-amateurs electing to have the weekend off in preparation for the forthcoming Riversdale Cup, which starts this Friday in Melbourne and the Australian Amateur championships that commence the following week, also in Melbourne. There’s also the ‘conflicting interests’ issue that’s arisen with the Sydney Major Metropolitan Pennant competition which has the likes of Matt Stieger, winner last weekend at the Tasmanian Open, Brett Drewitt, Jake Higginbottom and Daniel Bringolf dealing with representative commitments this weekend for their Sydney Clubs, which for some is their last stand to secure qualification for the final series that starts 27 March. For many of Sydney’s elite amateurs, Club persuasion arguably played a part in not travelling to Canberra.

This in some respects explains the dent in the field competing at this Federal Amateur as Sydney Clubs jockey for position in their respective Divisions leading into the finals, the other arguably relates to Golf Australia’s decision to drop the National Section ranking with the Federal Amateur. The later issue begs the question, why drop any National ranking tournament in Australia to a club willing to hold such an event?

There appears no plausible argument as to why there cannot be three National Selection events leading into the Australian Amateur, irrespective of the Sydney Club pennant issues and the so called ‘player burn-out’ argument that’s also being advanced by some. It’s probably best to leave this debate to another time and place, but, and this is a big ‘BUT’, you would have thought the more National Selection events available during the Australian season, the better for our emerging amateurs. This is especially the case given not all our young guns compete and play Sydney Metropolitan Pennants and there are other players eager to get as much tournament golf as possible at the elite level, especially those without the finances or support to travel overseas later in the year.

There is also the harsh reality that many of the current stock of emerging young amateurs are in need of tournament practice and the hardening that comes with a quality four round stroke tournament golf.

In the past the Federal Golf Club and the Red Hill layout has delivered these attributes, with the names of Daniel Beckmann, Nick Flanagan, Matt Jager and Rick Kulacz, all quality players and previous winners of the Federal Amateur title going onto the professional ranks with success.

A quick review at the present number of Australians ranked inside the world’s top-50, which totals only four, illustrates there’s currently a standard issue with the level of our amateur stock. The English Elite squad that recently toured downunder severed it up to many of our main Aussie players in each tournament they entered, with US based Aussie Tarquin MacManus’ win at Royal Melbourne and Brady Watt’s win at Belmont the exceptions. The English domination cumulated in the 13-5 drubbing over the Australia in the Ashes series at Elanora Country Club.

Putting aside the fact that many of our top amateurs are yet to play in the main events in the Northern hemisphere this summer, which should elevate their standings if results follow, this is the lowest number of Australian players inside the top-50 since 2005 and shows there’s some considerable work to be done by the next wave of our young guns to regain the world amateur status which we’ve enjoyed in the past.

Not having the Federal Amateur as a National Selection event, a ranking status which the Federal Golf Club has enjoyed and delivered well in the past, serves our amateur development no yardage.

Australian main amateurs like to plan for National Selection events and having more options then less would in the general scheme of things be better for amateur golf and go some way towards improving the world ranking process of our amateurs. This is especially the case with a club like the Federal Golf Club who are prepared to fund an event for the betterment of the development of elite amateur golf in this country, yet has had to deal with the politics of Australian amateur officialdom at it’s best.

Irrespective of the nature of the field competing in Canberra this weekend, when compared to previous Federal Amateurs, Hart has so far held his game together and his 5-under-par total to be the only competitor under par reflects this.

Hart’s eight stroke buffer certainly gives him the opportunity to finish this event off and collect that desired “W”, a symbol that’s eluded him so far in his amateur career, yet one he desperately desires to obtain. In some respects there’s being no better opportunity unfold than this Federal Amateur for Hart to collect his maiden win and it will be interesting to see how he accepts the challenge.

Before Hart gets his hands on the crystal ware on Monday afternoon, you can be sure there will be challenges forthcoming in Canberra, particularly from the likes of Kyle Grant and Cameron Powell, who’ll be aiming to add that pressure on Hart to see how he again responds with being in the breech awaiting that victory. They too are chasing the first main ‘W’ and both have the game to mount some pressure on Hart and rain on his parade.