Australian men lag at World Amateur

BY Anthony Powter | Amateur Golf Tour | 2006 World Amateur Team Championships | Round One | 27 Oct 2006

To have any realistic chance to be a dominant force at the World Amateur championship, the Australian men’s team will have to produce something extra ordinary in their second round this evening. The Aussie team found themselves positioned T23rd after a combined total of 3 over, eight shots behind the opening round leader Canada.

Canada on a five under total team score of 139 has the lead over Netherlands by two shots and France by three.

Conditions on the opening day were described at testy, given the strong afternoon winds at Stellenbosch. The best individual score went jointly to Wil Besseling from the Netherlands and Richard Scott from Canada, both with a three under 69.

Nine teams are within five strokes of Canada, including the defending champion the United States. You’ll be expecting plenty of movement during the second round as teams try to remain close to the leaders. Favorites remain the Americans who have won the Eisenhower Trophy more than any other team at 13 times.

Jonathan Moore, 21 is the current National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) individual champion. Moore’s college team, Oklahoma State, won the 2006 team title, and Moore himself is an All-American selection and played in the 2006 US Open. Moore shot an even par and is positioned with Won Joon Lee at T21st in the individual.

Trip Kuehne, 34 has represented the USA in the Walker Cup and was the low amateur at the 2003 US Open. If it is any consolation, Kuehne lost to Tiger Woods in the 1994 US Amateur. The third US team member if Chris Kirk who with an opening one under 71, was the low scoring American on the first day.

It’s a team littered with talent, then again all the players this week at South Africa represent the best of the Amateur world.

Australia’s total of 147 was through Won Joon Lee’s par round 72 and Andrew Tampion, who returned a three over 75. Stephen Dartnall simply could not get his round going and his opening double bogey on the first hole was simply a sign of things to come in his five over round.

Given the Australian’s current position well down the leaderboard, they’ll need to make a move before it’s too late, otherwise the team will risk falling out of contention.