Three-way tie at Australian Amateur
IN: News | Australian Mens Amateur | Australian Amateur Championship (2008) | Round Two | by Anthony Powter | 15 Apr 2008
Michael Foster has joined overnight leaders, Matthew Griffin and Josh Younger to be at 4-under-par following the second round of the Australian Amateur championship in Adelaide.
Foster, who successfully defended his Western Australian state amateur title last week, continued his fine form shooting a 1-under-par 72 at Royal Adelaide Golf Club, whilst Griffin and Younger managed even-par rounds of 73.
Foster, the 2007 US Rice Planters champion, was immensely relieved following his second round score. “It’s great to see the form continuing from my win last week,” he said. “Scoring was relatively easy and I’m glad to be where I am, as my round was not that great. At Royal Adelaide, it just takes one hole to rack up a number and I could have done that out there today easily.”
Rohan Blizard and Tim Stewart fired the outstanding rounds of the day, carving up the Royal Adelaide layout with 4-under-par, 68’s. Blizard rocketed to T7, to be only four behind the leaders, whilst Stewart came in one behind Blizard and currently is T10.
“I got it going out there today,” said Stewart, the 2006 Australian Amateur champion. “At one stage I birdied six out of eight holes out there. The course was just pure and with an early tee time, I was able to take advantage of the conditions.”
Blizard, like Stewart, found the morning conditions favourable. “I played really solid in perfect golfing conditions,” commented the defending champion. “It’s great to be placed up there after the two opening rounds, knowing you have the whole week ahead. It’s now just a matter to take each day at a time and see what unfolds.”
England’s Dale Whitnell joins Ryan McCarthy, a stroke behind the leaders in T4, at 3-under-par. Other movers on the second day included the talented local player Jordan Sherratt, after he carded a three-under-par 70 at Royal Adelaide to be T7.
Matt Jager with a 1-under-par 72, also made his move to join a cluster of players at T14, four strokes behind the leaders, as did another emerging talent, Jason Scrivener with a 2-under-par 71. Scrivener finds himself at T20 and one-over-par.
The championship remains a tightly fought contest with twenty players within five strokes of the leaders and remains anything but a closed affair.
Matthew Griffin, like many others, is fully aware there’s plenty of golf left in the tournament. “The course is now getting really tough and starting to firm up to become a really good test,” remarked Griffin. “It great to be up there, but it’s a long week and you just have to remain patient and any one within eight shots of the leaders can will this.”
Younger agrees with his mate from the Victorian Golf Club. “It’s all about remaining patient,” his says. “This is a course where someone is going to blow-out and you just have to be careful.”
The cut came in at 7-over-par and the field has been reduced to the top 100 and ties to contest for the Australian Amateur Medal and the top 32 places for the championship proper. Last year’s Medal winner, Scott Arnold remains in contention at T25, however, needs to make ground over the remaining two rounds at Royal Adelaide. Arnold, this year’s winner of the Riversdale Cup, currently finds himself six shots off the pace at 2-over-par.
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