Prowse best Aussie at British Amateur

BY Anthony Powter | World Amateur Mens Tour | 2008 British Amateur Championship | Round One | 17 Jun 2008

Tom Prowse played well above his 716th world amateur ranking this morning during the opening round of the British Amateur. The Victorian carded a 3-under-par, 69, on the Turnberry Kintyre Course to be T6 for the Championship, three behind Sweden’s Jasper Kennegard.

Prowse was the only Australian to finish the first round inside the top 30, on a day where the most of the other Australian contingent struggled.

Rohan Blizard opened on Turnberry’s Ailsa course with a disastrous 7-over-par,77, to be T168, well outside the top 64 and ties for the match play qualification, which will be determined after tomorrow’s second round.

Tim Stewart, runner-up at the 2007 British Amateur at Royal Lytham & St Annes, opened on the Kintyre layout with a 1-over-par, 73, to be inside the cut mark at T54. Whilst American collegiate based Australian, Rhein Gibson, opened with an impressive 2-over-par, 72, on Turnberry’s Ailsa Open Championship layout, and is currently the best placed Australian behind Prowse, at T38.

“It would have been nice to finish the round off, but I played really well all day,” said Gibson, where a double-bogey on the 455 yards, 16th, the only real blemish during his opening round.

“The course was a little tricky, with the crosswinds from the ocean making each hole play different. The greens were not as fast as I was anticipating, which made it play easier. Over all it’s great to get the opening round away and to be positioned well.”

The Turnberry Ailsa Course is among the rotation for the British Open Championship. The course is best known for the duel between two golfing giants, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in the 1977 Open Championship, the first ever played at Turnberry.

Gibson, like many competing at Turnberry this week, is anticipating tougher conditions than last year at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

“It should be a tough week, a bit of payback after last year’s record scoring,” Gibson remarked this evening. “I reckon that even par will be a good score after tomorrow.”

World number one amateur Rickie Fowler is not competing this week, electing instead to play the US Open Championship.

Defending Champion and fellow American, Drew Weaver, has however returned and endured a day of mixed fortunes. Weaver, who’s struggled with his form recently, lost two balls during his round of 75 on the Kintyre course. Three birdies on the back nine keeps Weaver currently two strokes from the T64 cut position, and in with a chance of qualifying for the match play.

Presently four Australians are placed precariously around the T64 cut mark and in danger of missing qualification.

Leighton Lyle’s, 4-over-par, 74, on the Ailsa Course sees him at T80, and provided he returns a low second round on the Kintyre layout, considered the easier of the two, it might just be enough to get him through. Michael Raseta is another who’s currently alongside Lyle, after an opening 74.

Daniel Beckmann and Scott Arnold will need to make a move tomorrow, with both currently sitting T114. Either is capable of producing low round scores and they would have been disappointed with their opening start to this Championship.

Jesper Kennegard posted the best score of the day with a 6-under-par, 66, on the Kintyre layout and did so with blisters so bad that he finished his round in his socks. Injury aside, the Swede is well inside the cut mark, a luxury many of the Australian would like to have had moving into tomorrow’s final qualification round.