Dubuisson sets the pace at Federal

BY Anthony Powter | Australian Mens Amateur Tour | 2008 Federal Amateur Open Championship | Round Three | 05 Oct 2008

France’s Victor Dubuisson maintained his overnight lead at the Federal Amateur following the third round to be at 12-under-par will rounds of 70-66-68. Australia’s Matt Jager is Dubuisson’s nearest rival, three strokes behind and in outright second position at 9-under-par.

Jager fired the day’s low round with a stellar six-under-par 66. England’s Todd Adcock, winner of the 2008 English Amateur, equalled Jager’s 66 to be tied with Michael Foster and first-round leader Michael Smyth in T3rd position at 8-under-par.

Dubuisson, ranked 29th in the world, continues to bomb his drives in an aggressive attacking style around the 6,248 metre Federal Golf Club layout. It’s a strategy the Frenchman intends to keep going in pursuit of his second international title after claiming the the 2008 Mexican Amateur last June.

“To me this is just practice for next week,” said Dubuission who is a member of the French Eisenhower Team that will be competing for the World Amateur Championship title in Adelaide in a fortnight.

“I’m driving the ball well and as long as I keep it straight, I’ll keep playing well.”

Last week Jager won his first international title with a two-stroke victory at the Tournament of International Jockey Club of Rosario in Argentina and remains optimistic about his chances of another tournament win following tomorrow’s final round.

“I’m playing some of my best golf at the moment,” said Jager, who is yet to have a bogey in his last 50 holes of golf.

“I’m feeling fine despite all the travel I’ve been doing. My mind is relaxed and I’m just letting the swing take care of itself and it’s obviously working. I’d love to win on home soil and add to last week’s efforts.”

Jager is one of Australia’s most exciting talents to emerge on the main world amateur scene during the last twelve months. An aggressive driver of the ball, his match-up in the final group alongside the big hitting Dubuisson and England’s Adcock will be an interesting challenge. Jager certainly has the ability to take this event out and plans to be quick out of the blocks in tomorrow’s final round.

“I’ll be aggressive as I can,” says Jager who finished runner-up at the prestigious US Players Amateur in July.

“This tournament is still open and any player within four of the lead has a chance to win the title.”

Michael Foster, the 2008 Australian Amateur runner-up and 2007 Rice Planters champion, was another to make his move today with a 4-under-par 68 to build upon his 67 he had yesterday. As like Jager, Foster is ready to claim his first National Trial event and remains confident the Frenchman can be caught.

“There’s a 62 out there,” says Foster, ranked 39th in the world.

“I missed a few easy putts today and if you can get the ball rolling and sink a few, this tournament will come down to how well you can putt tomorrow.”

England’s Todd Adcock agrees with Foster with the way the course is playing, a low score is possible.

“You can go low out there, especially if you attack the right parts of the course,” said Adcock.

“The par 5’s present real birdie opportunities and you must take advantage of those. The rest will just come down to how well you can putt under pressure.”

Australia’s top-ranked golfer, Matthew Griffin is in T6th position at 7-under-par, along with Bryden MacPherson and Korea’s Jin Jeong. The group is five behind the leader and will need to mount a challenge early in their round to have any chance of claiming the title.

The way Dubuission was relaxing around the putting green this afternoon, it will take some catching by the rest of field to take this title from the Frenchman. Dubuission remains a little cocky about his prospects and playing down the event, obviously not fully aware of the level of talent that is quickly descending upon him and the importance local players place on National Trial event.

The Frenchman may be claiming there’s no pressure on him and that the Federal Amateur is no more than practice for him for the World Championships. Despite what he may be saying there was plenty of emotion from him with any errant shots during today’s round, which tends to suggest he’s feeling the heat more than what he is letting on.

The likes of Jager, Adcock, Foster and Smyth are all eager to get out early and the Frenchman will have to watch his back during tomorrow’s final round. They are all capable of scoring low and that certainly would stack on the pressure for the Frenchman, even if the tournament is seen be him as just being a “practice round”.