Strong fields line up for SA Amateur Golf Championship

 

 

A strong field of 99 players will contest the 2016 South Australian Men’s & Women’s Amateur Championship partnered by Host Plus. 

The first round of stroke play will be held on Monday 26 September at Tea Tree Gully Golf Club, while the second and final qualifying round will be played at The Grange Golf Club on Tuesday 27 September.

A field of 80 players will contest the Men’s SA Medal Event. The leading 32 qualifiers after 36 holes will continue on to contest the SA Amateur Championship Match Play at The Vines Golf Club of Reynella, with the final being held on Sunday 2 October.

This year’s Championship promises to be a tightly contested affair, with 26 interstate players adding considerable depth to a field which features 32 players boasting a handicap of scratch or better.

Among the favorites for this year’s title is Victorian Zach Murray, who won his home state Amateur title in 2013. Murray a national squad member and ranked 98 in the World Amateur rankings will be a strong contender.

Defending Champion Lachlan Barker from Glenelg Golf Club, claimed the Malaysian Amateur Open in May this year and will be looking to continue his fine form.  

Kooyonga’s Will Somerfield has had a fine season as is currently leading the SA Vardon Trophy over Barker by .05 strokes. With Q School beckoning, Somerfield will be keen to finish his Amateur career on a positive note. 

Others to watch are Blake Windred (NSW), Blake Proverbs (QLD) and locals Mathew Lisk (The Grange), and 2015 medallist Sam Earl from Glenelg Golf Club.

A field of 19 players will contest the Women’s Championship, with 11 interstaters. The women’s field is wide open with local Ella Adams the lowest marker off plus 2.1. Elysia Yap from Glenelg and Jin-young Yun from The Grange are other local hopes.

Zara Woodbridge from Royal Melbourne will be a contender along with 2014 SA Women’s Champion Kono Matsumoto from Victoria Golf Club. 

The women’s field contest the Medal rounds over 36 holes, before the leading 8 players progress through to the Amateur Championship match-play rounds at The Vines Golf Club of Reynella.

For all Championship draws click here the tournament event page on the Golf SA website.

The SA Medal and Amateur is the pre-eminent individual championship for an amateur golfer in the State. 

The Men’s Amateur Championship has an unbroken history dating back to the inception of the South Australian Golf Association (SAGA) in 1905.  There were two periods of recess (1914-1918 World War I & 1940-1945 World War II). Records indicate that the Amateur Championship was played from 1900-1904, although not under the auspice of SAGA. The name of the Amateur Champion is placed on the SAGA Honour Board.

The Women’s Amateur Championship dates back to 1902 when it was played as the Ladies’ State Championship. It was conducted under the auspices of SAGA from 1905 to 1929 when the South Australian Ladies Golf Union (SALGU) was formed as a separate entity. There were two periods of recess (1914-1918 World War I & 1940-1945 World War II).

In 2009, Golf SA combined the Men’s & Women’s Medal & Amateur Championships into one consolidated event. The Medal is a stroke event that leads to qualification for the Amateur – a match play final – where the winner is declared the South Australian Amateur Champion. 

For a full list of previous Championship winners, click here for the tournament event page on the Golf SA website