15 year-old Ryan Ruffels will play in the Emirates Australian Open at Royal Sydney Golf Club later this month. Ruffels and former World no.1 amateur Brady Watt will represent Golf Australia s National Squad and take the two Amateur Exemption spots in the Open field. It will be the first time Ruffels has played the Royal Sydney layout more than that it will be the first time he has played golf in Sydney. It’s awesome, to be able to get to play in the Emirates Australian Open is pretty cool, Ruffels said. At the start of the year I was just hoping that I would get a start in the Vic Open, so I never would have thought that I would be playing in the Australian Open. To play with Adam Scott, Rory, Jason Day in the field is pretty cool, Ruffels said. Mike Clayton said it s a really tough course and you ve got to hit some shots around there, Ruffels added. The Emirates Australian Open will be Ruffels fourth professional tournament. He played the Victorian Open and Isuzu Queensland Open and will play the Talisker Masters at Royal Melbourne in a fortnight. However Ruffels won t be getting overawed by Emirates Australian Open experience and isn t setting any expectations on what he hopes to achieve. I don t like to set out a goal at the beginning of the week, I just like to take it as it comes. You never know how you are going to be hitting it, how you are going to be feeling. I think the Australian Open will be a little bit easier for me, and the Australian Masters might be a few more nerves. Ruffels said.
Author: John Sutherland / Golf Australia