Date: June 15, 2016
Author: Martin Blake

Davis, Micheluzzi lead charge at Brit Am

Seven Australian players have reached the matchplay phase of the British Amateur Championship in Wales after the 36-hole strokeplay stage, headed by Sydney's Cameron Davis and Melbourne's David Micheluzzi.

Davis, 22, the 2015 Australian Amateur champion, backed up his opening 66 with a 76 in tougher conditions overnight to finish at even par for the 36 holes, together with 19-year-old Micheluzzi from the Victorian Institute of Sport, who carded 69-73.

They tied-sixth in the strokeplay section of the tournament, with Davis ultimately seeded No. 8 and Micheluzzi No. 11. They will be joined among the 79 who progressed to matchplay by Travis Smyth, Dylan Perry, William Heffernan, Brett Coletta and Blake Windred of the Australian contingent when the seeded matchplay draw begins tomorrow.

Among those to be unlucky were Zach Murray, who missed the five-over cut-line by a shot.

The 2016 Australian Amateur champion, Connor Syme of Scotland, is the medalist for this year after he shot six-under over the first two days at Royal Porthcawl and Pyle and Kenfig golf clubs.

Syme, who won the Australian Amateur Championship in January and was part of the winning Scottish team in the European Amateur Team Championship last year, got off to a good start with a birdie at the second and picked up two further shots on the back nine in a bogey-free round.

"The goal at the start of the week is to try and make the top 64 and the further up the leaderboard you go is a bonus," he said. "I felt really comfortable in what I was doing today – a bogey-free round, which was nice in tough conditions so I’m delighted.

"I holed the par putt when I needed to. I didn’t really have any testy putts for par. I chipped it really well. I’m really delighted – bogey free is a bonus. I was trying to qualify for tomorrow.''

Australian scores

142 C Davis, D Micheluzzi
144 T Smyth, W Heffernan
146 D Perry, B Coletta, B Windred
148 Z Murray
149 M Lisk, H Endycott
150 C John
152 S Cox, D Williamson
153 C Dann
154 A Quayle
155 K Day
157 B Collyer