Two local amateurs have earned the right to tee up against the professionals in this week’s Victorian Open at 13th Beach Golf Links, Barwon Heads, after today’s qualifying round.
Stewart Drayton, a member at 13th Beach, and Will Hume, whose home club is Lonsdale, were among the 15 players to snap up the last few spots remaining in the field.
Drayton and Hume were among the qualifiers at Curlewis, a course not far from 13th Beach on the Bellarine Peninsula, after both shot even par rounds of 72.
New South Wales duo Lincoln Tighe (67) and Ryan O’Flaherty (69), Victorian amateur Rory Bourke (70) and Victorian Daniel Griffin (72) – the younger brother of PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia Tour member Matthew – also advanced through the Curlewis event.
At Box Hill the group of qualifiers included Queensland pro Anthony Gilligan, whose career highlight was winning the 1994 Greg Norman Classic at Royal Melbourne.
Gilligan now plays on the Seniors Tour after turning 50 last year, shot a three-under par 68 to join James Bannan (67), Scott McJannet (68), Peter Poposki (68) and Matthew Criss (69) in qualifying.
Four players won their way through at Amstel Golf Club, in Melbourne’s south-east. Victorian amateur Ryan Laird topped the list with a three-under 69 and he was joined by Adam Burdett (70), Adam Fraser (72) and Andrew Nonnan (72).
The Men’s and Women’s Vic Open gets underway on Thursday with both tournaments carrying $150,000 in prizemoney respectively.
For all the up-to-date news regarding the 2013 Vic Open, check Golf Victoria’s website, www.golfvic.org.au and follow @VicOpenGolf on twitter.
By: Bradley Green (Vic Open Freelancer)