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Victorian State players Kono Matsumoto and David Micheluzzi lead the respective 2018 Port Phillip Women’s and Men’s Amateur titles at the halfway mark following the second round of the 72-hole Championship was played at Kingston Heath today (Friday 7 December).
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Note: Play will commence at Commonwealth Golf Club at 8am.
For a second successive day, a hot and near gale force northerly wind made scoring extremely difficult. Competing in the morning, the women’s field found the Kingston Heath layout at its brutal best. After finishing runner-up in this year’s US Senior Women’s Amateur, The National’s Sue Wooster used her experience to return the day’s best women’s score with an even par 74.
However, it was Matsumoto that vaulted to a three-stroke lead after a second day 75 left the nineteen-year-old at even par 148 for the opening 36-holes. She leads from New Zealand’s Siyi Keh on 151 with a further four players at four-over 152 including Wooster and overnight leader Maddison Hinson-Tolchard who battled to a second round 82.
Meanwhile in the men’s event, defending Victorian Men’s Amateur Champion Micheluzzi returned a superb five-under 67 for a two-round total of four-under 140. The 22-year-old leads by two strokes from Western Australian, Hayden Hopewell. The 17-year-old from the Royal Fremantle Golf Club returned an even par second round of 72 to finish at 142. Avondale’s Christopher Fan trails by a further stroke at 143 after a one-under 71. Overnight leader Andre Lautee from Kingston Heath struggled in the afternoon wind, returning a 79 to finish at 147.
The Men’s Port Phillip Amateur commenced in 1976 and has been played annually over that time at Kingston Heath and Commonwealth within Melbourne’s Sand Belt. The 72-hole Championship boasts former winners such as Mike Clayton (1977 & 1980), Brad Hughes (1987 & 1988), Craig Spence (1994), Stephen Allan (1995) and Scott Gardiner (1999). The Women’s Port Phillip Amateur commenced in 2012 with Metropolitan’s Su-Hyun Oh winning in both 2012 and 2013.
Following the appreciated support of the Commonwealth and Kingston Heath Golf Clubs, the Men’s Victorian Amateur Championship qualifying rounds have been held in conjunction with the Port Phillip Amateur from 2008 onwards. This arrangement was further consolidated with the Women’s Victorian Amateur Championship qualifying rounds being played concurrently with the Port Phillip from 2012.
The final 36-holes will be played at Commonwealth tomorrow (Saturday 8 December) commencing from a multi-tee (shotgun start) at 8am. 54 men on scores of 157 (+13) or better and 23 women on 162 (+14) or better made the 36-hole cut to progress to the final day of the Championship.
The leading 32 men’s players and the leading 16 women’s players from the Port Phillip Amateur will then progress to the match play rounds of the 2018 Men’s and Women’s Victorian Amateur Championships which will be played at the Huntingdale Golf Club beginning next Monday (10 December).