Flagstaff Hill Golf Club A strong field of 89 players will contest the 2013 South Australian Medal & Amateur Championship, which tees off at Flagstaff Hill and Tea Tree Gully Golf Clubs next Monday morning. A field of 73 players will contest the Men’sSA Medal Event over 72 holes at Flagstaff Hill Golf Club. Following 36 holes on day one, the leading 32 players plus ties will continue on to the second day to play a further 36 holes. The leading 16 qualifiers from day two will continue on to contest the SA Amateur Championship at The Grange Golf Club. With 2011 Champion Brad Moules and 2012 State Captain Tom Bond, having recently joined the professional ranks, this year s Championship promises to be a tightly contested affair with 16 interstate players and one International adding considerable depth to a field which features 39 players boasting a handicap of 0.4 or better. Among the favourites for this year s title will be defending champion Jack Williams and SA&aposs leading player Chris Brown from The Grange Golf Club. England Squad Member, Sam Claridge from Harpenden Common Golf Club in Hertfordshire, will also challenge after winning the Flagstaff Hill Vardon (3 March) and being familiar with The Grange layout after gaining a temporary membership for his 8 week stay in Adelaide. A field of 18 players will contest the Women’s Championship, with Grace Lennon from (Kingston Heath) starting favorite. Lennon is currently ranked number 2 in the Nation and 17 in the World Rankings courtesy of finishing leading Amateur at the Victorian Open in February and victory at the prestigeous Riversdale Cup 7-10 March. Sue Wooster (The National), Jenny Lee (Glenelg) who recently made the Australian Amateur Match Play Final and State representatives Caitlin Roberts (Royal Adelaide) and Elysia Yap (Glenelg) are the main contenders. Two players from the Philippines should also feature; Cyna Marie Rodriguez and Jayvie Agojo who finished 7th and 11th respectively in the recent Philippine Open. The women’s field contest the Medal rounds over 18 holes at Tea Tree Gully Golf Club and Flagstaff Hill Golf Club on day s one and two respectively, before moving onto the Amateur Championship match-play rounds at The Grange. For all Championship draws Click Here for the tournament event page on the Golf SA website. About the Golf SA Amateur Championship The SA Medal and Amateur is the pre-eminent individual championship for an amateur golfer in the State. The Men’sAmateur 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.
Author: Christian Puccini / Golf SA