World Number 1 amateur Minjee Lee headlines a list of Australia’s best amateur golfers who will tee off in Canberra next week at the Australian Men’s and Women’s Interstate Team Matches to be played from 29 April – 2 May 2014.
In the Australian Women’s Interstate Teams Matches for the Gladys Hay Memorial Cup at Gungahlin Lakes Golf Club, defending champions Victoria boast World Number 5 amateur Su-Hyun Oh who has recently made the cut in her first Major, the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills in California. She will be joined by 2014 Riversdale Cup runner up Bianca Ling and 14 year-oldd Soo-Bin Park who won the 2014 Tasmanian Junior Masters.
Joining Minjee Lee in the Western Australian team is Hayley Bettencourt who has had a number of recent wins in Australian Women’s Amateur Ranking Events including the 2014 Rene Erichsen in South Australia and the 2014 Western Australian Amateur.
Queensland will also be in the mix, with 2014 Australian Amateur runner up Karis Davidson joining the team along with Ali Orchard who finished runner up in both the 2013 Queensland Amateur and 2014 NSW Amateur.
New South Wales features Shelly Shin who was selected in the Australian Team for the 2014 Queen Sirikit Cup in Malaysia, along with Elizabeth Elmassian, winner of the 2014 Tasmanian Women’s Stroke Play and Celina Yuan the 2013 Victorian Junior Champion.
The South Australian team sees 2014 Australian Amateur semi-finalist and 2014 SA Amateur Champion Jenny Lee joining the team along with a number of youngsters backing up from the Girls’ Interstate Series including Cassidy Evreniadis and Kristalle Blum.
The Tasmanian team will again feature Sarah Johnstone, a long-time member of team as well as with some young faces in including Zahara Lemon and Georgia Milbourne who have performed well in the Tasmanian Junior ranks.
The Australian Men’s Interstate Teams Matches at Federal Golf Club will showcase the most talented players in the men’s amateur ranks.
Favourites for the men’s event are defending champions Queensland who have won the Championship three times in the last five years in 2013, 2011 and 2010.
The team is headlined by National Squad Member and 2013 Keperra Bowl winner Taylor Macdonald along with Simon Viitakangas who has had a great start to the year with wins in the 2014 Australian Master of the Amateurs and 2014 SA Classic.
The Western Australian team is also a top contender featuring 2014 Australian Amateur runner up Curtis Luck who currently sits on top of the Australian Boys’ Amateur Rankings with wins in the 2014 NSW Medal and 2014 WA Amateur. He is joined by Jarryd Felton, winner of the 2013 Mandurah Open, 2013 Queensland Medal and 2014 Tasmanian Open.
Newly-crowned Australian Junior Champion Ryan Ruffels joins Todd Sinnott who is currently ranked number one on the Australian Men’s Amateur Rankings and 2013 Victorian Amateur champion Zach Murray in a strong Victorian team.
Winners of the 2012 Interstate Teams Matches New South Wales will feature National Squad Member Cameron Davis who was a quarter finalist in the 2014 Australian Amateur and runner up in the 2014 Western Australian Amateur, along with Jordan Zunic who has had a number of top 5 finishes this year in Australian Men’s Amateur Ranking events including the Lake Macquarie Amateur and Australian Master of the Amateurs.
2013 Australian Junior Champion and 2014 Australian Amateur Semi Finalist Anthony Murdaca will headline the South Australian Team along 2014 SA Amateur Champion Jack Williams. Justin Crowder also joins the team after finishing well in the 2014 Australian Amateur qualifying.
The Tasmanian Team will feature veteran Mark Schulze who was the winner of the 2013 Tasmanian Amateur along with some fresh faces including Jack Tregaskisjago who finished 4th the 2014 Tamar Valley Cup.
This year will also see the Australian Foursomes Championships contested at the respective courses for men and women on Sunday 27 April.
The Championships are Australia’s premier teams championships, with the men’s event having been played since 1894, the women’s since 1897. Entry is free for spectators, so golf enthusiasts are encouraged to watch the state versus state rivalry.