Seventeen year old, Jack Williams from The Grange Golf Club has defeated Royal Adelaide s Brad Moules on the 38th hole to claim the South Australian Men’sAmateur Championship. Williams the sixth qualifier encountered for Chris Austin, Stephen Speirs and Matthew Whittenberg on route to the final whilst Moules defeated, Daniel Speirs, Tim Baker and Kevin Marques. In fine and sunny conditions in today s final, defending champion Moules got away to a flying start winning the 4th and 6th holes to go 2up. Williams hit back claiming the 8th and 11th to square the match, then went one ahead with a win on the 15th. Moules squared the ledger taking the 16th, but after halving the 17th, Williams claimed the next, to go 1 up through 18 holes. Showing no signs of faltering, Williams maintained his one hole lead through 27 holes, courtesy of a near faultless short game. Moules made his charge, taking the 31st hole and then played an exquisite bunker shot on the par 3 14th to get up and down, saving the hole. Williams hit the lead with a win on the 33rd hole, moving 1up with three to play. After squaring the next, Moules claimed the 35th after Williams uncharacteristically missed a short putt. With the players all square down the 36 hole, Williams overshot the green with his second shot, whilst Moules gave himself every opportunity, leaving a long putt for victory. Once again Williams showed supreme touch, chipping to within 5 feet and then calmly knocking in the downhill putt for par. Moules then squared the hole with a comfortable 2 footer. For the third occasion of the day, the players headed back down the Par 5 first supported by a hundred strong gallery. After Williams found the front bunker, Moules pushed his approach shot slightly right of the green. With a deft pitch however, Moules rolled to within a few inches of the hole. With the pressure back on Williams, he produced possibly the finest shot of the tournament, with his bunker shot hitting the pin and lip, to rest an inch from the hole. Hole Squared. Down the 38th Williams made another clutch shot from 110 metres landing his approach within a foot, to put the pressure back on Moules. From 90 meters Moules found the green but would face a long uphill put to stay in the match. With his putt falling short, he dually rolled in his next for par. From inside a yard, Williams birdied the hole to claim an absorbing battle and the 2012 South Australian Men’sAmateur title. Fourteen year old Grange Member Cassidy Evreniadis, the eight qualifier, progressed to the final after defeating Medalist Caitlin Roberts, then Rachel Taylor in the semi-finals. Her opponent Nadine Smith (Royal Perth) defeated Elysia Yap then Lorry Brown to claim her berth. Teeing off after the Men, Evreniadis started confidently going 1 up through 9 holes, before Smith hit her straps to go 2 up after 18, then extended her lead to 4up through 27holes. Evreniadis was doing her best to stay in the match claiming the 28th, but Smith hit straight back taking the next, before halving the 30th and 31st holes. Evreniadis won the 32nd and then scrambled her way down the 34th to claim the hole with a bogey 6 and stay in the contest. Smith claimed the contest 3 and 1 with a par on the 325mtr 17th to be crowed South Australian Women’s Amateur Champion.
Author: