Kirsten Rudgeley has progressed through to the second round of match play at the Australian Amateur after a dominant 6&5 at Royal Queensland GC this afternoon.
Rudgeley got off to a good start in her match against Konomi Matsumoto and once she had a lead, she never looked back.
“I played really consistent golf today and made a few birdies. I was lucky with the weather, it stopped raining before my tee time,” Rudgeley said.
Speaking about her game plan tomorrow, Rudgeley said: “I’ll just stick to my game plan and commit to every shot I hit.”
On the men’s side of the draw, Haydn Barron was looking to capitalise on his best-ever finish in the stroke play qualifying at the Aussie Am.
A hole-out eagle from 65 metres got Barron’s round off to the perfect start and a conceded birdie putt on the second hole saw him go 2-up through two holes. Barron’s momentum stalled soon after when play was suspended for 45 minutes due to a thunderstorm.
After the break, Barron struggled with his swing and quickly squandered the early lead that he had built.
“I struggled with my swing a little after the delay and hit a shank on the 8th hole 90m right of the flag. I lost that hole and then my opponent birdied the 9th to square the match,” Barron said.
From here, the match seesawed back and forth with neither player establishing an advantage. Barron would eventually seal a 1-up victory with an 18-foot putt for birdie on the last hole.
Looking ahead to tomorrow, Barron said, “I’m a little disappointed with my game but also very happy with how I closed out the match and held my nerve. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and am excited to see how deep into the event I can get.”
Ryan Peake’s match was delayed this morning due to a thunderstorm in the local area and this resulted in a slow start for the long-hitting lefty.
Peake fought hard all day but found himself 2-down with six holes to play. His never say die attitude turned the match in his favour late in the round and three consecutive birdies lead to a 2&1 victory.
Speaking after his round, Peake said, “I feel great heading into tomorrow, I’m relaxed, focussed and will take each round as it comes. This is the Australian Amateur, no one is going to give you control, you need to take it.”
