Amanda Gan and Connor Fewkes are the top seeds for the WA Amateur Championship match play rounds after winning stroke play medallist honours today.
Mount Lawley GC’s Gan secured the women’s medal in fine style with the lowest scores on both days of qualifying around The Western Australian Golf Club. She followed up her opening four-under 69 with a two-under 71 today to lead the field home by an impressive four strokes.
Erina Tan and Isabella Leniartek (both Mount Lawley) tied for second, with defending champion Abbie Teasdale (Royal Fremantle) and 2021 winner Amie Phobubpa (Joondalup CC) sharing 4th a further three strokes adrift.
The top 16 women move into match play on Friday morning, with 17-year-old Gan in confident mood after her excellent two days’ work earned her the number one seeding in the knockout draw.
“I played really solid these past two days,” Gan told GolfWA. “My putter was really hot and that saved me quite a few shots, but I think I adapted well to the windy conditions. I’m feeling confident and if I just keep playing the way I am, I think my chances are pretty good.”
As top seed, Gan will play 16th qualifier Isobel Dorrington in the first knockout round on Friday morning. You can view the women’s stroke play leaderboard here.
In the men’s event, first-round pacesetter Connor Fewkes (Goldfields Golf Club) kept his foot on the gas to post a second consecutive 65 to finish his 36 holes at 10 under par – five strokes clear of his nearest rival, Joondalup CC’s Tom Addy.
Fewkes, who has never won the state title, is pleased with his form but isn’t taking anything for granted heading into the uncertain realm of match play golf.
“I holed out from a bunker on the first, which was a great way to start my round, I hit a lot of good shots and I was never really in trouble,” Fewkes told GolfWA.
“It’s great to win the stroke play medal, but there’s a long way to go. Even though I’m the top seed, I could shoot 72 tomorrow and be going home. That’s just how golf is.”
The top 32 men progressed to tomorrow’s match play rounds, with notable qualifiers including Jordan Doull (Mount Lawley), Josiah Edwards (Gosnells GC) and the past two years’ champions Ollie Marsh (Wanneroo GC) and Adam Hatch (Royal Fremantle). You can view the final stroke play leaderboard here.
The men’s match play competition tees off at 7.30am on Friday morning, with the women’s commencing at 8.26am. You can view the match play draw here. Spectators are welcome to attend.
This year’s WA Amateur also incorporated the Mid-Am for golfers over the age of 30, with the titles going to the lowest eligible scorers in the men’s and women’s events. It ended up being a Rockingham GC double, with Daniel Holzwart and Amanda Hurren claiming the respective men’s and women’s crowns.
Connor Fewkes was 10 under par for the 36 holes of stroke play qualifying
