September is often regarded for the beginning of spring and the AFL Finals; however, the golfing fraternity will turn its focus to the upcoming calendar of events in Australia, starting with the Steelscene Mandurah Amateur Open tomorrow.
The Western Australian featured event signifies the start of a busy Aussie summer for players, including professional events such as the WA, QLD and NSW Opens.
Amateurs will congregate south of Perth this weekend, with the National Ranking event set to yield more than 46 Interstate players from across the country.
WA’s own Haydn Barron will return as the defending champion of the 72-hole event, but will be tested by the likes of Jordan Garner, Blake Collyer and Darcy Boyd.
Garner and Collyer enter the competition in fantastic form after battling it out in the final of the Queensland Stroke Play Championship last week. Garner proved too strong, with Boyd returning to the state where he captured the Australian Amateur medal in January.
Connor Fewkes will play his first major tournament since securing the Australian Junior Championship at Gosnells Golf Club in May, while WA Amateur medallist Will Florimo travels from Cairns chasing a victory.
Barron, 22, knows the importance of a strong performance over the next three days, with last year’s triumph the start of a fantastic season for the WA State Captain.
“Last year was really significant for me, particularly for my self-belief and confidence in my game,” Barron claimed.
“Getting my first national ranking win was a bit of a relief, but it also set me up for a pretty successful next 12 months.”
“I really am looking forward to heading back to Mandurah. It’s a place where I have some really special memories.”
The defending champion welcomes the challenge of competing against some of Australia’s best Amateurs, believing the home-ground advantage will benefit plenty of the Sandgropers.
“It is great to have a big event so close to home,” he said.
“Having so many great players attend is a real boost for the event, particularly some guys that are in great form.”
The tournament leads an exciting period for many of the Amateurs as they look to attack the Australian summer for vital ranking points.
“It is an important week for all of us,” he mentioned. “We all have some professional events coming up towards the latter part of the year; it can really kick start a season if you grab some success this week.”
