By Neal Maidment
GolfWA has announced a formidable array of talent in the state men’s and women’s line-ups for the upcoming Australian Interstate Teams Matches.
Newly crowned WA Women’s Amateur Champion Abbie Teasdale (Royal Fremantle) takes her place in the five-strong women’s team, alongside event runner-up Erina Tan of Mount Lawley. The WA state champions for 2021 and 2022, Joondalup’s Amie Phobubpa and Celine Chen, also make the side, as does Mount Lawley’s Amanda Gan.
Tom Addy (Joondalup) and Jordan Doull (Mount Lawley), who respectively reached the final and semi-finals of the Men’s WA Amateur Championship, have been selected in the men’s team alongside Josh Greer (Joondalup), Joseph Buttress (WAGC) and Connor Fewkes (Goldfields Golf Club), who will captain the team for the second year running.
Addy and Doull make their debuts in the men’s team after previously representing WA in national junior events. Buttress, Tan and Gan, meanwhile, make the senior sides for the first time after all were also named in the WA team for this year’s Junior Interstate Matches, which take place in Tasmania in April.
The 2023 Australian Interstate Teams Matches take place at St Michael’s Golf Club in NSW from May 9-11. The men’s and women’s teams contest daily singles match play encounters in a round-robin format. WA’s men and women both finished second in their categories last year, with WA third overall in the combined standings in what was a very tight competition.
Team Captain Connor Fewkes believes WA has what it takes to clinch the overall title this year after the near-miss in 2022. “We have a very capable group of golfers and I think as a group we will learn from last year’s disappointment and build off that,” he told GolfWA.
“St Michael’s can get very tricky if the weather is bad, but I’m confident we can put good strategies in place. Everybody in our team has had some good results in recent weeks, so I’m looking forward to a successful series.”
Team Coach Alex McKay added that the close bonds between the team members are also a factor in WA’s confident outlook. “The culture amongst the team is great,” he said. “Our preparation has seen a large emphasis being placed on understanding what it takes to foster strong individual performances in a team format, such as the Interstate Series.”
Chair of GolfWA’s Selection Committee, Shonna Gobby, believes the balance of the line-ups will give WA a realistic chance of success: “Our teams this year include experienced State and US College athletes who we believe will be able to support and bring out the best in the younger athletes that have also been selected,” she said.
WA team for Australian Interstate Matches
Women: Celine Chen (Joondalup), Amanda Gan (Mount Lawley), Amie Phobubpa (Joondalup), Erina Tan (Mount Lawley), Abbie Teasdale (Royal Fremantle)
Men: Tom Addy (Joondalup), Joseph Buttress (WAGC), Jordan Doull (Mount Lawley), Connor Fewkes (Goldfields GC – Team Captain), Joshua Greer (Joondalup)
Goldfields GC member Connor Fewkes will captain WA for the Interstate Teams Matches
You can keep up to date with the latest successes from WA elite golfers via the GolfWA news section and our Facebook, Insta and Twitter accounts. You can also subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter here.
