Australia has named two WA golfers in their power-packed teams for October’s World Amateur Team Championships in Abu Dhabi.
Perth’s US college golf sensation Maddison Hinson-Tolchard headlines the women’s team that will compete for the Espirito Santo Trophy from October 25-28. Her teammates will be Queenslander Justice Bosio and South Australian Caitlin Peirce.
The men’s team, meanwhile, will be spearheaded by WA’s Karl Vilips, who is entering his final year at Stanford University. Alongside two-time Australian Junior Amateur champion Jeffrey Guan and South Australia’s Jack Buchanan, Vilips will represent Australia in the Eisenhower Trophy from October 18-21.
Of the six Aussies in action, only Hinson-Tolchard has previously represented Australia at this event after she accompanied fellow WA state player Kirsten Rudgeley and Kelsey Bennett (NSW) to a 14th-place finish in the 2022 championship in France.
It is the latest in a string of achievements for 21-year-old Hinson-Tolchard, who has excelled on the US college circuit for Oklahoma State University over the past two years.
In a standout 2023, she won the NCAA Big 12 Championship, represented the International Team in the Palmer Cup and qualified for the US Women’s Open – but says making the Australia team for the World Amateur is still a big deal.
“It’s awesome to have been selected to play in world teams for a second year,” Hinson-Tolchard told GolfWA. “It’s always an honour to represent Australia, so I’m really excited to go to Abu Dhabi and give it my all.”
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard after winning the 2023 Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship in May
Vilips follows in the footsteps of WA stars Hayden Hopewell and Connor McKinney, who, along with NSW ace Harrison Crowe, were part of the Australia team that finished in 15th place in last year’s Eisenhower Trophy.
Twenty-two-year-old Vilips moved stateside from Perth several years ago and has a track record of excellence in both junior and college golf. Amongst his notable achievements were qualifying for the 2023 US Open, winning gold at the 2018 Youth Olympics and twice representing the Rest of the World in the Junior Presidents Cup.
“The World Amateur is the pinnacle of amateur teams golf, and it’s an important step for the players toward our main focus of helping our elite amateurs transition into elite professional golfers,” said Tony Meyer, Golf Australia’s Director of High Performance.
The World Amateur Team Championships will be played at Abu Dhabi Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. Australia’s last Eisenhower Trophy win was in 2016 for the team of Cam Davis, Harrison Endycott and WA’s Curtis Luck. The Espirito Santo Trophy last went Australia’s way in 2014 for the team of Minjee Lee, Su Oh and Shelly Shin.
Image credits: USGA / Getty Images
