WA is out of the title hunt at the Australian Interstate Teams Matches in Sydney after defeats at the hands of NSW and South Australia on day two.
Having lost their two opening encounters against QLD and Victoria yesterday, WA needed to win both of today’s matches to stand an outside chance of reaching Thursday’s final at St Michael’s Golf Club.
It was not to be, however, with the experienced lineups of the eastern states’ sides having the edge over a transitional WA team for whom several players were making their debuts at senior level.
Hosts NSW were in dire need of a win themselves during the morning tie with WA after slipping to defeat against QLD on day one and home advantage – allied with a team packed with talent – helped carry them to a 5.5-2.5 victory.
There was some consolation for WA in the blistering form of Jordan Doull, though. The Mount Lawley man won both his matches on day one and was in sublime form as he beat Daley Loumanis 6&5 at the New South Welshman’s home club to extend his 100% record.
WA skipper Connor Fewkes bagged his first point of the series with a 4&2 win over Jye Pickin, while Josh Greer (pictured above) earned a half-point in a high-quality clash with his Australian International team-mate Harrison Crowe – the highest-ranked player in the field at #39 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
The afternoon match against South Australia went much the same way. Despite several close encounters, WA ultimately succumbed 5-3 with even the indomitable Doull’s winning run coming to an end in a 1-hole loss to Harry Coote.
There was, however, reason for cheer with debutant Erina Tan eking out a 1UP success over Amelia Whinney, Celine Chen crushing Matilda Miels 7&5 and Abbie Teasdale winning the last hole to earn a 1UP victory over fellow Australia international Caitlin Peirce.
Celine Chen put in the performance of the day with a 7&5 win over SA’s Matilda Miels
And while WA is scrapping it out at the wrong end of the leaderboard there are still many positives to take away, says Team Manager Catherine Strickland.
“A lot of the matches have gone down to the wire with very little to choose from between the individual players,” she said. “It’s frustrating for the players to lose matches like that, but it’s all part of the learning experience.
“We’ve also seen some great performances today with Abbie and Erina’s wins really gutsy, Josh’s half with Harrison just a top-class match and Celine finding her best form against Matlida. And of course, Jordan has been immense this week and can feel very proud of his efforts.”
WA takes on Tasmania in their final match tomorrow morning needing a win to avoid the wooden spoon. NSW faces table-topping SA, while QLD plays Victoria.
Match 3 vs NSW
Amie Phobubpa lost 3&1 to Rachel Lee
Jordan Doull beat Daley Loumanis 6&5
Celine Chen lost 3&2 to Annika Rathbone
Joe Buttress lost 2&1 to Declan O’Donovan
Erina Tan lost 4&2 to June Song
Connor Fewkes beat Jye Pickin 4&2
Abbie Teasdale lost 3&2 to Belinda Ji
Josh Greer halved with Harrison Crowe
Final score: WA 2.5 – 5.5 NSW
Match 4 vs SA
Amanda Gann lost 3&1 to Raegan Denton
Jordan Doull lost to Harry Coote 1DOWN
Celine Chen beat Matilda Miels 7&5
Tom Addy lost 3&2 to Kyle Hayter
Erina Tan beat Amelia Whinney 1UP
Connor Fewkes lost 2&1 to Sam Earl
Abbie Teasdale halved with Caitlin Peirce
Josh Greer lost 2&1 to Jack Buchanan
Final score: WA 3 – 5 SA
You can view the full day’s scores and tables here.
Image credits: Australian Golf Media/Golf NSW
You can follow live scoring of the event on the Golf Australia website. You’ll also be able to keep up with WA’s progress on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds.
