Brady Watt leads at Australian Master of Amateurs
Brady Watt
MELBOURNE, Australia (Jan. 9, 2013) -- What a difference a day makes … from almost perfect conditions for round one of the 2013 Australian Master of the Amateurs Championship, today it was much cooler and unsettled at Royal Melbourne Golf Club… and that produced plenty of movement at the top of the leader board.
Of the five players who shared the lead at this morning’s tee off, only top Australian amateur Brady Watt held his position. His 4-under leaves him two shots clear going into round three. Geoff Drakeford, whose home club Commonwealth is just down the road from Royal Melbourne, is no doubt used to Melbourne’s fickle weather and his 2-under sees him just two shots back.
Watt was just one of only two players in this field of 54 elite local and international golfers to shoot under 70 for the day. Englishman Garrick Porteous had six birdies on his way to an outstanding 67. The 21 year old, who improved seven strokes from yesterday, is probably hoping for more wind and rain over the final days of this event.
Porteous is one of a group of leading internationals now within six shots of the lead: Canadian Garrett Rank, Scottish teenager Ewan Scott, Teremoana Beaucousin from France, American Richard Lamb and Fiji’s Olaf Allen.
With the temperature set to rise again tomorrow, look for more movement in this field. Defending champion Nathan Holman, locals Ryan Ruffles and Todd Sinnott and German visitor Maximilian Roehig are among those within striking distance going into golf’s traditional “moving day”
Round three tees off at 8.30 tomorrow morning and there is no admission charge to Royal Melbourne Golf Club
ABOUT THE
Master of the Amateurs
The Master of the Amateurs, a 72-hole medal play
Championship,
has rapidly become one of the
elite championships in amateur golf. Like The
Masters, the champion
receives a Green Jacket. Contestants
participate in the first round of the
championship with professional golfers in a
unique Am-Pro Invitational.
The Master of the Amateurs winner gets an
invitation to the Porter
Cup in the U.S. Likewise the winners of those
two tournaments receive invitations to the
next Master of the Amateurs tournament.
A qualifying round (see tournament
website for date and handicap requirement)
allows
three non-exempt players to earn invitations
into the prestigious field.
View Complete Tournament Information