Australian Amateur tees off in Melbourne

The first round of the 2013 Australian Amateur Championship presented by Audi Australia tees off this morning with 288 of the world’s best men and women amateur golfers vying for Australia’s oldest amateur event.

The format comprises of  36-holes of qualifying over the opening two days with the leading 64 men and 32 women then contesting elimination match play for the rest of the event. Former winners if the illustrious title include  Michael Clayton, Michael Campbell, Matt Goggin, Brett Rumford, Kristie Smith, and Nikki Campbell.

Australian players in the Men’s Championship include 2012 Australian Amateur Medalist Cameron Smith (Qld),Brady Watt (WA), and National Squad Member Brett Drewitt (NSW), while Viraat Badhwar (Qld) and Su-Hyun Oh (Vic) are favourites for the Women’s event.

In addition, 50 international players have made the trip to Commonwealth and Woodlands golf courses hoping to get their hands on the trophy. They include world’s number 1 female golfer and defending champion, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and four-time US Mid-Amateur Champion Meghan Stasi.