British amateur championship match-play news
Top seed Hutsby goes out as
Macaulay marches on
FROM THE R&A TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
Scotland's Callum Macaulay showed blistering form in the first match-play round of the Amateur Championship at Turnberry, but Sam Hutsby, medallist in the stroke-play phase, is out already. Macaulay raced to five up with six holes to play against his compatriot Neil Henderson, and despite a brief fight back the Tulliallan player finished off the match on the par-3 15th hole where he hit a 3-iron to four feet, at which point Henderson conceded the match.
"I hit a few loose shots but generally drove the ball very solid," Macaulay said afterwards. "The course is a bit softer today which lets you play a bit further up the green. And match play lets you be more aggressive, which I really like."
Hutsby fared worse, however, losing 3 and 2 to T.J. Bordeaux of the USA. From the very beginning, the Englishman never produced the same golf that took him to the top of the leaderboard after the 36-hole stroke play phase of the Championship.
A double bogey on the first put him on the back foot immediately, but it was his poor stretch a few holes later that really shook his confidence. Hutsby missed a two-footer on the fifth and three-putted the sixth before missing a six foot putt for birdie on the seventh to leave his American opponent two up.
Bordeaux, for his part, never faltered, eventually finishing the match off with a six foot birdie on the 16th.
“T.J.’s short game is really solid, and my putting let me down,” Hutsby said afterwards, admitting that he’d half expected his short putt on the fifth to be conceded. While for the past couple of years the top stroke play golfer has got through the first round of the match play, there is a long history of medallists being knocked out in the first round, a fact that Hutsby was unaware of.
NIGEL EDWARDS OVER FIRST HURDLE
Nigel Edwards, the four-time Walker Cup player, is safely through to the second round. The Welshman didn't get off to the best of starts, losing the third hole, but kick-started his round soon after by winning three holes in a row from the fifth and continued to apply pressure thereafter.
Edwards' English opponent, Mark Thistleton,found himself four down at the turn and was never able to get back on terms, with the match eventually finishing 4 and 3.
For Edwards, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the first time he played in the event. The 39-year-old has never won the title, but with his best ever finish as recent as 2005 - where he lost in the quarter final to Oliver Fisher - he still has every hope of lifting the trophy.
"I'm just like everyone else: I'm not here to lose. And experience definitely helps around places like this." he said. "Winning The Amateur would be a dream."
There are three Scots through to Thursday's second round - Callum Macaulay, Steven McEwan (Caprington, Ayrshire) and Kevin McAlpine from Alyth.
HOW SCOTS FARED IN FIRST ROUND
P Figueiredo (Portugal) bt L Kirton (Newmachar) 2 and 1.
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) bt N Henderson (Glen) 4 and 3.
K McAlpine (Alyth) bt Joon Kim (Italy) 3 and 1.
S McEwan (Caprington) bt M Nixon (Ashton under Lyne) 2 and 1.
J Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt Z Culverwell (Dunbar) 4 and 2.
SECOND-ROUND TIES ON THURSDAY
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) v J Carroll (Huyton & Prescot).
S McEwan (Caprington) v J Amos (Kilworth Springs).
K McAlpine (Alyth) v D Markle (Canada).
THE COMPLETE FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
T Bordeaux (USA) bt S Hutsby (Liphook) 3&2, J Barnes (Chart Hills) bt D Antonelli (Fra) 4&2, R Saxton (Ned) bt Z Gould (Vale of Glamorgan) 4&2, T Prowse (Aus) bt F Colombo (Ita) 3&1.
SArnold (Aus) bt B Hebert (Fra) 3&1, D Whitnell (Five Lakes) bt D Corsby Lytham & St Annes) 2&1, P Figueiredo (Por) bt L Kirton (Newmachar) 2&1, J Abbott (Fynn Valley) bt E Richardson (Rye) 2 holes.
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) bt N Henderson (The Glen) 4&3, J Carroll (Huyton & Prescot) bt L Renolds (Can) 3&2, J Frazer (Pennard) bt N Kearney (Royal Dublin) at the 19th, I Elvira (Spa) bt A Hogan (Newlands) 2&1, K McAlpine (Alyth) bt J Kim (Ita) 3&1, D Markle (Can) bt A John (Ger) 2&1, J Vickery (Newport) bt M Glauert (Ger) 1 hole, B Westgate (Trevose) bt N Bertasio (Ita) 3&1.
A Sullivan (Nuneaton) bt A Mitchell (USA) 4&3, N Edwards (Whitchurch) bt MThistleton (Hayling) 4&3, M Kieffer (Ger) bt D Coupland (Boston) 2&1, B Rankin (USA) bt J Gill (Nzl) 2&1.
S McEwan (Caprington) bt M Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne) 3&2, J Amos (Kilworth Springs) bt J Stalter (Fra) 1 hole, R Gibson (Aus) bt J Blixt (Swe) 1 hole, A Pavan (Ita) bt D Ferreira (RSA) 2&1.
J Campillo (Spa) bt S Uzzell (Hornsea) 1 hole, G Shaw (Lurgan) bt J Blaauw (RSA) 4&3, C Paisley (Stocksfield) bt F Keenan (Sunningdale) 1 hole, CWood (Long Ashton) bt T Stewart (Aus) 3&2, J Guillet (Fra) w/o M Cryer (Coventry) scr, T Fleetwood (Formby) bt J Van De Vaart (Ned) 3&1, F De Vries (Ned) bt C Ford (Kirby M) 1 hole, J Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt A Culverwell (Dunbar) 4&3.
Macaulay marches on
FROM THE R&A TOURNAMENT WEBSITE
Scotland's Callum Macaulay showed blistering form in the first match-play round of the Amateur Championship at Turnberry, but Sam Hutsby, medallist in the stroke-play phase, is out already. Macaulay raced to five up with six holes to play against his compatriot Neil Henderson, and despite a brief fight back the Tulliallan player finished off the match on the par-3 15th hole where he hit a 3-iron to four feet, at which point Henderson conceded the match.
"I hit a few loose shots but generally drove the ball very solid," Macaulay said afterwards. "The course is a bit softer today which lets you play a bit further up the green. And match play lets you be more aggressive, which I really like."
Hutsby fared worse, however, losing 3 and 2 to T.J. Bordeaux of the USA. From the very beginning, the Englishman never produced the same golf that took him to the top of the leaderboard after the 36-hole stroke play phase of the Championship.
A double bogey on the first put him on the back foot immediately, but it was his poor stretch a few holes later that really shook his confidence. Hutsby missed a two-footer on the fifth and three-putted the sixth before missing a six foot putt for birdie on the seventh to leave his American opponent two up.
Bordeaux, for his part, never faltered, eventually finishing the match off with a six foot birdie on the 16th.
“T.J.’s short game is really solid, and my putting let me down,” Hutsby said afterwards, admitting that he’d half expected his short putt on the fifth to be conceded. While for the past couple of years the top stroke play golfer has got through the first round of the match play, there is a long history of medallists being knocked out in the first round, a fact that Hutsby was unaware of.
NIGEL EDWARDS OVER FIRST HURDLE
Nigel Edwards, the four-time Walker Cup player, is safely through to the second round. The Welshman didn't get off to the best of starts, losing the third hole, but kick-started his round soon after by winning three holes in a row from the fifth and continued to apply pressure thereafter.
Edwards' English opponent, Mark Thistleton,found himself four down at the turn and was never able to get back on terms, with the match eventually finishing 4 and 3.
For Edwards, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the first time he played in the event. The 39-year-old has never won the title, but with his best ever finish as recent as 2005 - where he lost in the quarter final to Oliver Fisher - he still has every hope of lifting the trophy.
"I'm just like everyone else: I'm not here to lose. And experience definitely helps around places like this." he said. "Winning The Amateur would be a dream."
There are three Scots through to Thursday's second round - Callum Macaulay, Steven McEwan (Caprington, Ayrshire) and Kevin McAlpine from Alyth.
HOW SCOTS FARED IN FIRST ROUND
P Figueiredo (Portugal) bt L Kirton (Newmachar) 2 and 1.
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) bt N Henderson (Glen) 4 and 3.
K McAlpine (Alyth) bt Joon Kim (Italy) 3 and 1.
S McEwan (Caprington) bt M Nixon (Ashton under Lyne) 2 and 1.
J Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt Z Culverwell (Dunbar) 4 and 2.
SECOND-ROUND TIES ON THURSDAY
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) v J Carroll (Huyton & Prescot).
S McEwan (Caprington) v J Amos (Kilworth Springs).
K McAlpine (Alyth) v D Markle (Canada).
THE COMPLETE FIRST-ROUND SCOREBOARD
T Bordeaux (USA) bt S Hutsby (Liphook) 3&2, J Barnes (Chart Hills) bt D Antonelli (Fra) 4&2, R Saxton (Ned) bt Z Gould (Vale of Glamorgan) 4&2, T Prowse (Aus) bt F Colombo (Ita) 3&1.
SArnold (Aus) bt B Hebert (Fra) 3&1, D Whitnell (Five Lakes) bt D Corsby Lytham & St Annes) 2&1, P Figueiredo (Por) bt L Kirton (Newmachar) 2&1, J Abbott (Fynn Valley) bt E Richardson (Rye) 2 holes.
C Macaulay (Tulliallan) bt N Henderson (The Glen) 4&3, J Carroll (Huyton & Prescot) bt L Renolds (Can) 3&2, J Frazer (Pennard) bt N Kearney (Royal Dublin) at the 19th, I Elvira (Spa) bt A Hogan (Newlands) 2&1, K McAlpine (Alyth) bt J Kim (Ita) 3&1, D Markle (Can) bt A John (Ger) 2&1, J Vickery (Newport) bt M Glauert (Ger) 1 hole, B Westgate (Trevose) bt N Bertasio (Ita) 3&1.
A Sullivan (Nuneaton) bt A Mitchell (USA) 4&3, N Edwards (Whitchurch) bt MThistleton (Hayling) 4&3, M Kieffer (Ger) bt D Coupland (Boston) 2&1, B Rankin (USA) bt J Gill (Nzl) 2&1.
S McEwan (Caprington) bt M Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne) 3&2, J Amos (Kilworth Springs) bt J Stalter (Fra) 1 hole, R Gibson (Aus) bt J Blixt (Swe) 1 hole, A Pavan (Ita) bt D Ferreira (RSA) 2&1.
J Campillo (Spa) bt S Uzzell (Hornsea) 1 hole, G Shaw (Lurgan) bt J Blaauw (RSA) 4&3, C Paisley (Stocksfield) bt F Keenan (Sunningdale) 1 hole, CWood (Long Ashton) bt T Stewart (Aus) 3&2, J Guillet (Fra) w/o M Cryer (Coventry) scr, T Fleetwood (Formby) bt J Van De Vaart (Ned) 3&1, F De Vries (Ned) bt C Ford (Kirby M) 1 hole, J Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt A Culverwell (Dunbar) 4&3.
Labels: Amateur Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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