WA made a promising start to the Interstate Teams Matches at Melville Glades Golf Club after going unbeaten on Day 1.
A gritty halved match with the much-fancied NSW in the morning session was followed by an afternoon win over South Australia on a day where WA showed resilience in the face of adversity.
The 4-4 tie with NSW in the round-robin match play team event was a particularly notable result, as WA were chasing the match for most of the session.
Despite impressive wins for WA duo Spencer Harrison and Josiah Edwards, NSW appeared to have too much in the tank until Amanda Gan and Amie Phobubpa both turned potential defeats into gritty 1UP wins against highly regarded opponents.
Two down at the mid-point of the match, Royal Fremantle’s Gan reeled off three holes in a row to edge ahead – and stay ahead – of Charlotte Perkins coming down the stretch.
Amanda Gan turned deficits into victories in both her matches today
Playing against NSW”s formidable Ella Scaysbrook, Phobubpa showed similar resolve to claw back a two-hole deficit and take the lead at the 17th before halving the last to complete a superb win.
The determination in evidence delivered a shot in the arm to the whole team heading into the afternoon session, with WA imposing themselves early on in a number of individual matches against their South Australian rivals.
SA have plenty of star quality in their lineup, however, and they refused to roll over without a fight. After Isabella Leniartek put the first point on the board for WA, Edwards and Harrison were again in scintillating form to post comfortable wins, but it was a lot closer in most of the match-ups.
WA had reason to be grateful to Gan once more, as she again turned around a deficit en route to a narrow victory over Stephanie Keylock.
Joondalup CC’s George Barclay, meanwhile, withstood a stern fightback by Sam Earl to win 1UP and clinch victory for the team with a tricky, sliding six-foot putt on the final green.
A job well done
WA state coach Jess Speechley was delighted by the tenacity shown by the team, which she said augurs well for the remaining two days of competition.
“We’re right where we need to be after day one, but we need to remain focused tomorrow to stay in contention,” Speechley told GolfWA.
“We showed a lot of resilience out there to get the results we needed. In past competitions we haven’t always achieved that, but the team was relaxed and patient today and everyone is in good spirits.”
WA have matches against Tasmania and Victoria on Tuesday. Win both of those and a potential title decider with Queensland lies ahead on Wednesday morning.
Play commences at 7.30am on Tuesday, with the afternoon matches teeing off at 12.30pm. Spectators are welcome to attend.
Former WA state skipper Haydn Barron (left) was on the bag for current state skipper Connor Fewkes today
Day 1 results
Morning – WA vs NSW
Conner Fewkes lost 4&3 to Declan O’Donovan
Amie Phobubpa won 1UP against Ella Scaysbrook
George Barclay lost 2&1 to Jye Halls
Valerie Khuu lost 1DOWN to Sophie Eppelstun
Spencer Harrison won 3&1 against Kayan Mudadana
Amanda Gan won 1UP against Charlotte Perkins
Josiah Edwards won 4&2 against Blake Phillips
Katie Seol lost 3&2 to Annika Rathbone
Final score: WA 4 – 4 NSW
Afternoon – WA vs South Australia
Josiah Edwards won 5&3 against Kade Bryant
Amie Phobubpa lost 2&1 to Reagan Denton
George Barclay won 1UP against Sam Earl
Valerie Khuu lost 4&3 against Amelia Whinney
Spencer Harrison won 4&2 against Billy Cawthorne
Amanda Gan won 2&1 against Stephanie Keylock
Adam Baillie lost 4&3 against Joshua Grundel
Isabella Leniartek won 2&1 against Jaime Hards
Final score: WA 5 – 3 SA
View all today’s results and standings here.
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