The WA Amateur Championship draw is wide open after a hatful of top seeds were eliminated on a dramatic day at Cottesloe Golf Club.
The men’s first and second seeds and the women’s second, third and fourth seeds slipped to defeat on a typically unpredictable day of match play golf.
The biggest shock of the day came early, with second seed Josiah Edwards knocked out by home-club favourite Paul Patterson in the first match play round.
Using all his experience and knowledge of the course, 55-year-old Patterson took an early three-hole lead over the 18-year-old Gosnells prodigy, which he refused to yield on the back nine.
Try as he might, Australian international Edwards couldn’t reel in his wily opponent, with Patterson ultimately triumphing 2&1 to progress into the second round.
Joondalup’s George Barclay – the 2024 champion – was also sent home early after clubmate Ronan Nayar overcame a three-hole deficit to pinch a 1UP win.
The upsets continued in the afternoon matches, with top seed Spencer Harrison ousted by WA junior teammate Nate Johnson.
Nate Johnson with caddie Drew Dubberlin after his fine win over Spencer Harrison
After motoring through his first round match, Harrison came unstuck against fellow 17-year-old Johnson, who threw down the gauntlet from the start with a tap-in eagle at the par-four first.
He kept his foot on the gas with three further birdies and was five-under-par for his round when the match concluded 4&3 in his favour.
“I’m stoked to get the win,” Johnson told GolfWA. “We both played solid golf, but I made it pretty hard for him. I didn’t have any bogeys and that eagle at the first was a great way to start.
“Spence is a great guy, we get on very well, and it’s a good confidence booster for me to get the win. There’s still a lot of golf to be played, but hopefully we can keep it going.”
Johnson’s reward is a quarter-final tie against Cottesloe GC member Michael Hanrahan Smith, who enjoyed an excellent win over Jordan Jung in the second round.
The top seed left standing in the men’s draw is Wanneroo GC’s Ollie Marsh, who recorded strong victories over James Dyer and Jakeb Dunkley today.
Aiming for a second state title after his stunning success in in 2023, Marsh will play Queenslander Justin Wei for a spot in the semi-finals on Saturday morning.
The men’s quarter finals draw is below. You can view all the match play scores from today here.
Men’s quarter final draw
Nate Johnson (16) vs Michael Hanrahan Smith (9)
Mason Burr (4) vs Kloden Brown (12)
Declan Pereira (18) vs Adam Baillie (10)
Ollie Marsh (3) vs Justin Wei (22)
Gan retains title challenge – just
Stroke play medalist Amanda Gan (Royal Fremantle) remains in the hunt for a second state crown, but she was pushed all the way by Isabella Leniartek in a fascinating quarter-final showdown.
Gan came through her first round match with Chanelle Maxwell with few problems, but had troubles with the putter during her afternoon clash, missing a succession of makeable putts to keep the door ajar for Royal Perth’s Leniartek.
After a draining first round match against Valerie Khuu that went to five extra holes before she ultimately prevailed, Leniartek kept pace with Gan on another hot afternoon but could never quite get her nose in front.
She levelled the match on 16 and had a great chance to take the lead on 17, only for Gan to save par after trouble off the tee.
The match went to the 19th hole, where Gan finally prevailed after Leniartek missed a short putt to keep the match alive.
“I wasn’t at my best today and my putting was pretty rough, but I held in there and got it done, so I’m happy with that,” a relieved Gan told GolfWA.
“It feels great to get another win and to keep progressing. I’ll need to do a bit of work on my putting before tomorrow’s match, but my confidence is definitely building.”
Amanda Gan’s bid for a second state title is still on the rails despite a tough day with the putter
Gan will take on Mount Lawley’s Sophie Williams in Saturday morning’s semi-final after Williams defeated club-mate Ruby Cotton by 1 hole in a tight afternoon tussle.
The second semi-final sees Lake Karrinyup’s Georgia Garner-Dart up against Royal Fremantle’s Taehee Woo after both were pushed hard in their quarter final matches.
Woo eventually outlasted second seed Sasha Hofman (Gosnells) in another titanic encounter that was only decided on the fourth playoff hole.
Garner-Dart, meanwhile, withered a strong comeback from Joondalup teen Sienna McCulloch to record a 2&1 win and reach the semis for the second year running.
McCulloch had earlier produced one of the rounds of the day in a 4&2 triumph over third seed Kortni Houston (Lakelands).
The women’s semi-finals draw is below. You can view all the match play scores from today here.
Women’s semi-final draw
Amanda Gan (1) vs Sophie Williams (5)
Georgia Garner-Dart (6) vs Taehee Woo (7)
Play commences at 7am on Saturday morning. Spectators are very welcome.
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