WA’s top amateurs warmed up for next month’s interstate series in fine style by overcoming a team of professionals at Royal Perth.
The match play exhibition pitted all 10 members of WA’s men’s and women’s state teams against a PGA of Australia lineup comprising tour pros and teaching professionals.
There was no shortage of star power in the PGA team either, with global tour winners Haydn Barron, Hayden Hopewell, Jordan Doull, Curtis Luck, Brett Rumford and Abbie Teasdale amongst those lining up.
The amateurs were not overawed, however, and Katie Seol, Amanda Gan and Kortni Houston put early points on the board with comfortable wins over Bronte Colbert, Nicole Martino and Jemima Barclay respectively.
Most of the other matches were much tighter contests, though, with several going right down to the wire.
Amongst the notable results, Joondalup Country Club’s Nate Johnson reeled in Brett Rumford to eke out a hard-fought 1UP victory with a birdie at the last. At the same time, WA state stalwart Amie Phobubpa accounted for Kathryn Norris 3&2.
However, the PGA side fought back with Jordan Doull, Hayden Hopewell and Abbie Teasdale securing narrow wins over Spencer Harrison, George Barclay and Valerie Khuu.
With the overall match result hanging in the balance, Curtis Luck sensationally eagled the last to beat reigning WA Men’s Amateur Champion Adam Baillie 1UP and cut the PGA side’s deficit to one point.
Josiah Edwards (right) fired a sublime eagle at the last to halve his match with Haydn Barron
There was also a grandstand finish in the final men’s match between Josiah Edwards and Haydn Barron.
Former WA state captain Barron — now a winner on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia — was 1UP standing on the tee at the par-five 18th.
A halved hole would have squared the match at 5-5, but big-hitting Edwards is nothing if not a showman, and he produced a world-class eagle tow in the hole, halve the match and shepherd the WA state team to a 5.5-4.5 victory.
Everyone’s a winner
While the match was played in a relaxed spirit, GolfWA High Performance Manager Rick Kulacz said the experience will have a tangible benefit for his team ahead of next month’s Australian Interstate Teams Matches.
“In terms of performance, getting a win is always great, especially against a stacked PGA Team,” he said.
“Even more important, though, are the conversations and guidance that our players received from the pros. It goes a long way, not just for the interstate series, but for their future development as golfers.
“The way our players handled themselves late in matches was also extremely impressive. That type of grittiness will be vital at the interstate series, where every point and every halved match really matters.”
Speaking on behalf of the PGA team, Curtis Luck added that the professionals also have plenty to gain from events of this nature.
“It’s great for us to come out and play some competitive golf at a quiet time of year,” he said.
“One of the biggest positives for me personally is getting the chance to meet these younger players. The WA crew has always been a really tight-knit bunch, and I think we’re very good at looking out for each other.
“Some of these guys are going to be out on tour in the future, so having that relationship and being able to help them along the way is a really good thing.”
WA will be competing in the Australian Interstate Teams Matches at Glenelg GC, South Australia, from May 5-7.
Match play results
Keep up with the latest WA golf news via the GolfWA news section and our Facebook and Insta accounts. You can also subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter here.
