Royal Queensland – photo Bruce Young
Victorian golfer Andre Lautee leads the qualifiers in the Australian Men’s Amateur Championship at the completion of 36 holes of strokeplay at the Royal Queensland and Brisbane Golf Clubs today.
Lautee’s round of 66 at Royal Queensland today, saw the Kingston Heath Golf Club member win medallist honours by one over New Zealander Jimmy Zheng and Germany’s Marc Hammer.
The 20-year old has won the Victorian Amateur Championship in each of the last two years and is currently Australia’s third highest world ranked amateur but, while it is early days yet, he has an opportunity to advance his cause significantly this week.
Lautee was quickly out of the blocks today with five birdies in his first seven holes and appeared at that point as if he might walk away with the top honours but Auckland’s Zheng and Hammer would eventually finish within one.
In the Australian Women’s Amateur Championship, England’s Emily Toy, who seven months ago won the Women’s British Amateur Championship, has led the qualifiers by two shots over New South Welshwoman, Doey Choi, and Korea’s Min A Yoon.
Sydney’s Grace Kim and South Australian Ella Adams were next best, two shots back.
Toy, from the Carlyon Bay Golf Club in Cornwall, was unable to match the brilliance of her opening round 65 at the Brisbane Golf Club but a round of 71 at Royal Queensland was bettered only by Doey Choi today.
