Q Golf - Official online magazine for Golf Queensland Spring 2015 | Page 20
AMATEURS GOBBLE UP
PRO LESSONS
By Mark Hayes
There were 13 Queensland amateurs among the 16
who pegged it up in the Isuzu Queensland Open.
Two of the four who made the cut to play this
weekend proudly wear the maroon of Golf
Queensland and the Queensland Academy of Sport,
the golfing department of which is based on site
at Brookwater. But when the group next comes
together, there will be hundreds of stories.
Because while Victorian Zach Murray and New
South Welshman Travis Smyth joined Queensland
state team players Blake Proverbs and Jake McLeod
in the weekend action, the experience for all 13 had
already been invaluable.
Promising Anthony Quayle, already the winner of
this year’s Pacific Northwest Amateur in Oregon,
fell on the wrong side of the +5 cut, missing by two
strokes.
But he said the lessons he took from playing in his
state Open championship have been invaluable as
he eyes a future pro career.
“For all 13 of us, it’s a good chance to try to
learn from the tour pros we’re playing with and
see how we stack up against them,” Quayle said.
“Regardless of how we’ve played, if we can take a
few lessons from it and move forward, it’s definitely
a good event for us.”
Anthony Quayle said the
experience was invaluable.
20 Q Golf Spring 2015
And highlighting the camaraderie among amateurs
of his generation, and particularly at the QAS,
Quayle said there would “absolutely be pooling” of
information in next week’s debrief. “I’m sure we’ll
all talk about a few shots we shouldn’t have hit and
whether we had a putt to make the cut,” he said.
“I’m sure there’s a couple of us still here with the
capability to be in contention on Sunday (final day).
So yeah, it will be great to get back to QAS and
share our stories and information – it helps us get
better.”
Quayle said his colleagues, inspired by the
major championship winning heroics of fellow
Queenslanders Jason Day and Adam Scott, had a
pathway that was world class.
“What Golf Australia and Golf Queensland, through
the Queensland Academy of Sport, are doing is
generating a lot of good, strong players. What
Jason is doing, what Adam was doing 18 months or
so ago, it’s definitely inspiring this generation that’s
coming through now.
“I think it’s a credit to the two organisations who
are working with the juniors and amateurs – they’re
starting young and Australian golf will see the
benefits in years to come. Everything goes hand in
hand with what Jason is doing, the two programs
are doing and obviously the work the amateurs are
putting into the game now to make sure we get
there as well.”
The 2015 TB Hunter Cup winner
David Bransdon.
www.golfqueensland.org.au