The diary of an elite amateur golfer... January 2023 recap edition
Welcome back to another blog! This week I wanted to recap some of my tournament results this January and take you through how I reflect on each tournament. I find reflecting is important in the development of my game as it gives me time to think about how I can further develop as a player. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!
Australian Amateur
The first tournament that I played in this month was the Australian Amateur held at St Michaels and New South Wales golf clubs. I finished the week at eight over par which tied for 33rd. Overall there were a lot of positives to take away from this tournament.
The highlight of the week was my six under par round at St Michaels golf club, on the first day of the event. It was the first time in a while that I had shot under par. This was something that I was extremely pleased with as it showed myself that my game was where I wanted it to be, and that I could play with confidence going forward.
My other three rounds at New South Wales golf club were not the best. I didn’t feel comfortable playing the course and could not bring myself to attack the pins. I only had one practice round leading up to the event, and I feel that I should have played it more to get more acquainted with the layout. The lack of preparation was what let me down during this tournament, and going forward it is something that I will keep in mind and improve on.
Avondale Amateur
The Avondale Amateur was my next event of the month, which was an event I had been looking forward to, as it is played at my home golf course. I finished in eighth place with a score of five over, which I was disappointed in. I felt that I should’ve played much better, as I did not take advantage of the birdie opportunities I had.
My coach caddied for a couple rounds of the tournament, which was great as he gave me insight into what he thought I needed to do better. We agreed that my putting was too hot and cold, and that my pitching and bunkers needed improvement. I would set up birdie opportunities and see the putts slide past every single time. It was frustrating, but showed me that if I just put in a little more work I would be holing them in no time. Overall I was happy with my top ten finish and felt that I was getting closer to having my game come together.
NSW Amateur
My last event of the month was the NSW Amateur at Ryde Parramatta and Pennant Hills golf clubs. This event is gruelling as it involves both a stroke play and match play section. There is a cut after two rounds of stroke play and the top sixteen women play in the match play in the following days. With how humid it was that week, it was definitely a challenge to keep on top of your hydration (side note: I wrote a blog on how to keep cool on the course last week, you can read it here).
I finished top ten in the stroke play and qualified for the match play section. I won my first match after being down for most of the day. I felt that I was not hitting it that great, but still managed to successfully beat my opponent. The next day I played the quarterfinal match which went to extra holes. Again, I was down for most of the day, but managed to take it to the 23rd hole to win the match. It was such a tough match mentally, and I was extremely happy with how I played and finished it off. Unfortunately, I lost my semi-final match, but I was still ecstatic with my result.
It felt amazing being able to be in contention for a national amateur and show myself that I had the potential to do it. This January was a hectic one for me, but I am still happy with how far I have come in the past six months. This is only the beginning for me and I am looking forward to the rest of the year.
I hope you enjoyed the blog this week! It was a little long, but I hope it gave you some insight on how I felt about each of my events. As always, thank you for reading and I’ll see you all next week!