Australian David Micheluzzi is one win away from the title
(Anthony Powter photo)
KARRINYUP, Australia (January 20, 2018) - David Micheluzzi has been the dominant force at Lake Karrinyup this week – and he’s hoping it will last one more day at the Australian Amateur Championship, presented by Swinging Skirts.
Micheluzzi, of Victoria, was finally taken full distance in his quarter-final win this morning over Daiki Imano, but flexed his muscle this afternoon with a powerhouse 5&3 win over Queensland’s Shae Wools-Cobb.
Remarkably, he has finished three of his five matches to date on the 15th green, so imperious has been his form.
And in taking down 2017 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship contender Wools-Cobb, he franked the form that had him arrive in Perth a favourite after back-to-back wins in Victoria in the past six weeks.
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“I played really well and my short game was on – the second match was awesome, even though my full game wasn’t there,” Micheluzzi said.
“I’ve had a pretty good tournament, so hopefully I’ll just keep on doing what I’m doing.”
To earn the spoils as Australian Amateur champion, including a start at the 2018 Australian Open, the 21-year-old must beat rising Japanese star Keita Nakajima.
Nakajima, just 17, praised his South Australian coach Gareth Jones after his impressive 2&1 victory over New Zealand’s Jordan Woodall, which ended with a quality birdie on the 17th to quell the Kiwi’s late rally.
“My course management has been good,” said Nakajima, who said he’d taken a shine to Lake Karrinyup on his first visit.
“It’s a good course. I like it.”
WOMEN'S AUSTRALIAN AMATEUR
The women’s final will also feature a Japanese player with the ultra-consistent Suzuka Yamaguchi to tackle pre-tournament favourite Ayean Cho, of Korea.
Cho, the medallist and also runner-up two years ago when beaten by countrywoman Min-ji Park at Metropolitan, was again impressive in beating Taiwan’s Han Hsuan Yu 4&3 after a 6&5 romp in her earlier quarter-final.
But in Yamaguchi, 17, the second seed and already having played a US Women’s Open, she won’t have it all her own way in the final.
ABOUT THE Australian Men's Amateur
The Australian Men's and Women's
Amateur
Championships are Australia's oldest
Amateur
Golf Championships, with both having
been
played since 1894. Long held as a match play event,
in 2021 the format changed to 72 holes
of stroke play.
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