American Ian Gilligan takes commanding lead at Australian Master of the Amateurs

January 4, 2025 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com

Ian Gilligan (Florida Athletics Photo)

Gilligan shot a second round 8-under 64 to tie the course record, while Raegan Denton took the lead in the women's division

Florida standout and 2024 Western Amateur champion Ian Gilligan shot a second round 8-under 64 to propel to the top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Australian Master of the Amateurs at Southern Golf Club in Keysborough, Australia.

Gilligan recorded nine birdies and one bogey en route to the 64, a tie for the course record. First-round leader Kai Komulainen also tied the course at Southern Golf Club with an 8-under 64.

The Tennessee freshman recorded nine birdies and one bogey, including birdies on holes No. 15 through 18, to get into the clubhouse at 8-under in the opening 18 holes.

Gilligan is now 12-under after rounds of 68-64 and leads by four shots at the halfway point. He is currently ranked No. 7 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.

Past winners include Lukas Michel (2021), Sahith Theegala (2020), and Aaron Wise (2017).

In the women's division, Australian Raegan Denton shot a second-round 4-under 69 to get to 7-under overall and take a one-shot lead. Denton recorded five birdies and one bogey in her second round.

Ella Scaysbrook is in solo second place, and Rianne Malixi, Sarah Hammett, and Hyojin Yang are T3 at 4-under.

Malixi won the 2024 championship, which started her year of winning two USGA championships on top of the Masters of the Amateurs. She won the U.S. Girls Junior and the U.S. Women's Amateur.

Second round highlights

Results: Master of the Amateurs

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Ian Gilligan	Reno, NV	1000	68-64-70-72=274
2	Kai Komulainen	, Australia	700	64-72-68-71=275
3	Harry Takis	, Australia	500	65-72-69-70=276
4	Jye Halls	, Australia	500	69-67-75-69=280
T5	Billy Dowling	, Australia	500	70-73-68-70=281

View full results for Master of the Amateurs

About the Master of the Amateurs

American Ian Gilligan takes commanding lead at Australian Master of the Amateurs

The Master of the Amateurs, a 72-hole medal play Championship, has rapidly become one of the elite championships in amateur golf. Like The Masters, the champion receives a Green Jacket. Contestants participate in the first round of the championship w...