Men's QF, Women's SF set at Western Australia Amateur

CANNING VALE, Australia (March 17, 2017) -- The top four seeds reached the semifinals of the women’s Amateur Championships of Western Australia at Gosnells Golf Club on Friday. Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, who claimed the women’s Medal on Thursday as the leader after the strokeplay, ensured her progress with comfortable wins against Candice High (5&3) and Sasha Hofman (3&2). The Gosnells teenager was joined in the semifinals by Victorian second seed Montana Strauss (Long Island) and fellow WA Junior State squad members Kirsten Rudgeley (Wanneroo) and Kathryn Norris (Mandurah). Men’s Medallist Ben Ferguson (The Vines) secured his safe passage through to the quarterfinals, defeating Kristopher Cole (Liverpool, 3&2) and Lochie Coleburn (Mt Coolum, 7&5), although there were some high-profile upsets. Queenslander Zach Maxwell (Virginia) claimed the most significant scalp as he beat second-seeded Victorian Jack Murdoch (Kingston Heath, 2&1) to book a last-eight clash with 2016 WA Senior Amateur Championship winner Paul Chappell. US Junior Amateur champion Min Woo Lee (Royal Fremantle) had to survive a couple of close contests to book his place in the last-eight as he first overcame Cooper Geddes (Mandurah, 2&1) before holding off fifth seed Kiran Day (Cottesloe, 1up) on the last to make sure he stayed alive into the weekend. Lee will face the lowest-ranked player still in the tournament, 29th seed Lachlan Barker, in the quarterfinals after he overcame Robbie Morrison on the last. Third seed Adam Hatch (Royal Perth) continued his steady week so far as he beat Josh Greer (Joondalup, 4&3) and Marc Ong (3&2) while Haydn Barron (WAGC) pipped Lucas Higgins (Burleigh, 1up) in an enthralling contest. Barron had to scramble for the win, highlighted by his performance on the par-five fifth when he chipped in from off the green to halve the hole. Barron had been forced to play his third onto a parallel fairway after finding trouble but somehow found a way to make par before watching Higgins miss a putt to win the hole. Tony McFadyean (Joondalup) booked his place in the last-eight with a 3&2 win over eighth-seeded Queenslander Connor Edmonds (Indooroopilly). The women’s semifinals will be staged on Saturday morning with Hinson-Tolchard to play Norris, who defeated Abbie Teasdale 5&3 in their quarterfinal. Strauss will meet first-round leader Rudgeley in the other semifinal after the Victorian continued to impress with wins against Susan Plug (6&5) and Jade Shellback (The National, 4&3).