Dreyer and Ford qualify for Amateur Match Play

Ryan Dreyer, came back well with a two under par 70 to qualifying for the match playBoth Adrian Ford (74) and Ryan Dreyer (70) qualified for the match play stages of the 114th Amateur Championship on Tuesday. They finished the 36 hole Stroke Play Qualifying Round on the same score, namely 147, three over par. Of the eleven South Africans participating, Dreyer and Ford were the only players to successfully qualify.

The Amateur Championship’s Qualifying is being played at two golf courses just north of Liverpool, England.

The 36 year old Glacier SA Amateur Champion, Ryan Dreyer, playing at Formby Golf Club, recorded five birdies and three bogeys for his 70, two under par, on Tuesday.

Adrian Ford, the 22 year old Western Province amateur, from Durbanville Golf Club, recorded a two over par 74. Playing the West Lancashire layout, Ford turned in 35, one under par, made up of two birdies and a bogey. Going down the back nine he nearly blew his chances of getting into the match play of this prestigious Championship when he recorded four bogeys in a row, starting at the 11th hole. A birdie on hole 16 pulled him back one shot. He concluded the back nine in 39, three over par.

Winner of the Qualifying was overnight leader Matteo Manassero, who recorded a 70, two under par, at Formby. Combined with his new course record at West Lancashire on Monday, a seven under par 65, gave the 16 year old Italian from Verona at 36 hole total of 135, nine under par, four shots clear of the field. Manassero became the youngest player to have won the qualifying in since its inception into the Amateur Championship in 1983.

Reiner Saxton (Netherlands), the defending champion, recorded his second consecutive 70, two under par, to also qualify for the match play stage and keep his hopes of being the first person since Peter McEvoy, in 1978, to successfully defend his title.

The first and second round of the match play starts tomorrow (Wednesday). All matches will be played at Formsby Golf Club over 18 holes, except the final, which will be decided over 36 holes. Both South Africans tee off in the morning, in the first round, and if they win will go through the second round which will be played in the afternoon.

114th Amateur Championship: 36 hole Stroke Play Qualifying Final Results: Leaders
Formsby and West Lancashire Golf Club (The name of the course a player played on Tuesday is recorded in brackets after his nationality – F denotes Formby and W denotes West Lancashire)
(Par for both courses is 72)
135 – Matteo Manassero (ITA) (F) (65,70)
139 – Nigel Edwards (WAL) (F) (67,72), Sam Hutsby (ENG) (W) (68,71)
140 – Jack Bartlett (ENG) (W) (69,71), Gavin Dear (SCO) (W) (69,71), Reiner Saxton (NED) (W) (70,70), Brendan Smith (AUS) (F) (70,70), Matt Jager (AUS) (W) (66,74)
141 – Jasper Kennegard (SWE) (W) (68,73), Fredrik Qvicker (SWE) (W) (72,69), Stefan Wiedergruen (GER) (F) (71,70), Tommy King (ENG) (F) (73,68), Stephen Jager (GER) (F) (68,73), Maximilian Kiefer (GER) (F) (69,72)
Leading South African players’ scores:
147 – Adrian Ford (W) (73,74), Ryan Dreyer (F) (77,70)
148 – Derik Ferreira (W) (73,75)
151 – Steven Ferreira (W) (74,77), Michael Loppnow (W) (79,72)
155 – Ryan Clatworthy (W) (77,78), Mark Fensham (F) (78,77), Nicol van Wyk (F) (79,76), Jake Redman (F) (78,77)
158 – Nabeel Umerji (ZIM) (F) (80,78)
159 – Yubin Jung (F) (82,77)
164 – Rae Mackie (F) (81,83)

Posted in