SA geared up for Australian Amateur Open

South Africa’s Bertine Strauss, Lora Assad and 16-year-old juniors Ivanna Samu and Eleonora Galletti are primed defy the weather at the Australian Amateur Open and attack the two challenging championship courses at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney on Tuesday.

The quartet will play The Lakes in the morning and The Australian in the afternoon and all four are fired up to measure themselves against some of the world’s top amateurs.

“We arrived on Saturday and settled into our hotel,” wrote Women’s Golf South Africa president, Karen Olivant.

“Our hotel in the heart of Chinatown and right across the train station, which makes it very easy to get to the circular quay, the hub of all transport in Sydney

“The team and I took two British and four Canadian girls with us on the ferry across Sydney harbor to Manly, a beach resort. We all had supper and a wander on the beach, then headed back to Sydney in time to see the wonderful bridge & the Opera house at night with all the lights on.”

The team played their first practice round in the stifling hot weather and really enjoyed the windy, overcast conditions during the second round.

“All four players enjoyed the practice round,” said Olivant.

“The girls are striking the ball really well and they all thought the course magnificent.”

Africa Youth Games bronze medallist Galletti will tee off first at 07h57, followed by reigning Sanlam SA Women’s Amateur champion Samu at 07h57.

The Texas State University student Assad is up at 08h24 and Koster golfer Strauss, a senior at the University of Texas, completes the line up at 08h33.