Chris Campbell and Stacie McDonald both hold one shot leads heading into the final round of the Men’s and Women’s SRIXON NSW Mid-Amateur Championships at Yarrawonga – Mulwala Golf Club Resort.
Merewether’s Stacie McDonald will be looking to take out the biggest title in her playing career, heading into tomorrow’s final round. The 30 year-old added a second-round 79 to her opening 82 to hold a one-shot lead over the 2019 champion, Boinville’s Adele Douglas.
Overnight leader Ashleigh Arnold struggled with the tricky putting surfaces on the Lakes the layout, carding an 81.
SCORES:
MEN”S LEADERBOARD
WOMEN’S LEADERBOARD
“I wasn’t really happy with the way I played out there,” McDonald said post-round. “But at the end of the day, a scores a score and it’s a tournament and you can only compete against who is here,”
Originally from Queensland, McDonald is making her debut in the mid-amateur ranks after turning 30 just a few weeks ago.
After spending a large chunk of her youth chasing success – even at one stage considering a stint in college – McDonald walked away from the sport, only rekindling her love of the game in the last few years.
“I needed a break from it, but I’ve been back for almost three years now and I have got a love for it again,” McDonald said. ” I played all around Australia, all the junior events etc. but I had just lost the love of the game.”
Moving to Newcastle with her wife gave Mcdonald a chance to rediscover her love of the sport. Her game returned quickly, and success soon followed, winning a brace of district championships in Newcastle.
“I moved to Newcastle for love, My wife’s from there, her family, so I followed. settling down gave me a chance to play again.”
As for a strategy heading into tomorrow’s final round and chasing what will be one of the biggest wins of her life, McDonald said her key would be pretty straightforward.
“Breathe. Tomorrow is going to simply be about staying calm, not getting to quick.”
In the men’s, Chris Campbell holds a one shot lead heading into the final round of the Srixon NSW Mid Amateur after a testing day of golf.
Campbell, from Port Kembla Golf Club and the defending champion, is also chasing a little piece of history by becoming the event’s first three-peat winner.
Should he prevail, he will join an exclusive club of three-peaters in Golf NSW adult Amateur competition, including Sylvia Donohoe and Jacqui Morgan (NSW Women’s Senior Am), and his sister, Nikki, who claimed a brace of NSW Women’s Amateur Crowns (2000/01/02).
Campbell, however, won’t have it all his own way in tomorrow’s final round, with the well credentialled James Brownlow of The Australian Golf Club and Matt Staines from Griffith breathing down his neck.
The day wasn’t plain sailing for many of the field, especially those who had to face the far more testing Murray Course here at Yarrawonga.
While first-round leaders Staines and Brownlow kept their chances alive, Glenmore’s Andrew Robb struggled, carding a second-round 80 to drop out of contention.
Ninety-nine men made the cut, which fell at 26 over.
