There won’t be an octagon, baying crowds and there definitely won’t be Joe Rogan roaring in commentary.
But if ever there’s an arena that resembles UFC, defending champion Declan O’Donovan reckons the New South Wales Amateur would be where he “throws down”.
Obviously that’s a dose of journalistic licence, especially given O’Donovan will walk into the “cage” on Friday to face his former NSW state team roommate, Daley Loumanis.
But this is match play, golf’s most raw and passionate format – and there’s two great examples on the slate at Stonecutters Ridge with 2023 champ Shyla Singh and comparative newcomer Grace Rho to square off for the women’s crown.
“I love my match play,” O’Donovan said after taking down the rapidly emerging Ti Fox 4&3 in their semi.
“There’s nothing better than going head to head, finding out who can do it on that day.
“I love that about golf, especially in tournament situations when you’ve seen two guys break away in a major and they’re clear of the field and then they just have to find out who can get it done, right there.
“The New South Wales Am is like golf’s version of UFC – I get to have a one-on-one boxing match with someone (and) I love it.”
Loumanis, too, is a fan of the solitude of match play.
“It really brings out the inner dog in you and I feel like I get that when the moments get a bit more tense and that happens more in match play, I find,” said Loumanis, who took down the highly regarded Kayun Mudadana 1-up in their semi.
The pair were roommates when NSW won the Interstate Series at Loumanis’ home club, St Michael’s, in 2023. So while they haven’t faced each other directly in match play previously, they certainly know the tale of the tape before their battle.
There will be no such familiarity among the women’s final combatants, despite both hailing from south-east Queensland.
Singh, the 2023 NSW Am champ who was also runner-up the year before, is remarkably still just 18, but also clearly a fan of the format.
“I really like that it lets you play with some freedom … that you can go for your shots a bit more,” Singh said after taking down newly crowned Australian Amateur champ Rachel Lee on the 19th hole.
And completing the free-flowing mindset of the four final-day competitors, Rho – already this week’s NSW 36-hole stroke play champion – was remarkably six under through 13 holes and did not concede a hole in downing defending champion Godiva Kim 6&5.
“It’s really fun to play this way. I’m just having a really good time out there and not really worried about all the numbers.”
And while that, from a fresh-faced young woman just six years into her golfing journey, may not sound combative, the look on her face says otherwise.
It all sets up for a spectacular finale to the week-long event which is, in the opinion of many astute judges, the premier event in Australian amateur golf.
“You have to play well to get through the week, there’s nowhere to hide when it’s like this – It’s great,” O’Donovan said.
Bingo.
