It was a heartbreaking finish for the NSW Blues at the 2026 Australian Interstate Teams Matches at Glenelg Golf Club, with Victoria proving too strong across both matches to claim the title and end NSW’s hopes of back-to-back honours.
The Blues fell 1.5–6.5 to Victoria in the morning before going down 2–6 in the afternoon final, though the scoreline belied just how tight the contest was. Six of the eight matches in the final went to the 18th hole or beyond, a testament to the fight the Blues showed throughout.
The women finished the week in second place in their division, with the men fifth overall.
In the morning, Ella Scaysbrook was the standout for NSW, defeating Amelia Harris 2&1 to remain unbeaten for the week. Blake Phillips earned a half point in a halved match with Max Moring. Victoria claimed the remaining points through Abel Eduard, who defeated Mudadana 7&6, Hamish Farquharson, who edged Halls 1 Hole, Jazy Roberts, who defeated Lee 3&1, Jaehee Yun, who accounted for Thomsen 3&2, Benjamin Steven, who defeated Fuller 3&1, and Fuyu Yang, who defeated Perkins 3&1.
2026 Australian Interstate Teams Matches – Overall
2026 Australian Interstate Teams Matches – Final Match Scores
The afternoon final was a gripping contest. Coby Carruthers delivered a statement win in his final match as an amateur, defeating Bailey Goodall 5&3, and Camilla Kim closed out her remarkable debut week with a 2&1 victory over Fuyu Yang. But Victoria held firm everywhere else, with Eduard defeating Mudadana by 2 Holes, Roberts edging Scaysbrook at the 20th hole, Farquharson defeating Halls 1 Hole, Harris defeating Lee 1 Hole, Moring defeating Phillips by 2 Holes, and Yun defeating Thomsen 1 Hole.
The standout story of the week was Ella Scaysbrook, who finished the regular rounds undefeated, the only player in the entire NSW squad to do so. She was proud despite the heartbreak of the final.
“Today was a really tough day for the Blues, but it was a good day for me. I had a win in the morning and played solid the whole day.”
She described just how close the afternoon final came.
“We went down 20 holes, that’s a lot of holes in one day when you play 17 in the morning. Every match went down 18 pretty much, so still really good.”
The captain couldn’t speak highly enough of her squad when reflecting on the week.
“Everyone was really good. This is probably one of the best teams I’ve been a part of. Everyone played their best, which is always good and that’s what matters.”
In what may prove to be a significant footnote, Scaysbrook hinted the week could be her last interstate series, with the captain set to take aim at LPGA Tour qualifying school before the year is out.
Carruthers, playing the final match of his amateur career, was philosophical about the defeat despite the gutting manner of it.
“It was a good week. A little bit disappointing that we didn’t get the win today, but we put up a good fight. We have a very good team and everyone had each other’s backs. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
He didn’t shy away from how cruel the closing stretch had been.
“Six matches came down to the last hole; that’s just golf, it’s about who plays better on the day.”
With his amateur career now behind him, Carruthers isn’t wasting a moment.
“I’m looking forward to turning pro and heading to WA tomorrow to play the Cottesloe Open on the weekend and keep the good form going.”
Men’s captain Kayun Mudadana was proud of the fight his team showed despite the result.
“We had a lot of tight matches and the team played pretty well. It’s a shame we couldn’t win today to send the boys off into their pro careers with a win, but they can all hold their heads high. We lost to a better team on the day.”
Kim, who ends her debut open interstate series as one of the most talked about players of the week, summed it up simply.
“It feels good, it was a good fight. After losing to Victoria in the morning, we tried our best, but it’s always good to get a personal win.”
“It’s definitely a different experience. I learned a lot from this week, so it was a pretty good week.”
The NSW Blues leave Glenelg with plenty to be proud of after a strong week against the best amateur golfers in the country.
