The 2024 edition of the Australian Master of the Amateurs will continue to build on a foundation that’s been growing for more than 26 years
The list of past champions spanning the first 26 years reveals the growing stature of the Australian Master of the Amateurs (AMOTA). The nascent tournament debuted in 1997 with a field of 57 golfers at Royal Pines Resort on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Barry Miles, the long-time owner principal of Henry-Griffitts golf clubs in Australia, captured the first edition by four strokes with a two-round tally of 12-over par.
With all due respect to Miles – a more-than-handy club golfer – and Royal Pines Resort, the calibre of champions and host courses has improved exponentially since then.
Since it’s humble origins, the AMOTA has touched world-class courses and produced world-class champions. Melbourne’s famed Sandbelt has staged the tournament since 2002, with Yarra Yarra, Royal Melbourne and Victoria golf clubs taking turns as host before Southern Golf Club took over from last year. The honour roll includes a major winner in Jason Day (2006), fellow PGA Tour winners Aaron Wise (2016) and Sahith Theegala (2020) and accomplished tour professionals like Brendan Jones (1999) and David Micheluzzi (2018), past Australian Open runner-up Ashley Hall (2005), former Australian PGA champion Nathan Holman (2012) and decorated amateur stars Lukas Michel (2021) and Harrison Crowe (2022), who recently joined the pro ranks.
Beyond the winners, past participants have included Cameron Smith, Rickie Fowler, Marc Leishman, Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, Ryan Fox, Lucas Herbert, Min Woo Lee, Cam Davis, Corey Conners, Will Zalatoris, Matthew Wolff, Russell Henley and more.
The 2024 edition, which returns for a second year to Southern Golf Club from January 9-12, promises a top-shelf line-up once again. Another eclectic, international, 96-player field – coupled with a healthy sprinkling of Australians – will line up for the first significant amateur tournament of the new year.
Among the coups will be the presence of Rick LaRose, the Arizona-based coach who will bring American college stars Cole Sherwood and William Moll to Melbourne. LaRose has previously guided Fowler, Wolff, Wise, Zalatoris and Justin Suh to Melbourne for the AMOTA.
All in all, this is shaping as the best edition of the tournament yet.
“We are so humbled by the calibre of the elite male and female players from more than 22 countries competing in Australia’s No.1 international amateur championships,” says tournament founder and director Peter Mann.
Women’s field, television and the course
One of the key improvements to the AMOTA through the years was the addition in 2018 of a women’s event. Like the men’s field for 2024, the women’s tournament has drawn an international line-up and attention from top American colleges. Laurie Gibbs, the head coach of Pepperdine University’s women’s program, will lead four players this year, including Kaleiya Romero and Lauren Gomez.
Also returning in the 72-player field are 2021 champion Lion Higo and 2022 winner Jeneath Wong, the Malaysian-born golfer with a fine amateur career in Australia. On the local front, dual Australian Amateur Championship runner-up Justice Bosio and Caitlin Peirce will headline the women’s field.
Both the men’s and women’s events are World Amateur Golf Ranking events and are sanctioned by the R&A and USGA as well as by our national body as Golf Australia Order of Merit events. The women’s tournament forms part of the Karrie Webb Series, which recognises Australia’s elite female golfers.
The 2024 AMOTA will feature a live broadcast via the tournament’s website (masteroftheamateurs.com.au) as well as a feed of the last two days’ action available through the Sports Entertainment Network app. Meanwhile, SEN radio will provide live crosses throughout the event.
Defending champion, Englishman John Gough, was full of praise for the layout at Southern Golf Club, which is a golf course constantly improving thanks to a series of design changes, both minor and major. Last January, Gough called Southern’s greens the best he’d putted on in Australia.
The 2024 and 2025 AMOTAs will be held at Southern, the club embracing the tournament so much that the front gates feature a plaque that reads: “Home of the Australian Master of the Amateurs.”
Top females in the field
Avani Prashanth (India)
Rianne M. Malixi (Philippines)
Arianna Lau (Hong Kong)
Kaleiya Romero (USA)
Elaine Widjaja (Indonesia)
Jeneath Wong (Malaysia)
Justice Bosio (Australia)
Caitlin Peirce (Australia)
Lion Higo (Australia)
Eunseo Choi (New Zealand)
Top males in the field
Cole Sherwood (USA)
William Moll (USA)
Wang Ngai Shen (Hong Kong)
Isaac Lam (Hong Kong)
Jayden Ford (New Zealand)
Kuangyu Chen (Australia)
Oliver Mukherjee (Scotland)
William Hopkins (England)
Hugh Foley (Ireland)
getty images: martin dokoupil; octavio passos/R&A (stubbs) • gary lisbon (southern)
