GOLF: Loughrey to head Down Under (From Swindon Advertiser)

GOLF: Loughrey to head Down Under

8:00am Saturday 24th December 2011 in Golf

BEN Loughrey will head to Australia next month as part of the re-formed England squad looking to emulate the successes of the last two winters Down Under.

The Wrag Barn golfer joins Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park, Shropshire & Herefordshire) and Neil Raymond (Corhampton, Hampshire, IoW & CI) in spending over four weeks in the southern hemisphere sunshine, during which they will compete in five events of Australia’s key championships.

The trio will kick-off with the Masters of the Amateurs at Royal Melbourne on January 10-13 followed by the Australian Amateur Championship at the Woodland and Huntingdale Golf Clubs on January 17-22.

They will then move on to the Lake Macquarie International at Belmont on January 26-29, before the New South Wales Medal at Long Reef and Mona Vale Golf Clubs on February 1-3.

If they qualify from that, they will contest the New South Wales Amateur Championship at Elanora Country Club on February 6-8.

Loughrey, 23, who preceded Chesters as winner of the Lee Westwood Trophy, visited Australia last winter, winning the New South Wales Cup.

It led to a successful 2011 in which he has finished third in the Welsh Open Stroke Play and tied fifth in the Brabazon Trophy and the South of England Stroke Play Championship. He also made his full England debut against Spain at The Berkshire in May and also played in the Home Internationals, while he was a member of the victorious Wiltshire team in the English County Championship at Ganton.

The Masters of the Amateurs tournament has an international field. The opening round is played with club professionals and guests with a shotgun start. The other three rounds comprise only the amateurs.

The long established 72-hole Lake Macquarie International at Belmont Golf Club has seen several English winners such as Roger Chapman, Russell Claydon, Ricky Willison, Nick Dougherty and Adam Gee.

The field in the New South Wales Medal will play one round each over the Long Reef and Mona Vale courses after which there will be a cut with the leading 60 players plus ties playing 36 holes at Long Reef. The leading 32 players from that will enter the match play knockout competition for the NSW Amateur at Elanora.