COREY Lamb was taking a well-earned break from golf when his phone rang on Boxing Day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Within 10 minutes, the Branxton 18 -year-old was at the golf club.
Lamb had been offered the last spot at the prestigious Australian Master of the Amateurs tournament at the Victorian Golf Club, which starts on Tuesday.
The 72-hole invite-only championship features 78 of the best players in the world from 21 countries, including three of the top 10 headed by American Ricky Castillo.
US PGA tour-winners Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Bryson DeChambeau and Rickie Fowler played in the tournament before turning professional.
"I tried to have a week off, chill out and hang with my mates," Lamb said. "Then I got a call just after Christmas inviting me to play at the Master of the Amateurs. I think I got the last spot. It was so good to get the call. It is an event I have always wanted to play. Ten minutes after I got the call, I was at the golf course."
Lamb tees off in the first group on Tuesday morning. It will be the first tournament he has played at the sandbelt layout, which will host the Australian Open in 2022.
"I have played on a few other sandbelt courses," Lamb said. "The Aussie Amateur last year was at Spring Valley and Woodlands. I played Kingston Heath and Commonwealth this year for the Vic Amateur so I have a bit of experience. You have to hit a lot of irons off the tee. The fairways are tight and you have to place your tee shots better because the greens are so hard and fast. I can hit my two-iron about 250 metres and have been doing a fair bit of work on my wedges."
Lamb had his first look at the course on Sunday and mapped out a plan.
"During practice rounds you work out what you are going to do, then see what the wind and everything is doing on the day, pick your shot and commit to it," he said. "They are supposed to be the quickest greens in Melbourne, which will make it interesting."
Lamb turned 18 in September and completed his junior career with a win the Jack Newton Champions Trophy at Bonville, which followed success at the NSW Junior Open.
His current world amateur ranking is 1312, but the big-hitting right-hander is confident of being able to match it with the better credentialed amateurs.
"You have to be confident," he said. "You are there because you are just as good as the other players."
The Masters of the Amateurs is the start of a massive month for Lamb.
He will fly from Melbourne to Brisbane on Saturday to prepare for the Australian Amateur Championships at Royal Queensland and The Brisbane golf clubs. Then it's the NSW Amateur at St Michael's and The Coast courses from January 20-24 and Avondale Medal (January 28-31).
"The aim is to drop the world ranking down inside the top 1000," Lamb said. "They are all big world ranking events so if you go good, you will drop a fair bit."
** Brij Ingrey will this weekend be out to add The Australian Medal to the Kensington Cup he won in October. The 14 year old, who is also a member at Newcastle, tees up in the 36-hole championship on Saturday.
Victory would complete an incredible opening six months as a member at the prestigious club. After winning the Kensington Medal, he progressed to the semi-finals of the club championships and has been selected in their A-Grade Metropolitan Pennants squad.
Leading Hunter players Jake Higginbottom and Blake Windred represented The Australian in pennants before turning pro.
Ingrey hasn't played a tournament since competing at the Victorian Junior Open before Christmas.
He was among a host of Hunter juniors who travelled to Canberra for the ACT Week of Golf tournament last week only for it to be cancelled due to poor air quality. It was the first time in the history of the event that it has been called off.
