COREY Lamb will take a ton of belief into the quarter-final of the NSW Amateur at Magenta Shores on Thursday after he staged a miraculous come back to progress to the final eight.
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Lamb (The Vintage) was down by three holes against Jones Commerford (Bonnie Doon) with four holes to play on Wednesday.
Despite strong winds and rain, he found a way back, posting four straight pars, which was enough to overhaul Commerford and set up a showdown with an in-form Jeffrey Guan.
"Jones chipped in on the 14th to go three-up and I thought 'it's his day today'," Lamb said."I told myself to try and make it to the last hole and see what happens. They were the four hardest holes I have ever played. I managed to hit the fairways and greens and had two-putt pars. He missed a few greens and if you do that around there it is an instant bogey.
"It gives me a bit of belief heading into the quarter-final. I haven't been playing much golf but I hit the ball the best I have hit it in a long time."
Charlestown's Jye Pickin is also through to the quarters after he beat Cha-Ta Wu (Long Reef) two and one. He will meet The Australian's Thomas Heaton. Lamb and Pickin are on different sides of the draw and if they meet it will be in the final.
Hayden Gulliver (Maitland), and Bryce Picken (Charlestown) went down in the round of 16 as did Newcastle's Ella Scaysbrook in the women's event.
Lamb made the quarter-finals at St Michael's last year, where he was down by three with three holes to play against Queenslander Zed Morgan and forced the match to extra holes before going down.
Guan was a runraway winner of the NSW Medal after stroke rounds of 65,73 and has been untroubled in the match play.
"Jeff is in good form, but he is just another good player," Lamb said. "We have been in the state junior team together and know each other well.
"Hopefully the conditions are the same tomorrow. I love playing in the wind. I like to shape the ball and wind is perfect for me."
Earlier on Wednesday, Luke Ferrier (Merewether) and Josh Fuller (The Vintage) bowed out in the round of 32.