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The Keperra Bowl represents for many of our top amateurs their last chance to claim a National Trial event for the 2009-10 Australian season before they head overseas and compete on the UK and US amateur circuit. The tournament is rich in history with previous winners including Marc Leishman (2005), Andrew Tampion (2006), Andrew Dodt (2007) and Matt Griffin (2008), all who have gone out to secure tour cards on the world golfing stage, with Marc Leishman named USPGA Tour Rookie of the year in 2009. Who then is likely to claim the Keperra Bowl this Friday at the conclusion of the 72 hole stroke event? Recently, I’ve been very impressed with the form of Matt Stieger and his consistency in these bigger events. This season Stieger has collected a runner-up finish to Jason Scrivener at the Mandurah Easter Amateur, a tied 3rd at the Lake Macquarie Amateur and comes into the Keperra Bowl with some strong form from last week’s Queensland Amateur Championship, where he made it through to the quarter-finals. Stieger has been playing well above his current 185th world ranking and is primed to collect his first major amateur victory since breaking through from the junior ranks earlier this season. Another to follow at Keperra is Stieger’s close mate and fellow club member at St Michael’s, Michael Williams. Williams won the New South Wales Amateur Stroke title earlier this year at Newcastle and like Stieger has exhibited consistency in these bigger events, including a quarter final appearance at the Australian Amateur in Perth. At the tournament last year at Keperra, Williams played into contention during the third round to be paired in the final group with eventual winner Daniel Nisbet and Brendan Smith.Titleist Driver While Williams would eventually finish in a tie for 7th, twelve months on he’s a totally different player. Smith has returned again but has struggled with his game since finishing runner-up at the Lake Macquarie Amateur in January, while Nisbet continues on a forced sabbatical from the game. Last October Williams won the Jack Newton International Junior Classic at The Oaks Golf Club in Cessnock. Two year’s ago Williams also won the NSW State Age championship and has twice made the cut at the NSW Open, after qualifying in 2007-08, finishing the second best amateur behind Brendan Smith at The Vintage in 2008. Both Williams and Stieger are coached by John Serhan at St Michael’s Golf Club in Sydney, who also coaches Asian Tour players Darren Beck, Nevin Basic and Anthony Summers and have made tremendous advances under his guidance to the stage where either Williams or Stieger have the game and form to win this tournament. Current Queensland Amateur Champion Brett Drewitt also heads to Keperra full of confidence and will take some stopping also at Keperra. With a world ranking around the 110 mark and steadily improving, in a space of less than twelve months since moving from the junior ranks the 19-year-old Drewitt has moved to be within Australia’s top-15 players. Drewitt’s rise within the main amateur ranks is spurred by 6 top-five finishes in main Australian amateur events since November 2009, including a tied 11th at the Australian Amateur Championships in Perth and a runner-up finish to Kieran Pratt at the Dunes Medal last December. I can see no reason why Drewitt cannot back up again and win this week. Drewitt’s game is solid in all aspects and with that maiden win under his belt, the 19-year-old’s confidence levels are on an all time high at present. Sixteen-year-old Cameron Smith is another to keep a close eye on this week as well. Smith last week won the Queensland Amateur Stroke title against Drewitt on the eight extra play-off hole to collect his first major amateur title after earlier winning his second consecutive Queensland Boy’s Junior championship. Smith plays well above his years and is already one of the most consistent drivers of the ball, which will suit him around the shorter par-4's at Keperra Country Club where most of the scoring is achieved in this tournament.Tiger Woods These young guns will certainly take the challenge this week to the more established players like Matt Jager, Jason Scrivener, Jordan Sherratt and Kerian Pratt, all winners on the Australian amateur circuit in 2009-10, with Jager’s victories at the Australian and New Zealand Amateurs simply stunning achievements. Jager certainly starts Keperra as the considered red hot favourite by many and his recent achievements are testament to the class of player he is. The world number 3 is “danger”� all over and has evolved into one of Australia’s hottest prospects and risen above the “spitter”� class which others have easily fallen into over the years when the’ve attempted to go the level that Jager has now achieved.  Jager is a player you’ll be hearing and reading about for many years to come. Jager would like nothing better than to take out the last Australian event before heading to the UK and US and ultimately onto a run in the professional ranks which is imminent following Eisenhower Trophy duties later in October in Argentina, which ironically was the location of his first main amateur win with the 2008 Tournament of International Jockey Club of Rosario. Kieran Pratt is another to closely monitor at Keperra. Already a multiple winner this Australian summer, Pratt’s performance back in January at the Lake Macquarie Amateur where he left the rest of the field in his wake with a 21-under-par total for a massive eleven stroke victory over Brendan Smith, was all class. I would not be surprise to see him quietly make his way into the final group of parings on Friday and to then jump out and win the event. My “dark-horses”� at Keperra are Daniel Beckmann and Luke Bleumink.Golf Driver City Winless since the 2009 Mandurah Easter Amateur, Beckmann’s consistency this season has provided the world number 30 with top-10 finishes at the Master of the Amateurs, Tasmanian Open and Mandurah Easter Amateur. Runner-up to Scott Arnold last year at the Australian Amateur Championships, Beckmann has the experience and game to win this event. He’s certainly due a break and Keperra might just be the place for Beckmann to collect his third National Trial event title after winning the 2007 Federal Amateur.taylormade golf Bleumink, the 2008 Victorian Amateur champion, is due for another main amateur title and during his 2009 US campaign exhibited some stellar form, particularly at the Players Amateur in Bluffton, South Carolina, where he finished 6th. Should Bleumink be close to the final pack on Friday, he will sure to challenge. The cut of the leading 70 players plus ties will be determined following Wednesday’s second round. As to who will win the 2010 Keperra Bowl?The Open Well predictions of this nature are always fraught with danger but I’m prepared to go out on a limb and say another “newcomer”� will be holding the Keperra Bowl on Friday afternoon with the likes of Stieger, Williams, Smith or Drewitt real chances. Then again Jager, Pratt, Scrivener and Sherratt might have something to do about ensuring that I’m proven wrong and that would not be the first occasion that’s happen either.
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