The Inaugural St Andrews Beach Invitational

The inaugural St Andrews Beach Invitational took place on June 29 & 30, 2020 in an effort to host some of Australia’s elite golfers in a less rigid, yet still highly competitive environment. Conceptualised and delivered by Mike Clayton, Golf Australia and St Andrews Beach, the event combined males and females, with professionals and amateurs playing in the same groups, however in separate competitions. In total there was a captivating mix of 16 rookie, touring and senior professionals, along with 14 elite junior and adult rookies in the field.

As expected, the standard of golf was stunning across both rounds and it was young gun Matias Sanchez who set the pace with a blistering -6 under 64 after the first round. 2006 US Open Winner Geoff Ogilvy nipped at his heels with a strong -3 under 67 leading a smattering of promising youngsters all within contention. The second day’s scoring proved to be slightly tougher going with Lukas Michel and Blake Collyer the only two players posting under the card.

In the end though, it was Matias Sanchez who held on to be the winning professional with an outstanding -5 across the two days, while the leading amateur reigning US Mid-Amateur Champion Lukas Michel with an impressive -4. Congratulations to both players and good luck to Lukas who is off to the US later this year to play in the US Amateur, US Open and US Masters.

Special thanks to Mike Clayton and Michelle Hui from Golf Australia for their work in making such a great event happen. With their help, we look forward to the tradition carrying on into the future.