By Peter Owen
SARAH Hammett is such a good player that when she has a triple-bogey eight – as she did in the first round of the Australian Junior Amateur Championship in April – it tends to send shock waves around the course.
Sarah, however, takes it in her stride.
“I try not to be too hard on myself,” she said. “There are always positives you can take from any performance. There may be disappointments but you learn from it.”
The reaction is typical of a 17-year-old who has discovered a maturity way beyond her years. And she clearly learns fast.
Only a week later she led the Queensland girls to a memorable victory in the Australian Junior Interstate Teams Matches at Royal Fremantle, Sarah notching three wins and a draw from her five round-robin matches.
So impressive was her performance that she was one of the first selected in the Queensland team for the all-age Australian Interstate Teams series, held at Southport, not far from Sarah’s Gold Coast home.
Talented Queenslander Sarah Hammett.
Sarah’s performances on the golf course have been amazing. She’s won three Katherine Kirk Classics at Maroochy River, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, shooting 12-under-par 60 in the first round of her 2022 victory, 18 holes she describes as “the round of my life.”
Because she doesn’t turn 18 until late this year, she’ll be eligible to contest her fourth Katherine Kirk Classic in August – and nobody’s suggesting she won’t claim it again and set a record that will never be matched.
While still only 15, she won the NSW Junior Championship, the NSW Amateur Championship, the South Australian Junior Masters, the Harvey Norman ACT Week of Golf and the Greg Norman Junior Masters.
She’s represented Australia in a couple of Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championships, and last year won the South Pacific Women’s Open Classic on the Gold Coast.
But it was her performance in the Australian Women’s Classic in 2022 – a Ladies European Tour-sanctioned event at Bonville, contested by seasoned international golfers – that gave notice Sarah might just be the most exciting Australian female prospect since Karrie Webb.
After shooting 71 and 70 in the first two rounds of her first professional tournament, Sarah found herself in the second-last group on the final day, in the company of Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher and Sweden’s Maja Stark, and with a real chance of pulling off an extraordinary victory.
When she stood on the 15th tee, five under par for her round, the galleries suddenly grew, television cameras followed her every move, and the nerves inevitably set in. Her dad Matt – part-time caddie and full-time cheer leader – whispered in his daughter’s ear: “Just keep playing.”
A fairy-tale finish was not to be. Sarah sadly bogeyed her final two holes and settled for a final round 69 and a tie for sixth place with her good friend Justice Bosio, another Queensland amateur with the brightest of futures.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous than during those last few holes,” Sarah said. “But it was a great experience and I surprised myself with how well I played.
“When it was all over I thought ‘Wow! That was pretty cool’,” she said.
And to prove it was no fluke, Sarah came out the following week in the NSW Open, another LET-sanctioned event, shot rounds of 70, 73, 72 and 67 and finished tied for eighth.
Born in England and raised in Singapore, Sarah moved to Australia with her family when she was nine. She’d hit a few balls on driving ranges in Singapore, but her main interests at the time were tennis, ballet and jazz.
That all changed when she went with her brothers Justin and David to golf lessons at Emerald Lakes, and discovered she not only liked the game, but she was pretty good at it, too.
So were her brothers. Justin’s now a student at St Mary’s College in Texas, where he’s a member of the college’s golf squad, and David, 16, is a scratch marker who was runner-up in a recent TeeMates 36-hole tournament at Brisbane’s Wynnum Golf Club. She also has a younger sister, Katie, who has just started playing golf.
A Year 12 student at Mudgeeraba’s Somerset College, Sarah works hard to balance study with a golf career, which is as demanding as that of many professional players.
She says teachers understand her situation and do everything they can to ensure she keeps up with schoolwork. She, in turn, often spends nights catching up on homework during tournaments.
Sarah will move to the United States next year to study at the University of Southern California, a decision endorsed by Gaby Ruffels, who also attended USC and raved about its golf programme.
She’ll study psychology or business, but it’s unlikely she’ll pursue a career in either of those disciplines. She’ll be too busy playing on the LPGA Tour and carving out her own destiny on the international stage.
South Pacific Classic to tee off in July
SARAH Hammett won’t be defending the title she won at the South Pacific Women’s Open Classic last year. Instead, she’ll be competing in amateur events in the United States.
However, the 52nd staging of the Classic, an Order of Merit event, will take place at Surfers Paradise from July 7 to 10, with Sarah describing it as one of her favourite tournaments.
“It’s been running for so many years and gives women from all over Australia the opportunity to play the game and embrace this opportunity.
“I wish the tournament nothing but the best and will be looking out for the new champion.”
The event will include other categories and includes a mixed foursomes event (shotgun start) on Sunday, July 7, and major trophies for 54-hole stroke (gross and nett scores) in four divisions – Open Classic, Women’s (18 years and over), Seniors and Super Seniors.
Players can only enter to play in one division, while those with Golf Australia handicaps up to 9.3 can enter the Open Classic Division, the handicap limit for the Open Women’s Division is up to 25, the Seniors Division (55-64 years) and the Super Senior Division (65 years plus) is up to a 25 handicap.
Entries close on Sunday, June 28 unless the field reaches the capacity of 120 players prior to the date.
The draw will be available on July 4. No refunds after this date.
Players can register on-line at www.surfersparadisegolfclub.com.au or email surfersparadiseassociates@gmail.com for further information.
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