ELLA Scaysbrook expects the Master of the Amateurs tournament at Southern Golf Club to be at "another level" - and that only adds to the excitement.
Scaysbrook's win in the Bonville Champions Trophy last month elevated the 16-year-old to No.1 ranking for Australian junior girls.
It also earned the Macquarie College student a trip to the Melbourne sandbelt to take on some of the best amateurs in the world.
Fellow Hunter players Jye Pickin (Charlestown) and Josh Fuller (The Vintage) are in the men's field.
Superstars Jason Day (2006) and Rickie Fowler (2009) are winners of the male green jacket, which is played in conjunction with a women's event.
COVID-19 has restricted the number of internationals in the past three years, but this year there are players from 15 nations including the US, UK, Asian and Europe.
"They asked if I would be interested in playing after I won at Bonville," Scaysbrook said. "It will be a new experience and an exciting one. I played at the Aussie Amateur last year but this will be a level above that. It will be a chance to get experience and also see where I am at in terms of competition."
Scaysbrook, a NSW junior representative who plays of plus-one at Newcastle, has not played on the Melbourne sandbelt but has received advice from coach Jason Laws.
"I have heard it is pretty tough," Scaysbrook said. "Around the greens will be very different. Different grasses. Different lies. The greens will be quick."
Scaysbrook, whose family moved to Newcastle from Port Macquarie two years ago, has been working hard on her game since the win in Coffs Harbour.
"I hadn't won for a while and was looking for a win," Scaysbrook said. "Everything came together. I made a lot of putts and my short game was quite good. I got a lot of confidence out of it. It reinforces that I am heading in right direction. I have been doing a lot of practice since and played in the Jack Newton Celebrity Classic."
The Master of the Amateurs is followed by the Australian Amateur (January 10-13) at St Michaels and NSW golf clubs.
"I played in the Aussie Amateur last year and saw what it was all about," Scaysbrook said. "I'm excited about the next two weeks."
Scaysbrook tees off the 10th hole at 11.40am alongside South Australian Charley Jacobs and Ann Jang (NSW).
Pickin and Fuller are both in the NSW High Performance squad.
Pickin tees off at 8.50am alongside internationals Ching-Hung Su (Chinese Taipai) and Josh Bai (New Zealand).
Fuller starts at 12.50pm and is partnered with Victorian Phoenix Campbell and Niall Donegan (Scotland).
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