ENGLAND won the 2018 Men’s Home Internationals beating IRELAND 9 – 6 in today’s championship match.
England celebrate with the Raymond Trophy (Photo: Wales Golf)
Here is a summary of the final results from this year’s tournament: –
Final Results – 2018 Men’s Home Internationals (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox)
In the ENGLAND v. IRELAND match today the foursomes were shared 2.5 – 2.5 but in the afternoon England pulled away with some impressive singles victories.
The highlights were Andrew WILSON’s 7&6 win over the previously unbeaten Conor PURCELL and Mitch WAITE’s 2 Holes win over Robin DAWSON, both of which set the foundation for their team to build on.
Ireland v. England Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)
David HAGUE (ENG) and Tiarnan MCLARNON (IRE) both finished the tournament with 100% records, winning all 6 of their games. Tom PLUMB (ENG) was also unbeaten, winning four of his games and halving two of his foursomes.
Host nation WALES once again fell the wrong side of the thin line that sometimes separates winning and losing. Today Scotland edged them out 8 – 7.
Scotland won the foursomes 4 -1 in the morning but were made to work hard for the additional four single wins they needed in the afternoon.
Scotland v. Wales Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)
Whilst it was tough going for SCOTLAND and WALES for most of the week it was possible for some of their individuals to shine.
Euan WALKER was outstanding for Scotland winning five of his six games.
Likewise Paddy MULLINS did well for Wales and can be particularly pleased with his two singles wins.
Click here to view the full – 2018 Men’s Home Internationals Results – click the match score to see the individual games and the game score to view the hole by hole scores.
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13th September 2018
IRELAND beat WALES 11.5 – 5.5 on Day 2 of the Men’s Home Internationals at Conwy Golf Club.
The morning foursomes went the way of the Irish 3.5 – 1.5 albeit the Robbie CANNON / JAMES SUGRUE pairing needed a birdie on the 18th to secure a half in their match so the overall series scoreline could have been closer.
Ireland won the singles 6 – 4 with Conor PURCELL, Caolan RAFFERTY and Peter O’KEEFFE (all 4&3) enjoying their biggest wins.
However, the best performance of this match arguably fell to Welshman Jake HAPGOOD. He beat in form Robin DAWSON 4&3 with both players blitzing Conwy’s back nine. Jake recorded four birdies and two eagles between the 7th and 15th holes to unsurprisingly take the game.
Ireland v. Wales Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)
In the second match of Day 2 ENGLAND narrowly beat SCOTLAND 8 – 7.
After the morning foursomes, which England won 4 – 1, it appeared the Scots could be in for another heavy defeat.
However, Scotland showed great heart to run out 6 – 4 winners of the singles series. Ryan LUMSDEN, Euan WALKER, Kieran CANTLEY, Stephen RODGER, Jeff WRIGHT and James WILSON were all victorious in the afternoon.
At the end of the day England won the match and that’s all that matters – unless like last year the two leading nations draw again ! The four single wins they enjoyed were all comprehensive and as such after their dominant foursomes performance there was never really a feeing that an upset might be in the air.
Scotland v. England Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)
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12th September 2018
IRELAND beat SCOTLAND 11.5 – 3.5 in the opening game of the 2018 Men’s Home Internationals at Conwy Golf Club.
Ireland won the morning foursomes 4 – 1. Most of the matches tipping their way due to some exceptional play on the back nine by their four final pairings. Scotland’s Euan MCINTOSH and Ryan LUMSDEN provided the only resistance in game 1.
The Irish carried their momentum into the afternoon series too winning the singles 7.5 – 2.5. Robin DAWSON (5&3), Jonathan YATES (5&4) and Tiarnon MCLARNON (4&3) enjoyed the biggest wins.
Ireland v. Scotland Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)
ENGLAND overcame a stubborn WALES 11.5 – 3.5 in the second match on Day 1. As you can see below the games were generally closer than in match 1 and the margin of victory somewhat flatters England who were made to work hard for many of their points.
The morning foursomes were halved 2.5 – 2.5 with Welsh pairing Matt ROBERTS and Paddy MULLINS enjoying the biggest victory of the series, 5&3.
ENGLAND composed themselves in the afternoon and in the end won nine of the ten singles. Ben JONES won his match 4&3 but otherwise the games were tight affairs. Paddy MULLINS maintained his unbeaten personal record by recording the sole singles win for the hosts.
England v. Wales Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)
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9th September 2018
The 2018 Men’s Home Internationals will be contested at Conwy Golf Club in Wales between 12th and 14th September.
IRELAND will travel to North Wales hoping to win the Raymond Trophy for a fifth consecutive year.
The Competition
11-man teams from ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND and WALES play against each other annually, taking it in turns to the host the event.
Over three days all of the countries play each other once. There are five foursomes and ten singles match play games in each series.
The winner is the country with the highest number of match points. 1 point is awarded for a win, 0.5 for a half and 0 for a loss. Ties are resolved by considering the number of individual game points secured in the three matches played.
2018 Players
The four national golf unions have selected the following players to represent their countries this year.
I have also included the current Team (total) and Individual Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings (SPWAR) below.
ENGLAND – Team SPWAR 1,432
Jack BURNAGE (93)
Bailey GILL (176)
David HAGUE (99)
Ben JONES (105)
David LANGLEY (169)
Joe LONG (201)
Tom PLUMB (147)
Nick POPPLETON (190)
Tom SLOMAN (64)
Mitch WAITE (40)
Andrew WILSON (148)
IRELAND – Team SPWAR = 3,300
Robbie CANNON (908)
Robin DAWSON (14)
Alex GLEESON (122)
Tiarnan MCLARNON (406)
Ronan MULLARNEY (265)
Peter O’KEEFFE (354)
Mark POWER (240)
Conor PURCELL (37)
Colin RAFFERTY (82)
James SUGRUE (374)
Jonathan YATES (498)
The Raymond Trophy (Photo: Ayrshire Golf Blog)
SCOTLAND – Team SPWAR = 3,620
Kieran CANTLEY (448)
Matthew CLARK (483)
Stuart EASTON (187)
Calum FYFE (259)
Jim JOHNSTON (562)
Ryan LUMSDEN (80)
Euan MCKINTOSH (156)
Stephen ROGER (406)
Euan WALKER (113)
James WILSON (227)
Jeff WRIGHT (699)
WALES – Team SPWAR = 13,944
Oliver BROWN (2,041)
Ben CHAMBERLAIN (976)
Archie DAVIES (981)
Jacob DAVIES (1,438)
Jake HAPGOOD (395)
Kieron HARMAN (1,698)
Paddy MULLINS (1,572)
Matt ROBERTS (797)
Lewys SANGES (1,095)
Gaelan TREW (2,217)
Tom WILLIAMS (734)
Just 14 of the 44 players competed last year at Moortown. England have 8 new players in their 2018 line up, Ireland 6, Scotland 9 and Wales 7.
I think ENGLAND have got to start as slight favourites this year but I certainly wouldn’t bet against IRELAND making it five in a row.
Venue – Conwy Golf Club
Founded in 1890 the Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Club is the third oldest club in Wales.
The course was originally laid out by Jack Harris with more recent alterations completed by Frank Pennink.
One of the best links courses in Great Britain it has hosted many amateur and professional tournaments in the past. It’s next big appointment is the Curtis Cup match which it will stage in 2020.
Conwy Golf Club Scorecard (Photos: Conwy Golf Club)
The courses measures 6,936 yards from the Blue Championship tees, playing to a par of 72. It is relatively flat with it’s exposed coastal position meaning the prevailing westerly wind is always a major factor particularly as the design has holes going in all directions.
Conwy Golf Club Course Map (Photos: Conwy Golf Club)
2018 Weather Forecast (as at 9.00am Sunday 9th September)
Wed. 12th Sept. – Light Rain / Temp. Min 9º / Max 15º / Wind 11mph NW
Thurs. 13th Sept. – Sunny / Temp. Min 10º / Max 16º / Wind 11mph W
Fri 14th Sept. – Cloudy / Temp. Min 11º / Max 16º / Wind 15mph SW
2017 Men’s Home Internationals
IRELAND won the 2017 Men’s Home Internationals at Moortown Golf Club in Leeds.
They secured the Raymond Trophy after halving the deciding match with ENGLAND 7.5 – 7.5. This was good enough for the Irish to pip the home nation by a half point in total match points earned, 26.5 against 26.0.
The win was a record breaking fourth consecutive victory in the event for the men in green.
The 2017 Ireland Team (Photo: Leaderboard Photography)
WALES beat SCOTLAND 9.5 – 5.5 on the final day to consign the Scots to the wooden spoon.
DENMARK won the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship at Carton House in Ireland with a record 541 (-39) team score.
Denmark With The Eisenhower Trophy (Photo: International Golf Federation)
The Danes produced a -13 team score in the final round which was played on the O’Meara Course. European Amateur champion Nicolai HOJGAARD was their star man producing a 66 (-7) right on cue.
This was Denmark’s first victory in the Championship. Their previous best result was second in Argentina in 2010.
The UNITED STATES finished 2nd paying the penalty for their poor first day. In the final analysis they found themselves coming up 1-shot short on 542 (-38) after a -11 team score today.
SPAIN were third on 544 (-36) two shots further back. Alejandro DEL RAY continued his fine play this week with a 65 (-8) to help the Spaniards finish the day with a -9 team score.
ENGLAND recorded the second best team score of the day with a -12. This strong finish lifted them up to 8th on 549 (-31). MATTHEW JORDAN left the amateur game in style shooting a bogey-free 65 (-8), the joint low round of the day. Matthew is set to make his pro debut in the KLM Open in The Netherlands next week.
IRELAND finished tied 10th on 553 (-27) after a good -9 team score on the final day. John MURPHY 68 (-5) and Robin DAWSON 69 (-4) contributed the Irish scores.
SCOTLAND also finished the Championship well with a -8 team score in Round 4. Sandy SCOTT doing the main damage today with a 67 (-6). The Scottish total of 554 (-26) was good enough for tied 12th.
WALES finished on 560 (-20) for a tied 18th result. Tom WILLIAMS 69 (-4) led the Welsh to a -7 team score on the final day.
Spain’s Alejandro DEL RAY was the low individual with a superb -23 final score. It was a bit harsh on Japan’s Takumi KANAYA who did little wrong today (67 -6) but ended up second best on -22.
Robin DAWSON and Gian-Marco PETROZZI (-14) both finished tied 13th to share low GB&I honours. Matthew JORDAN, Sandy SCOTT and Ryan LUMSDEN (-12) were a couple of shots further back.
Dawson and Petrozzi will both be turning Pro in the next few weeks ahead of competing in a European Tour Qualifying Stage 1 event.
NEW ZEALAND showed no nerves at all on Day 3 extending their lead over the field to 3-shots. Denzel IEREMIA showed his 66 on the Montgomerie yesterday was no fluke by following it up with a 65 (-7) today.
SPAIN, UNITED STATES and ITALY matched the leaders with a -10 team score in Round 3. With THAILAND and DENMARK still in the mix we now have five teams within 4-shots of New Zealand. A final day shoot out therefore seems assured.
ENGLAND (-19) moved into 11th after posting their best team score of the week so far; a -7 with Gian-Marco PETROZZI once again delivering the low card. Petrozzi’s 67 today took him to -12 for the Championship. He is now the leading GB&I individual with just 18 holes to play.
IRELAND and SCOTLAND (-18) are now tied 12th. Ireland fell down the rankings with a disappointing +1 team score in Round 3. Conor PURCELL’S 71 (-1) was the best score they could produce. On the other hand Scotland continue to rise; Sandy SCOTT came to the party in Round 3 and his 67 (-5) helped them move up another 5 places on the leaderboard.
WALES (-13) had a steady day with Ben CHAMBERLAIN’S 70 leading them to a -2 team score. They will start the final round in tied 20th place.
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6th September 2018
A strong finish to their rounds on the Montgomerie Course by Daniel HILLIER 65 (-7) and Denzel IEREMIA 66 (-6) helped NEW ZEALAND rise to the top of the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship leaderboard on Day 2.
New Zealand’s 270 (-20) total has given them a 1-shot lead over DENMARK, IRELAND and THAILAND, who are all tied for 2nd place.
THAILAND enjoyed a superb day on the Montgomerie Course producing a 131 (-13) score which catapulted them up into 2nd place on 271 (-19). Sadom KAEWKANJANA contributed a 65 (-7) and Witchayanon CHOTHIRUNRUNGRUENG a 66 (-6).
The Day 1 leaders, DENMARK, delivered an entirely satisfactory 137 (-8) score on the O’Meara Course but unfortunately it was a day when many of their peers were going even lower. John AXELSEN 69 (-4) again led the way with the HOJGAARDtwins, Nicolai and Rasmus, both offering up 70’s (-3).
Home team IRELAND enjoyed another strong team performance in Round 2, producing a good 137 (-9) score on the O’Meara Course. Robin DAWSON, who is still to record a bogey at the Championship, shot a 68 (-5) today and he was well supported by Conor PURCELL who had a 69 (-4).
CANADA (-13 O’Meara), UNITED STATES (-13 O’Meara), SPAIN (-11 Montgomerie), ITALY (-13 O’Meara), SWEDEN (-11 Montgomerie), AUSTRIA (-10 O’Meara) and GERMANY (-12 O’Meara) all managed ‘double figure’ days to move into the Top 15 by the end of play.
Italy’s Stefano MAZZOLI had the low round of the day on the O’Meara Course with a 64 (-9). A great bounce back from a difficult day on the Montgomerie yesterday. He was 15 shots better today and amazingly -9 after 10 holes of his round.
ENGLAND, one of the last group’s out on the Montgomerie Course, battled hard for a second successive -6 score. Gian-Marco PETROZZI shot a 68 (-4) to help lead the English team into tied 12th place.
WALES followed up yesterday’s good start with an even better day on the Montgomerie Course. Jake HAPGOOD’S 68 (-4) and Tom WILLIAMS’ 70 (-2) left the Principality on 279 -11 for the Championship and tied 14th.
SCOTLAND also enjoyed an excellent day. Their 136 (-10) score, thanks to Ryan LUMSDEN’S 67 (-6) and Euan WALKER’S 69 (-4) on the O’Meara moved them through the field into a respectable tied 17th.
SOUTH AFRICA’S Championship continues to go from bad to worse. Today Malcom MITCHELL, their reserve fell ill and was unable to make his tee time. Then playing in the morning, in the worst of the day’s weather, their two remaining players Matt SAULEZ and Wilco NIENABER were only able to manage a 75 and 76 on the O’Meara Course. A 151 (+5) day took them to 294 (+4) in total and a hugely disappointing 46th place.
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5th September 2018
DENMARK lead the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) at the end of Round 1.
Rounds of 64 (-8) and 68 (-4) on the tougher Montgomerie Course from John AXELSEN and Rasmus HOJGAARD respectively helped the Danes post an impressive 132 (-12) score.
The home nation IRELAND, who were also playing on the Montgomerie, are second on 134 (-10). Robin DAWSON shot a bogey free 65 (-7) with encouragingly both John MURPHY and Conor PURCELL backing him up with 69’s (-3).
INDIA and SWITZERLAND are a surprise third on 137 (-9), albeit their scores were both compiled on the O’Meara Course. India’s star man Rayhan THOMAS shot a best of the day 64 (-9) on the easier par 73 track. Switzerland’s Perry COHEN produced a 65 (-8) to underpin his country’s total score.
ENGLAND, who were also on the O’Meara today, finished on 140 (-6) and are tied 7th. Gian-Marco PETROZZI 70 (-3) and Mitch WAITE 70 (-3) contributed their two scores.
WALES have made an encouraging start to the Championship too. Their 141 (-5) total on the O’Meara sees them lying in tied 12th place. Ben CHAMBERLAIN 69 (-4) and Jake HAPGOOD 72 (-1) put their scores on the board.
SCOTLAND 144 (Ev) are tied 34th. On a steady day for the Scots Ryan LUMSDEN shot 71 (-1) whilst Sandy SCOTT and Euan WALKER contributed hard fought matching 73’s (+1).
Two of this year’s favourites, the U.S.A. 140 M (-4) and AUSTRALIA 141 M (-3), have work to do from tied 19th and tied 23rd respectively at the end of Day 1. There is of course plenty of time left for both of them to catch the early leaders.
SOUTH AFRICA 143 M (-1) are tied 30th. Their day got off to a bad start when Jovan REBULA, the reigning Amateur champion, was forced to withdrawal with a back injury before play had started. He was replaced by travelling reserve Malcom MITCHELL.
All of the players and their teams will move onto the other course, i.e. the one they haven’t played today, for tomorrow’s second round.
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4th September 2018
The 31st Men’s World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) starts tomorrow at the Carton House resort in County Kildare, Ireland.
The WATC is a biennial international amateur golf competition run by the International Golf Federation (IGF), formerly known as the World Amateur Golf Council.
The IGF comprises 151 national governing bodies of golf in 146 countries and 22 international professional tours. It is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the body responsible for golf and as such, in addition to the Men’s and Women’s WATC’s it also organises the golf competitions in both the Olympics and Youth Olympics.
The competition has in recent years moved by rotation around the world taking in Asia-Pacific, the Americas and Europe-Africa in turn.
The first WATC took place in 1958 and was played over the Old Course at St. Andrews. Bobby Jones captained the United States of America famously receiving the Freedom of the Town during the trip, although his team ended up losing a play-off to Australia for the title.
Venue
The WATC will be played over Carton House’s two golf courses and will be hosted by the Golfing Union of Ireland and Irish Ladies Golf Union.
The Montgomerie is a par 72 inland-links course which measures 7,301 yards from the championship tees. The nines are relatively similar in length and follow the standard configuration with two par 3’s and two par 5’s on each side. It hosted the Irish Open Championship on the European Tour in 2005, 2006 and 2013.
The O’Meara is a par 73 parkland course which measures 7,165 yards from the championship tees. Again the two nines are similar in length, albeit the front nine includes three par 5’s.
Competition Format
72 teams are competing in the 2018 WATC.
The three players from each team play 72 holes of stroke play over four days. The two lowest rounds recorded on each day count towards the team’s total score.
The winning team receive the Eisenhower Trophy. The Trophy was provided in 1958 by the American Friends of Golf through the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient GolfGolf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. It is named in honour of the then United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The inscription on the trophy reads: “To foster friendship and sportsmanship among the Peoples of the World.”
Players in the leading three teams receive gold, silver and bronze medals.
Whilst individual results are reported and the player with the lowest score is recognised at the closing ceremony there is no prize awarded for the honour.
GB&I Competitors
Each of the home nations will be represented with the following players having been selected (Age / SPWAR): –
ENGLAND Matt JORDAN (22 / #16), Gian-Marco PETROZZI (21 / #108) and Mitch WAITE (23 / #37)
IRELAND Robin DAWSON (22 / #15), John MURPHY (20 / #94) and Conor PURCELL (21 / #34)
SCOTLAND Ryan LUMSDEN (21 / #88 ), Euan WALKER (22 / #114 ) and Sandy SCOTT (20 / #132)
WALES Ben CHAMBERLAIN (NK / #972), Jake HAPGOOD (NK / #395 ) and Tom WILLIAMS (NK / #728)
Good luck to all of the home nation teams competing in Ireland this week.
2018 WATC Prediction
Whilst there are 72 teams competing at the 2018 WATC just ten have a chance of a medal in my opinion.
This is my Top 10 prediction: –
1. United States of America
2. ENGLAND
3. IRELAND
4. South Africa
5. Australia
6. Denmark
7. Norway
8. Canada
9. France
10. Italy
The U.S.A. will be represented by Cole HAMMER (SPWAR #6), Colin MORIKAWA (#2) and Justin SUH (#10). The ‘undisputed’ World No. 1 Braden THORNBERRY has either not be selected or declined the opportunity to travel to Ireland.
Jovan REBULA and Victor HOVLAND, the 2018 Amateur and U.S. Amateur champions, are in action for South Africa and Norway respectively.
Future WATC Venues
2020 – Hong Kong G.C. (composite) and The Clearwater Bay G. & C.C., Hong Kong, China
2022 – Le Golf National and Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche, near Paris, France
The choice of France in 2022 was something of a surprise as the WATC was scheduled to be played in the Americas based on the rotation system that has been in place.
From 2024 due to escalating costs the WATC will be staged at a single course with the field reduced accordingly. It is expected a new qualifying competition for the smaller and newer golfing nations will be established ahead of this Championship.
2016 WATC
AUSTRALIA won the 2016 World Amateur Team Championship in Mayakoba, Mexico by a massive 19-shots.
The team of Cameron DAVIS, Harrison ENDYCOTT and Curtis LUCK equalled the 72 hole scoring record of 534 (-38).
It was the fourth time Australia had won the Eisenhower Trophy, following victories in 1958, 1966 and 1996.
Australia – Harrison Endycott, Cameron Davis, Curtis Luck, Matt Cutler – with the Eisenhower Trophy (Photo: Golf Australia)
ENGLAND (-19) collected the silver medal with AUSTRIA and IRELAND (-18) sharing bronze.
Alfie PLANT holed a 9-foot birdie putt on the last to secure second place for England. The Irish team appeared to have second sown up but a double bogey from Jack HUME (68) and a bogey from Stuart GREHAN (72) on the 18th, in their two counting rounds, ended up costing them dear.
It was the first time that both ENGLAND and IRELAND had medalled since the home nations started competing individually rather than under the Great Britain & Ireland banner.
SCOTLAND (-11) finished in a disappointing 11th place given the strong team they put out and particularly after holding the Round 1 lead when they posted a -10 score.
WALES finished in tied 16th. David BOOTE (-9) was their mainstay but he was supported well by Owen EDWARDS and Joshua DAVIES, both of whom provided two scores over the Championship.
Team Results
1. AUSTRALIA -38
2. ENGLAND -19
T3. IRELAND -18
11. SCOTLAND -11
T16. WALES -8
T6. USA -15
AUSTRALIA’s Cameron DAVIS (269 / -17) recorded the Championship’s lowest individual score. His compatriot Curtis LUCK (271 / -15) finished second, helped in no small part by a superb 63 (-9) in the third round.
England’s Alfie PLANT (-12) was GB&I’s leading player at the Championship. David BOOTE (-9), Jack HUME (-7) and Paul MCBRIDE (-5) all played very well too, finishing in the Top 20 Individual standings.
GB&I Individual Results
T3. Alfie PLANT (ENG) -12
9. David BOOTE (WAL) -9
T11. Jack HUME (IRE) -7
T20. Paul MCBRIDE (IRE) -5
T27. Robert MCINTYRE (SCO) -3
T38. Connor SYME (SCO) Ev
T38. Grant FORREST (SCO) Ev
T38. Scott GREGORY (ENG) Ev
T48. Stuart GREHAN (IRE) +2
T53. Jamie BOWER (ENG) +3
T71. Owen EDWARDS (WAL) +5
T100. Joshua DAVIES (WAL) +11
2014 WATC
The United States of America, represented by Bryson DECHAMBEAU, Beau HOSSLER and Denny MCCARTHY won the 2014 Eisenhower Trophy in Karuizawa, Japan. The U.S. team set a new record score of 534 (-38).
U.S.A. – Bryson DeChambeau, Denny McCarthy, Jim Hyler (c) and Beau Hossler – with the Eisenhower Trophy (Photo: USGA / Steven Gibbons)
In 2014 Spain’s Jon RAHM won the Individual with a record breaking 263 (-23) total.
Historic Results
GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND (GB&I) have won the Eisenhower Trophy four times but only SCOTLAND have won it in their own right since each of the home nations started to compete separately.
The competion holds a special place in the story of English amateur Peter MCEVOY. He participated in the winning GB&I team in 1988, he also ‘won’ the Individual (284) that year and he went on to captain the GB&I team that won it again in 1998. A hat trick of Eisenhower Trophy achievements that may prove difficult for anyone else to match.
Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) today won the 2018 Jacques Léglise Trophy match against Continent of Europe 15.5 – 9.5.
The Great Britain and Ireland Team With The Jacques Léglise Trophy
GB&I won three of the four series and halved the other in a comprehensive victory.
Conor GOUGH, Robin WILLIAMS and Barclay BROWN were the star men for GB&I.
Having last secured an outright win in 2014 at Barsebäck in Sweden this will hopefully prove to be a confidence booster for the young GB&I team, some of whom may feature in next year’s Walker Cup match.
Pleasingly GB&I sprinted through the finishing line winning the Day 2 Singles 6 -3 against Continent of Europe.
There were wins for Conor GOUGH, Barclay BROWN, Robin WILLIAMS, Max HOPKINS and Joe PAGDIN. Mark POWER and Tom MCKIBBIN halved their games.
The Day 2 Singles Results (Photo: European Golf Association / Golfbox)
Morning
GB&I led Continent of Europe 7.5 – 4.5 after Day 1 but with 13 points to play for today the match was far from over.
However, by halving the Day 2 Foursomes 2 – 2 GB&I took a giant step to securing victory.
Proceedings didn’t start well for GB&I with Barclay BROWN and Joe PAGDIN losing their first ever Foursomes game. Daniel Da COSTA RODRIGUES and Saku TUUSA didn’t have to do a great deal to win as the two Englishman simply never got going.
Conor GOUGH and Robin WILLIAMS, 2Up with 3 holes to play, appeared to have a win in the bag but a bogey on 16 and two birdies on the finishing holes by their opponents, Adam WALLIN and Loïc ETTLIN, meant in the end they did well to secure a half.
Like Brown and Pagdin the Dutch pair of Kiet VAN DER WEELE and Jerry JI found the going tough this morning. Mark POWER and Max HOPKINS exacting revenge for their defeat to the same pair yesterday without having to overly exert themselves.
The final game of the series between Archie DAVIES and Connor MCKINNEY and Spain’s Eduard Rousaud SABATE and David PUIG ended in a half. Looking at the scores neither pair’s played particularly well with both cards showing plenty of bogeys and as such a half seems a fair result from afar.
The Day 2 Foursomes Results (Photo: European Golf Association / Golfbox)
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31st August 2018
Afternoon
GB&I will take a 3-point lead into Day 2 of the Jaques Léglise Trophy match.
Having edged the Foursomes in the morning they secured a 5 – 3 series win in the afternoon Singles.
There were wins for Mark POWER, Robin WILLIAMS, Connor MCKINNEY, Conor GOUGH and Barclay BROWN.
The Day 1 Singles Results (Photo: European Golf Association / Golfbox)
Morning
GB&I won the Day 1 Foursomes series 2.5 – 1.5.
There were wins for the ‘unbeatable’ partnership of Barclay BROWN and Joe PAGDIN as well as new pairing Tom MCKIBBIN and Archie DAVIES.
The Sheffield-born pair enhanced their foursomes record, which now reads P4 W4, by overcoming Loïc ETTLIN and Adam WALLIN 4&3 in the opening game.
The session looked like it may finish even better for GB&I but in the end McKibbin and Davies were the only other pairing to get over the line. Robin WILLIAMS and Conor GOUGH bravely birdied the last to secure a half having lost control of their game on the back nine.
The Day 1 Foursomes Results (Photo: European Golf Association / Golfbox)
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30th August 2018
The 51st Jacques Léglise Trophy match between Great Britain & Ireland and Continent of Europe will take place at Kytäjä Golf in Finland on Friday 31st August and Saturday 1st September.
This annual match is contested by two nine-player U18 boys’ teams. It is essentially a junior equivalent of the biennial men’s St. Andrews Trophy match.
The two teams are selected by The R&A and the European Golf Association.
The Jacques Léglise Trophy (Photo: European Golf Association)
2018 Teams
The European team is: –
Eemil ALAJÄRVI Finland Daniel DA COSTA RODRIGUES Portugal Loïc ETTLIN Switzerland Jerry JI Netherlands David PUIG Spain Eduard ROUSAUD SABATE Spain Saku TUUSA Finland Kiet VAN DER WEELE Netherlands Adam WALLIN Sweden
Europe will be led by Non-Playing Captain Jeroen STEVENS. The Dutchman will be looking to win the Trophy for the third straight year after victories at Prince’s G.C. in 2016 and Ballybunion in 2017.
Eduard Rousaud Sabate is the only returning player from last year’s winning European team.
GB&I will be represented this year by: –
Barclay BROWN (17) England Archie DAVIES (17) Wales Conor GOUGH (15) England Max HOPKINS (15) England Tom MCKIBBIN (15) Ireland Connor MCKINNEY (16) Scotland Joseph PAGDIN (16) England Mark POWER (18) Ireland Robin WILLIAMS (16) England
Scotland’s Stuart WILSON, The R&A’s Boys’ Chairman of Selectors, is in charge of the team for the second time.
Seven players will be making their GB&I debuts in Finland. Mark Power and Robin Williams both played in 2017.
Format
Four foursomes games are played each morning.
Singles are then played in the afternoon; eight on Day 1 and nine on Day 2.
Here are the draws for the Day 1 Foursomes and Singles play: –
The Day 1 Foursomes and Singles Draw (Photo: European Golf Association / Golfbox)
Venue
Finland’s No. 1 rated course is hosting this year’s Jacques Léglise Trophy match.
The South East Course at the Kytäjä Golf resort is located on the outskirts of Hyvinkää, about 20 miles north of Helsinki.
It was designed by Canadian architect Thomas McBroom and opened in 2003.
The course is set on undulating land and whilst by no means tight there are tall pine trees and water hazards in play on many holes. It measures 6,965 yards and plays to a par of 71.
Previous Matches
This junior match was first played in 1958 but only became the Jacques Léglise Trophy in 1977 when Jean-Louis Dupont donated a trophy in memory of Jacques Léglise, a former President of both the French Golf Association and the European Golf Association. Leglise was also a past French amateur champion and national team captain.
Originally played in a single day it moved to two in 1996.
Last year the Continent of Europe beat GB&I 15.5 – 9.5 at Ballybunion in Ireland.
GB&I last won the match in 2014 at Barsebäck in Sweden, albeit the 2015 match at Royal Dornoch in Scotland finished in a 12.5 – 12.5 tie.
GB&I has won 37, or if you exclude the pre-Jacques Léglise contests 28, matches overall, with the Continent of Europe claiming 12 victories with one match tied.
Here are the results from all of the previous matches: –
2017 Ballybunion (Old Course), Ireland Continent of Europe 15.5 – 9.5
2016 Prince’s, England Continent of Europe 13.5 – 11.5
2015 Royal Dornoch, Scotland GB&I retain 12.5 – 12.5
2014 Barsebäck, Sweden GB&I 12.5 – 11.5
2013 Royal St David’s, Wales GB&I 15 – 9
2012 Portmarnock, Ireland Continent of Europe 13.5 – 10.5
2011 Neguri, Spain GB&I 14.5 – 9.5
2010 Castelconturbia, Italy Continent of Europe 15.5 – 8.5
2009 Ganton, England GB&I 14.5 – 9.5
2008 Kingsbarns, Scotland GB&I 14 -10
2007 Notts, England GB&I 13.5 – 10.5
2006 Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic Continent of Europe 19.5 – 4½
2005 Royal Porthcawl, Wales Continent of Europe 14 – 10
2004 Nairn, Scotland GB&I 14.5 – 9.5
2003 Lahinch, Ireland GB&I 16.5 – 7.5
2002 Lausanne, Switzerland GB&I 14 – 10
2001 Chantilly, France Continent of Europe 16 – 8
2000 Turnberry, Scotland GB&I 16 – 8
1999 Burnham & Berrow, England GB&I 15 – 9
1998 Villa d’Este, Italy GB&I 14 – 10
1997 Royal Aberdeen, Scotland Continent of Europe 12.5 – 11.5
1996 Woodhall Spa, England Continent of Europe 13 – 11
Victor VEYRET today won the 2018 Carrick Neill Scottish Open Amateur Championship at Gleneagles.
Victor Veyret (Photo: Scottish Golf / Kenny Smith Photography)
Four under par rounds of 69, 65, 67 and 67 on the Kings Course gave the tall Frenchman a 268 (-12) total and an impressive 6-shot victory.
Victor Veyret’s Scorecards (Photo: Scottish Golf / Golfbox Scoring)
Ireland’s Conor PURCELL (-6) finished second coming through the field strongly on the final day with rounds of 67 and 68.
Euan WALKER (-5) wasn’t able to repeat his form of the first two days but two par 70’s helped him secure third, taking the leading Scot honours in the process.
Joe LONG (ENG), Thomas PLUMB (ENG) and Stuart EASTON (SCO) all finished tied 4th on 278 (-2).
Just seven players finished under par in the Championship. The final one being Jake HAPGOOD (WAL) who finished in seventh on -1.
The highlight of Round 3 in the morning was Robin DAWSON‘s (IRE) 63 (-7). His low round of the week included just 29 shots on the back nine. Starting the final round in tied second place, four shots back of Veyret, it was something of a surprise when he could only managed a 75 (+5) this afternoon. A 75 which could have been a lot worse too – four birdies in his final five holes which he played in 3-under after a bogey on 16 helped tidy up the card a little.
Frenchman Victor VEYRET shot a 65 (-5) in Round 2 to take the lead on 134 (-6). His round included 5 birdies and an eagle, on the short par 4 14th.
Scotland’s Euan WALKER backed up his Day 1 67 with a 68 today to finish alone in second place on 135 (-5). Four under after 15 in Round 2 he will have been disappointed to bogey both 16 and 18, holes where many in the field have been picking up shots.
Laird SHEPHERD (ENG), Ben JONES (ENG), Stuart EASTON (SCO), Nurtai SALDAROV (SCO), Jake HAPGOOD (WAL) and Joe LONG (ENG) all remain in contention on 138 (-2).
17 players are on 140 (Ev) or better after 36 holes so there is still plenty to play for tomorrow.
43 players made the 36 hole cut which fell at 143 (+3).
Round 1 joint leader Sam ROOK (ENG) missed out on +4 after he followed his 67 with a 77.
Whilst Wales’ Hapgood is in the mix his Eisenhower Trophy teammates Ben CHAMBERLAIN (+7) and Tom WILLIAMS (+11) both missed out.
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27th August 2018
Koen KOUWENAAR (NED), Euan WALKER (SCO) and Sam ROOK (ENG) all shot 67 (-3) to share the Round 1 lead at the Scottish Open Amateur.
All three players finished strongly over Gleneagles’ Kings Course to secure their 67’s. Koen birdied four of his last five holes, whilst Euan and Sam birdied three and four of their last 6 respectively albeit both threw in a bogey on 15.
23 other players recorded under par rounds, 5 on -2 and 18 on -1 so the overall leaderboard remains very tight.
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23rd August 2018
The 52nd Scottish Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship, sponsored by Carrick Neill, starts on Monday at the Gleneagles Resort, Auchterarder in Perth and Kinross.
This open amateur competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play.
18 holes will be played on both Monday 27thand Tuesday 28th August.
A 36 hole cut will then take place with only the leading 40 competitors and ties qualifying for the final two rounds which will be played on Wednesday 29th August.
In the event of a tie for the Championship there will be a sudden death play off. All other ties will be resolved via card count back.
Field
144 competitors, all off scratch or better, will start the 2018 Championship.
The Championship has historically been played in late May or early June. The move to late August in 2018 has inevitably been detrimental to the field quality. There are a variety of reasons for this. Overseas touring parties have moved on, teams have largely been selected, players are returning to college in the United States, others are finalising moves into the Pro ranks and in some cases funds have simply run out.
Just two members of the nine man Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) St. Andrews Trophy team are competing at Gleneagles; these are Ireland’s Robin DAWSON and Conor PURCELL. England’s David HAGUE was a late withdrawal from the event.
In form Euan MCINTOSH and James WILSON, winner of last week’s Welsh Open Amateur, will lead the home challenge.
Only Euan WALKER from Scotland’s three man Eisenhower Trophy team, which starts in Ireland on 5th September, is competing. Ryan LUMSDEN and Sandy SCOTT are notable absentees but presumably both have had to return to College in the States before coming home again next week.
Other leading Scottish players in the field include Matthew CLARK, Greg DALZIEL, Stuart EASTON, Calum FYFE, Darren HOWIE, Jim JOHNSTON and Jeff WRIGHT.
Ben CHAMBERLAIN, Jake HAPGOOD and Tom WILLIAMS, the three members of Wales’ Eisenhower Trophy team, will all be in action.
Their is a strong English contingent at Gleneagles which includes Jake BOLTON, Callum FARR, Jack GAUNT, Bailey GILL, Ben JONES, Matty LAMB, Joe LONG, Joshua MCMAHON, Billy MCKENZIE, Thomas PLUMB and Laird SHEPHERD. The three members of England’s Eisenhower Trophy team Matthew JORDAN, Gian-Marco PETROZZI and Mitch WAITE are all skipping this year’s Scottish Open Amateur.
There are a small number of overseas entires, the best appearing to be Frenchman Victor VEYRET.
Prizes
The Winner receives the distinctive Championship Trophy and a silver gilt medal.
Silver and bronze medals are also awarded to the runner-up and third place finisher(s).
Gleneagles, Kings Course
Located 20 miles south of Perth Gleneagles is a world class golf resort with three Championship golf courses.
James Braid was the primary architect of the first and arguably still the best course, The Kings. Located on moorland it offers outstanding views with vast countryside and mountains providing a spectacular backdrop.
A number of prestigious amateur and professional events have been staged on the course since it opened in 1919. However, this is the first time the Scottish Open Amateur has been staged at Gleneagles.
Recent restoration work, widening fairways so bunkers moved out of the rough, has returned this famous old course back to its best too.
The Kings course will play 6,752 yards this week to a par of 70. The front nine will measure 3,321 yards and the back nine 3,431 yards. The 10th, which normally plays as a par 5 is being played as a 440 yard par 4.
With the greens running at around 11 feet on the stimpmeter and the par set at a demanding 70 I do not expect a low scoring Championship.
Weather Forecast
The weather forecast is generally cool and dry with a modest breeze:-
Mon 27th Aug – Light cloud / Wind 15 mph W / Temp. Max. 18°C, Min. 9°C. Tues 28th Aug – Light cloud / Wind 13 mph SW / Temp. Max. 18°C / Min. 11°C. Wed 29th Aug – Light cloud / Wind 10 mph SW / Temp. Max. 17°C / Min. 7°C.
Rounds 1 and 2 will see players tee off the 1st from 7.00am right through until 3.20pm.
The 2017 Scottish Men’s Open Amateur
Liam JOHNSTON (SCO) shot rounds of 69, 66, 69 and 71 to win the 2017 Carrick Neill Scottish Men’s Open Championship with a 275 (-9) total at Western Gailes.
Liam was the first home winner since Wallace Booth in 2008.
Liam Johnston (Photo: Kenny Smith / Scottish Golf)
Matthew JORDAN (ENG) finished second, two shots further back, continuing a superb run off form. Matthew recorded successive Top 5’s in the Irish Open Amateur, Brabazon Trophy and Scottish Open Amateur before winning the St. Andrews Links Trophy last summer.
Craig HOWIE (SCO) and David MICHELUZZI (AUS) shared third place on -5 as both stumbled a little in the final round as the wind picked up.
Connor SYME (SCO) finished 5th on -4, whilst Clément CHARMASSON (FRA) and Matty LAMB (ENG) shot final round 67’s to move through the field and finish tied 6th on -3.
Viktor HOVLAND (NOR) beat Devon BLING (USA) 6&5 in the 36-hole Final of the U.S. Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Viktor Hovland (Photo: USGA)
The Final was effectively won around the turn on the first 18 holes when Hovland won four holes in a row. Bling bogeying 8, 9 and 10 before Hovland birdied 11. The Californian battled to the end but was always unlikely to recover such a deficit against the in form Norwegian.
Hovland is just the second Continental European to win the U.S. Amateur. Edoardo Molinari (ITA) won in 2005 at Merion Golf Club, besting Dillon Dougherty (USA) 4&3 in the Final.
Devon BLING (USA) beat Isaiah SALINDA (USA) by 1 Hole to win the first Semi-Final.
Devon will play Viktor HOVLAND (NOR) in tomorrow’s Final after the Norwegian overcame Cole HAMMER (USA) 3&2 in the other match.
Match Play Semi-Finals Results (Photo: USGA)
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Friday 17th August 2018
Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) lost 3&2 to Cole HAMMER (USA) in their Quarter Final match.
Cole (18), arguably the best amateur golfer in the world at the moment, came into this week having already won the Azalea Invitational, the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (with partner Garrett Barber) and most impressively the Western Amateur Championship this season. He starts his college career at the University of Texas in September and is certainly one to watch.
After the match Cole said to the U.S.G.A.: “I think when I won the Azalea earlier this year, when I came out on top in a playoff against Hugo Bernard and Joe Pagdin, I felt like I belonged in amateur golf rather than just in junior golf. Actually even before that, last year at the Jones Cup, I came in third, and that’s a pretty solid finish for 17 [years old]. But this whole year has gradually been a rise to the confidence that I have now.”
As can be seen from the hole-by-hole scores below this was a hard fought contest with both players in good form. Cole was -3 for the holes played and Alex -2.
C. Hammer v. A. Fitzpatrick Match Play Quarter Final Scores (Photo: USGA)
Fitzpatrick (19) can now look forward to starting his freshman season at Wake Forest in September with renewed confidence knowing he belongs at this level.
As this year’s eight quarter finalists each earn an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Amateur he can at least take solace in the fact he has also punched his ticket for next year’s U.S. Amateur already.
Europe’s other representative Viktor HOVLAND (NOR) continues to impress. Following his second successive 7&6 win the Oklahoma State player appears to be the man to beat. In beating Austin SQUIRES (USA) he won seven consecutive holes (2-8) and equalled the largest margin of victory in an 18 hole Quarter Final record.
Here are the full results from the Quarter Finals: –
Match Play Quarter Finals Results (Photo: USGA)
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Thursday 16th August 2018
Match Play Round 3
For the second time on Thursday Alex FITZPATRICK required extra holes to get the win.
This time McClure MEISSNER was beaten on the 19th Hole. As with this morning’s round Alex bogeyed the par 3 17th to put himself under pressure. After three putting the 18th for a 6 and a fortunate half it was great to see the Yorkshireman birdie the 1st extra hole to end the match. 39 holes in a day is more than enough for anyone.
Mesissner is not someone I have heard too much about but having beaten both Brad DALKE and John AUGENSTEIN in the previous rounds he was clearly playing very well.
A. Fitzpatrick v. M. Meissner Match Play Round 3 Scores (Photo: USGA)
Speaking to the U.S.G.A. after the match Alex was understandably delighted to have made the Quarter finals: “It means a lot. This tournament has been something I’ve really wanted to get in from the start of the year. I’ve worked pretty hard to get in this, and it’s nice to actually play good golf when I get here. I didn’t expect to even qualify for the stroke play, so sort of each match getting further and further is getting more exciting, and as I said, if I was to get knocked out, I still wouldn’t be disappointed because I’ve had a great week.”
In the all-Norwegian match up Viktor HOVLAND beat Kristoffer REITAN 7&6 in a surprisingly one sided game.
Here are the full Round 3 results: –
Match Play Round 3 Results (Photo: USGA)
Match Play Round 2
It was a close run thing but Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) finally overcame Jesus MONTENEGRO (ARG) in a tight match on the 20th Hole.
Alex pared the par 5 18th to draw level before Montenegro bogeyed the 2nd extra hole to allow the man from Sheffield to progress.
A. Fitzpatrick v. J. Montenegro Match Play Round 2 Scores (Photo: USGA)
The two other remaining Europeans in the draw are Viktor HOVLAND and Kristoffer REITAN and sadly for Norwegian fans they will play each other in the penultimate game of this afternoon’s series.
Here are the full Round 2 results from Pebble Beach: –
Match Play Round 2 Results (Photo: USGA)
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Wednesday 15th August 2018
Match Play Round 1
Harry HALL (ENG) lost by 1 Hole to Stewart HAGESTAD (USA). Stewart, the mid-amateur selection for the 2017 U.S.A. Walker Cup team, came into the match full of confidence after recording the lowest qualifying round; a bogey free 66 in his Rd 2 at Pebble Beach yesterday. In a tight match where neither player led by more than one hole Stewart just came out on top.
S. Hagestad v. H. Hall – Match Play Round 1 Scores (Photo: USGA)
Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) beat Ian SIEBERS (USA) 2&1. Ian handed control of the match to Alex with four bogeys in the first six holes and Alex was good enough to see it out from there. The draw was perhaps favourable to Alex but the match still had to be won. Whilst Ian shot a 68, including 7 birdies, at Pebble Beach in Stroke Play Round 2 and qualified strongly in 7th place he is just 16 years old and therefore inexperienced at this level.
I. Siebers v. A. Fitzpatrick – Match Play Round 1 Scores (Photo: USGA)
After a birdie on the opening hole Eoin LEONARD (IRE) appeared to lose his way on the famous cliff top holes that end Pebble Beach’s front nine, effectively handing the match to Kristoffer REITAN (NOR) with a sequence of bogeys. Reitan is an experienced international player ranked 44th in the SPWAR so there was certainly no shame in losing to him for the in-form Irishman.
K. Reitan v. E. Leonard – Match Play Round 1 Scores (Photo: USGA)
Here are the complete Round 1 results: –
Match Play Round 1 Results (Photo: USGA)
Medalist Daniel HILLIER (NZL) safely overcame play-off winner Jacob BERGERON (USA) 3&2.
The main upsets in Round 1 fell in the lower half of the draw which potentially could be good news for Alex Fitzpatrick. Braden THORNBERRY (USA), Collin MORIKAWA (USA) and Justin SUH (USA), all ranked in the SPWAR’s top 10, lost their games. Brad DALKE (USA), runner-up to Curtis Luck in 2016, and highly rated Junior Akshay BHATIA (USA) also lost in this part of the draw.
24-For-1 Play-Off
The sudden death play-off for the 64th and final Match Play spot started at 7.30am (3.30pm BST) on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach. The hole was set at 208 yards for the play off with the flag tucked on the back left hand side of the green.
The play-off was televised in full by the U.S.G.A. and streamed on Facebook and Twitter.
Unsurprisingly given the hole set up and circumstances just two players made birdie on the par 3 from the 24 who were competing. They were Jacob BERGERON (USA), the 12th to tee off, and Peter KUEST (USA), the 24th and last.
Both Bergeron and Kuest then hit great drives into the fairway on 18, the next play-off hole. Unfortunately at that point things went crazy. Bergeron mis-hit his lay up right blocking himself out behind the big tree in front of the green whilst Kuest, going for the green, hooked his approach into the Pacific. To cut a long story short Bergeron ended up winning the hole with a 6 with Kuest could only manage an 8.
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Tuesday 14th August 2018
63 players on +3 or better secured places in the Match Play Stage of the U.S. Amateur championship today.
A further 24 players on +4 will play-off tomorrow morning on Pebble Beach’s 17th hole to determine who takes up the final qualifying spot.
Stroke Play Qualifying Results Summary (Photo: USGA)
Daniel HILLIER (NZL) secured medalist honours from Cole HAMMER (USA) after both finished on 137 (-6). Daniel edged Cole on Pebble Beach count back. Both played the lead venue on Day 1 with Daniel recording a 67 (-4) to Cole’s 69 (-2).
As expected after Day 1 only Eoin LEONARD (IRE) on 145 +2 [74 SH / 71PB], Harry HALL (ENG) 146 +3 [72 PB / 74 SH] and Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) 146 +3 [72 PB / 74 SH] qualified from the seven strong Great British and Irish contingent.
Eoin qualified in some style. Standing at +5 after 27 holes he needed something special on Pebble Beach’s front nine to make the cut. Thankfully he was able to deliver a 32 including an eagle and two birdies to qualify comfortably.
Eoin Leonard’s Front 9 Scorecard At Pebble Beach (Photo: USGA)
Eoin has been seeded 43rd, Alex 56th and Harry 52nd for the Match Play Stage based on their qualifying scores.
Norway’s Kristoffer REITAN Ev T19 and Viktor HOVLAND +1 T24 were the only other European qualifiers. Fred LACROIX (FRA) +4 T64 has the opportunity to make it 8 European qualifiers as he is one of the players contesting tomorrow morning’s 23-for-1 play-off.
Whilst Matthew JORDAN (ENG) 148 +5 [77 SH / 71 PB], Todd CLEMENTS (ENG) 148 +5 [78 SH / 70 PB], Robin DAWSON (IRE) 150 +7 [76 SH / 74 PB] and Gian-Marco PETROZZI (ENG) 150 +7 [78 SH / 72PB] all produced improved scores at Pebble Beach in Round 2 they had simply left themselves too much to do after struggling at the tough Spyglass Hill on Day 1.
Amateur champion Jovan REBULA (RSA) also missed out on with a 148 +5 [76 SH / 72 PB].
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Monday 13th August 2018
Daniel HILLIER (NZL) and Trevor PHILLIPS (USA) lead the Stroke Play Qualifying competition at the US Amateur Championship at the end of Day 1.
Hillier, 19, shot a 67 (-4) at Pebble Beach which included 5 birdies and an eagle.
Phillips, 20, recorded a 68 (-4) at Spyglass Hill which included 6 birdies, 4 on an unblemished back 9.
Recent winners in the U.S. Isaiah SALINDA (USA) -3 (PB) 3rd, Cole HAMMER (USA) -2 (PB) T4, Akshay BHATIA (USA) -1 (PB) T12 and Michael THORBJORNSEN (USA) -1 (PB) T12 have all clearly brought their form to California.
Hammer is 18, whilst Bhatia and Thorbjornsen are just 16. All three are amongst the favourites this week.
Norway’s Kristoffer REITAN -1 (SH) T12 and Viktor HOVLAND Ev (PB) T28 are the leading European entrants after Round 1.
As you can see from the table below it was a generally disappointing day for the Great British and Irish players. Harry HALL, Alex FITZPATRICK and Eoin LEONARD now have the best chance of making the top 64 Match Play Stage. The other players will need something very special on day 2 to progress where the cut can now be expected to fall at +2 or +3 based on the first round scores.
Amateur champion Jovan REBULA (RSA) also has a lot of work to do if he is to progress.
Stroke Play Qualifying Round 1 Scores Summary (Photo: USGA)
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Sunday 12th August 2018
The 118th U.S. Amateur Championship starts tomorrow in Pebble Beach, California.
This year the championship is being staged at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course.
Administered by the United States Golf Association (U.S.G.A.) the U.S. Amateur is the most important and prestigious competition in the amateur golf calendar.
Competition Format
On Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th August all of the contestants will play 36-holes of stroke play, one at Pebble Beach and the other at Spyglass Hill.
The Top 64 qualifiers will then progress to the match play stage of the competition. Ties for the last qualifying place will be resolved by a sudden death play-off.
18 hole match play rounds will then be played between Wednesday 15th and Saturday 18th, culminating in a 36-hole Championship Final on Sunday 19th August. Extra holes will be played to resolve any halved games.
2018 Field
A field of 312 players from 24 (2017: 29) different countries will contest this year’s Championship.
261 players are from U.S.A. with Canada (10) and Australia (8) the next best represented countries.
This year 96 (2017: 100) 36 hole Sectional Qualifying events were held in July across the USA, with one each in Canada and Mexico too. The introduction of a European Sectional Qualifier, like the U.S.G.A. stage for the U.S. Open Championship, remains long overdue.
This year’s average competitor age is 22.59 (2017: 22.39).
The oldest player will be Paul SIMSON (67, b. 10th May 1951) and the youngest Gaven LANE (14, b. 16th June 2004).
2015 Walker Cup player Mike McCOY will be making his 19th appearance in the Championship.
Denmark’s Nicolai HØSGAARD has chosen not to take up his exemption that came with his European Amateur Championship win at Royal Hague in late June. He is instead playing in the Boys’ Amateur Championship in Northern Ireland, aiming to secure his spot on Europe’s Junior Ryder Cup team.
There are 7 GB&I players competing. There were 9 in 2017 and 11 in 2016 at Riviera and Oakland Hills respectively.
Here is a list of the GB&I players with their exemption category or Sectional Qualifying event noted: –
Todd CLEMENTS (ENG) – Top 50 WAGR 27/6/18
Robin DAWSON (IRE) – Top 50 WAGR 27/6/18
Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) – Top 50 WAGR 27/6/18
Harry HALL (ENG) – Qualifier at Santa Rosa, California (23/07/17), 68 66 (-10) 1st.
Matthew JORDAN (ENG) – GB&I Walker Cup 2017 and Top 50 WAGR 27/6/18
Eoin LEONARD (IRE) – Qualifier at Westfield, New Jersey (16/07/17), 67 70 (-5) 1st.
Gian-Marco PETROZZI (ENG) – Top 50 WAGR 27/6/18
2018 Stroke Play Qualifying Draw
The draw for the 36-hole Stroke Play Qualifying competition can be viewed here – U.S. Amateur Tee Times
California is 8 hours behind us so much of the action will take place overnight.
Matthew JORDAN and Robin DAWSON are in the same threesome. They will tee off at 8.01am (1st) at Spyglass on Day 1 and 1.16pm (10th) at Pebble Beach on Day 2.
Host Courses
Pebble Beach Golf Links
7,039 yards, Par 71.
Opened in 1919.
Designed by Jack Neville & Douglas Grant (1919) / Herbert Fowler (1920) / H. Chandler Egan (1928) / Jack Nicklaus (1998) / Arnold Palmer & Thad Layton (2007-2016).
Pebble Beach famously enjoys nine holes perched on the cliffs above the Pacific and is one of the world’s finest courses. An occasional criticism is that the poa-annua greens can be bumpy in the morning and late afternoon.
This will be the 12th U.S.G.A. Championship Pebble beach has staged. It has hosted four previous U.S. Amateurs; in 1929, 1947, 1961 and 1999, the latter won by David Gossett.
Pebble Beach Golf Links (Photo: Bart Keagy)
Spyglass Hill Golf Course
7,049 yards, Par 72.
Opened in 1966.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones (1966) / Tom Fazio (R. 1996).
Spyglass starts with five opening holes set in sand dunes near to the Pacific coast before moving inland to more challenging holes amongst the Monterey pine covered hills. A top rated course in the U.S. many commentators believe it to be nearly as good as Pebble Beach.
Spyglass co hosted the U.S. Amateur in 1999 alongside Pebble Beach.
3rd Hole, Spyglass Hill Golf Course (Photo: Pebble Beach Company)
Weather Forecast (as at 11.00pm 12th August 2018)
A cool spell of weather is forecast for next week with playing conditions expected to be virtually identical on each day.
Stroke Play Stage
Mon 13th August – Sunny. Wind 8mph (W). Temp. Max. 17°C / Min 12°C.
Tues 14th August – Sunny. Wind 8mph (W). Temp. Max. 17°C / Min 13°C.
Match Play Stage
Weds 15th August – Sunny. Wind 8mph (W). Temp. Max. 17°C / Min 13°C.
Thurs 16th August – Sunny. Wind 8mph (W). Temp. Max. 19°C / Min 12°C.
Fri 17th August – Sunny. Wind 8mph (W). Temp. Max. 20°C / Min 14°C.
Sat 18th August – Sunny. Wind 8mph (W). Temp. Max. 22°C / Min 14°C.
Sun 19th August – Sunny. Wind 8mph (W). Temp. Max. 20°C / Min 14°C.
UK Television Coverage
Sky Sports will be taking the Fox U.S. television feed, via the Red Button, over the final match play weekend.
Prizes
The 2018 U.S. Amateur Champion will receive the following: –
a) A Gold Medal and custody of the Havemeyer Trophy for the following year;
and assuming they remain amateur
b) An exemption to play in the 2019 U.S. Open coincidentally to be staged at Pebble Beach Golf Links;
c) An exemption to play in the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club;
d) An invitation to play in the 2019 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club;
e) An exemption to play in the 2019 – 2028 U.S. Amateurs; and
f) Various invitations to play in PGA Tour and European Tour events.
A Silver Medal is awarded to the runner-up and Bronze Medals to the two losing semi-finalists.
The original silver Havemeyer Trophy was presented to the U.S.G.A. on March 1895 in honour of the Association’s first President Theodore A. Havemeyer. This was lost in a fire at Bobby Jones’ home club, East Lake, in 1925.
Bobby Jones Receives the Original U.S. Amateur Trophy in 1924
A new gold trophy was produced in 1926. This was retired in 1992 with a copy of the trophy being produced and passed from champion to champion ever since.
Sadly the original gold trophy was stolen from the U.S.G.A. Museum in 2012 and has never been seen since.
The 2017 U.S. Amateur Championship
Doc Redman (Photo: U.S.G.A.)
The 2017 U.S. Amateur Championship was played at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
Doc REDMAN (USA) won beating Doug GHIM (USA) on the 37th hole of the Championship match.
In an astonishing finish Redman recovered from 2-Down with 2 holes to play. On the 35th hole Redman dropped a 60 foot eagle putt before finishing the match with a birdie on the 36th and a conceded birdie on the first extra hole.
The U.S.G.A. highlights video below is worth watching just for Redman’s putt on the 35th.
2017 U.S. Amateur Highlights (You Tube: U.S.G.A.)
The Stroke Play medalist was Hayden WOOD who broke the U.S. Amateur Championship 36-hole qualifying record with a total of 131. Wood followed his 64 at Riviera with a 67 at Bel-Air to beat the 132 shot by Hank Kim (1994), Gregor Main (2011) and Bobby Wyatt (2012).
Jack SINGH BRAR, Robert MACINTYRE and Connor SYME all qualified for the Match Play Stage. Harry ELLIS lost out in the play-off on Riviera’s famous short par 4 10th hole. His double bogey 6 in the second group out saw him fall out of contention quickly.
Connor SYME went the furthest reaching the Quarter Finals before eventually losing 2&1 to Doug GHIM.
U.S. Amateur Championship History
The U.S. Amateur is the oldest golf championship in America and this will be its 118th playing.
It was first played in 1895, the winner being Charles B. Macdonald.
It has always been decided by match play save for an 8 year period between 1965 and 1972 when the winner was determined solely by stroke play.
Former US winners include Walter Travis (1900-01-03), Jerome Travers (1907-08-12-13), Bobby Jones (1924-25-27-28-30), Francis Ouimet (1914-31), W. Lawson Little (1934-35) Arnold Palmer (1954), Jack Nicklaus (1959-61), Deane Beman (1960-63), Lanny Wadkins (1970), Craig Stadler (1973), Mark O’Meara (1979), Hal Sutton (1980), Phil Mickelson (1990), Justin Leonard (1992), Tiger Woods (1994-95-96), Matt Kucher (1997), Ryan Moore (2004), Peter Uihlein (2010) and Bryson DeChambeau (2015).
British players have won the Championship on six occasions but just twice in the last 100 years – H.J. Whigham (1896-97), Findlay Douglas (1898), Harold Hilton (1911), Richie Ramsay (2006) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (2013).
Matthew Fitzpatrick (Photo: U.S.G.A.)
Italy’s Edoardo Molinari (2005) is the only player from the Continent of Europe to have lifted the Havemeyer Trophy.
Future U.S. Amateur Venues
2019 – Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, North Carolina – Courses No. 2 and 4.
In what he subsequently described as the “biggest day in my golf career, no question” Cole HAMMER beat Davis RILEY by 1 Hole to become the 116th Western Amateur champion at Sunset Ridge C.C.
Cole Hammer With The Cameron Eddy Trophy (SP) and George R. Thorne Trophy (MP) (Photo: Western Amateur)
Birdies on holes 3, 6 and 9 and an eagle on 7 helped Cole into a 4Up lead after 9 holes. Whilst Davis fought back admirably, particularly with late birdies on 15 and 16, the young Texan was still able to hold his nerve and see out the match.
Hole-By-Hole Final Results (Photo: Western Amateur / Event-Net Scoring)
By playing 76 holes of match play over the four rounds Cole tied the Championship record with Justin Leonard (1992) and David Chung (2010) for most holes played.
In an outstanding performance Hammer led from the front for virtually the whole Championship. He was of course co-medalist in the earlier stroke play qualifying; an achievement which included a new course record 61 in Round 3.
He is just the sixth 18 year-old champion, joining a select group that includes Tiger Woods and last year’s winner Norman Xiong, who also completed the ‘double’.
Like most of the field Hammer will now move on to the U.S. Amateur Championship in California. In September he will start his freshman year at the University of Texas.
Semi-Finals
In the morning Cole HAMMER needed 20 holes to overcome Brandon WU. The scoring was excellent in this match with Wu birdieing the last to take the match back down the 1st. Hammer was 5-under the card and Wu 4-under after the 18 holes. Hammer birdied the 2nd to progress.
The second Semi-Final was tighter with far less birdies recorded. Davis RILEY, a rising Senior at the University of Alabama, pulled away on the back-nine to secure a 4&2 win over a slightly out of sorts Tyler STRAFACI.
Semi-Final Results (Photo: Western Amateur / Event-Net Scoring)
Click here to view the detailed Western Amateur Championship – Match Play Results
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3rd August 2018
Round 2
In a relatively poor quality match Cole HAMMER was fortunate to get through against Spencer RALSTON where both players struggled to match their scoring prowess of previous days.
Brandon WU overcame John AUGENSTEIN on the 19th hole of their match. Wu was 2Down as he stood on the 17th tee. He won that hole with a par 3 before a birdie on the 18th and a par on 19 saw him complete a memorable comeback.
Two late birdies helped Tyler STRAFACI to a 2Up win against Kaiwen LIU.
Davis RILEY enjoyed another big win in the final Quarter-Final benefiting from some loose early play from Hayden SPRINGER before powering away with four birdies. This is the second time in the last three years that the Alabama man has reached the final day.
Here are the full Round 2 results: –
Round 2 Results (Photo: Western Amateur / Event-Net Scoring)
Round 1
Cole HAMMER birdied the 20th hole to overcome Davis SHORE in Round 1.
Hammer’s Co-medalist Sam STEVENS wasn’t so lucky being beaten easily by Kaiwen LIU.
There were surprise early defeats for highly fancied Collin MORIKAWA and Isaiah SALINDA.
Here are the full Round 1 results: –
Round 1 Results (Photo: Western Amateur / Event-Net Scoring)
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2nd August 2018
Cole HAMMER (Texas, USA) and Sam STEVENS (Kansas, USA) shared medalist honours after completion of the final 36 holes of stroke play on Thursday.
They both posted an unbelievable 261 (-23) total for the 72 holes. This was the lowest stroke play total score in the long history of the Western Amateur; the previous best being Aron Price’s 265 (-15 in relation to par) at Point O’ Woods Golf & Country Club in 2004.
Hammer, a rising freshman at the University of Texas, posted rounds of 65, 68, 61 and 67. The 61 (-10) in today’s morning round represented a new course record for the Sunset Ridge Country Club.
Cole Hammer’s Scorecard (Photo: Western Amateur / Event-Net Scoring)
Stevens, a former Oklahoma State player, was far more consistent recording scores of 65, 66, 65 and 68. He earned a share of first by holing a 50-foot putt on his final qualifying hole.
Sam Steven’s Scorecard (Photo: Western Amateur / Event-Net Scoring)
The leading 16 stroke play finishers – known as the ‘Sweet 16’ – now move onto the match play stage of the competition.
Amongst the other leading qualifiers were Isaiah SALINDA USA (-20), who won last week’s Pacific Coast Amateur, Collin MORIKAWA USA (-19), a 2017 Walker Cup and the SPWAR No. 2-ranked player, Brandon WU USA and Min Woo LEE AUS (both -18)
The final spot went to Davis SHORE (Tennessee, USA) who having finished the stroke play on -11 successfully negotiated a 6-for-1 play-off by making a birdie on the third extra hole.
‘Sweet 16’ Qualifiers (Photo: Western Amateur / Event-Net Scoring)
World No. 1 Braden THORNBERRY (Mississippi, USA) was a casualty. He has now missed out on ‘Sweet 16’ status on each of this four appearances. In fact 2018 was the first time he had made it through to Day 3 of the stroke play.
Spencer RALSTON (Georgia, USA) leads the Western Amateur after completion of the second 18 holes of stroke play at Sunset Ridge. His rounds of 63 and 66 gave him a 36 hole tournament record total of 137 (-13).
44 players made the 36-hole cut, which fell at -5, and will now play a final 36 holes of stroke play tomorrow. The cut mark was 4 shots lower than the previous record set last year.
Unfortunately English pair Billy MCKENZIE and Ben JONES were amongst those to miss out. McKenzie recorded scores of 71 and 69 (-2) to lie tied 68th whilst Jones’ 74 and 72 (+4) saw him sitting in tied 132nd when the first cut fell.
After Thursday’s two rounds the field will be trimmed to 16 for match play.
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29th July 2018
The 116th Western Amateur Championship starts on Tuesday at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield, Illinois in the Unites States.
The Western Amateur is one of the world’s leading amateur golf tournaments. Only the U.S. Amateur Championship and the Amateur Championship could be considered more prestigious.
Sunset Ridge C.C. (Photo: Sunset Ridge C.C.)
The Championship is run by the Western Golf Association (WGA). The WGA were established in 1899 and appropriately set up their headquarters in the town of Golf, Illinois. In addition to the Western Amateur the WGA also run the Western Junior Championship (since 1914) and the BMW Championship, the second oldest professional tournament in the U.S.A.
The event sits uncomfortably in the Great British and Irish (GB&I) amateur golf calendar, coming at the height of the European season. Despite the small number of GB&I entries normally seen the event is of such standing that it is always worthy of our full attention.
Field
156 players are exempted or invited to compete. Free to choose whichever ranking it wishes the WGA uses the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR) to assess exemptions.
In 2017 more players in the Top 200 of the SPWAR competed in the Western Amateur (99) than in both the U.S. Amateur (93) and the Amateur Championship (73). That is despite the two major Championships having much larger fields, 312 and 288 players respectively.
Ben JONES (England) and Billy MCKENZIE (England) are the only entries from Great Britain and Ireland this year.
Last year saw David BOOTE (Wales), Liam JOHNSTON (Scotland) and Connor SYME (Scotland) compete. None of them were able to make the top 16 match play stage.
This year the match play stage will be streamed live for the first time ever on GolfChannel.com, the Golf Channel mobile app and thewesternamateur.com.
For more information including the scoring links which will go live from Tuesday please take a look at the Championship website – www.thewesternamateur.com
Format
Not only is the field often the strongest in amateur golf the current format, which was first adopted in 1961, is arguably the best of any amateur tournament in the world. It certainly offers a thorough examination for the players.
All of the field start by playing 18 holes of stroke play on each of the first two days.
A 36 hole cut to the low 44 scores and ties is then made.
The remaining players then play a further 36 holes of stroke play on Day 3.
At the end of 72 holes the low 16 finishers progress to the match play stage. A sudden death play off is used to separate those players tied for 16th place.
The “Sweet Sixteen” then play match play over the final two days of competition, the finalists having to play two matches on each day.
2018 Venue
Sunset Ridge Country Club is located on Chicago’s North Shore, the course being 25 miles from the city centre.
Sunset Ridge C.C. was designed by William Diddel in 1923 and renovated by Rick Jacobson in 2004-05. The Club is celebrating its 95th anniversary this year.
As you will have seen from the above photos the course is tight with trees and water adjacent to most fairways. It plays 6,800 yards from the Championship tees and is protected by well bunkered fast greens, often sloping from back to front. It is clearly a strategic course where accurate driving to set up attacking approach shots to the right green segments is required.
The Western Amateur will be staged at the following clubs over the next four years: –
2019 – Point O’Woods G.&C.C., Benton Harbor, Michigan
2020 – Crooked Stick G.C., Carmel, Indiana
2021 – Glenview G.C., Golf, Indiana
2022 – Exmoor C.C., Highland Park, Illinois
History and Past Winner’s
The Western Amateur was founded in 1899 and the 2018 event will be its 116th playing. It is the third-oldest amateur championship in the world.
As the photos below show the trophies certainly match the history and prestige of the event.
Virtually all of the great names in U.S. golf have competed in and in many cases won the Western Amateur.
There has never been a GB&I winner albeit Florida-based Sam HORSFIELD (England) went close in 2016 at Knollwood C.C. Sam won the stroke play qualifying by 9 shots (63, 75, 67, 64 / -15) before losing to Dylan MEYER (U.S.A.) 3&1 in the Final.
In 2017 the Western Amateur was played at Stokie C.C. in Glencoe, Illinois. Norman XIONG (U.S.A.) won the stroke play qualifying with rounds of 72, 67, 66 and 65 (-14) before going on to beat Doc REDMAN (U.S.A.) in the match play final on the 22nd hole.
Xiong, who played in the subsequent Walker Cup and recently left Oregon after his second year to turn pro, was the 25th medalist to win the tournament and the first since Chris Williams (U.S.A.) in 2012.
Norman Xiong – The 2017 Western Amateur Champion (Photo: Western Amateur)
Here’s a selection of former winners: –
Last 5 Years
2017 Norman Xiong – Skokie C.C.
2016 DylanMeyer – Knollwood Club
2015 Dawson Armstrong – Rich Harvest Farms
2014 BeauHossler – The Beverly C.C.
2013 JordanNiebrugge – The Alotian Club
Others
JamieLovemark – 2005 (youngest winner at 17 years, 6 months and 8 days).
RyanMoore – 2004. TigerWoods – 1994.
Tiger Woods (Photo: Western Amateur)
JustinLeonard – 1992 and 1993 (1991 Runner-Up).
PhilMickelson – 1991.
Phil Mickelson (Photo: Western Amateur)
ChrisDiMarco – 1988.
ScottVerplank – 1985.
HalSutton – 1979 and 1980.
BobbyClampett – 1978
AndyBean – 1975
CurtisStrange – 1974. Ben Crenshaw – 1973.
AndyNorth – 1971.
LannyWadkins – 1970.
SteveMelnyk – 1969.
TomWeiskopf – 1963. JackNicklaus – 1961.
TommyAaron – 1960.
Dr. EdUpdegaff – 1957 and 1959.
CharlesCoe – 1950.
FrankStranahan – 1946, 1949, 1951 and 1952 (4).
MarvinWard – 1940, 1941 and 1947.
CharlesYates – 1925.
DonMoe – 1929 and 1931.
FrancisOuimet – 1917.
ChickEvans – 1909, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1920, 1921, 1922 and 1923 (8).
H. Chandler Egan – 1902, 1904, 1905 and 1907 (4).
Bobby Jones first played in 1917 when he was just 15. He reached the match play stage before losing in Round 1 (32) to Daniel ‘Ned’ Sawyer. He played for the second time in 1920 where he was medalist before losing to Chick Evans in the semi-finals (36 holes in those days).
The Continent of Europe beat Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) 15.5 – 9.5 in the 32nd St. Andrews Trophy match played this year at Linna Golf in Finland.
The Continent of Europe Team (Photo: European Golf Association)
This was just the sixth time Europe had won the match and the 6 point margin represented their biggest ever victory. Prior to this year their best win had come in 1982 when they won 14.5 – 9.5 at Rosendaelsche G.C. in Netherlands.
GB&I entered the final day leading 7 – 5 but were comprehensively outplayed by an inspired European team who won the Day 2 games 10.5 – 2.5.
Europe won the morning Foursomes 3 – 1 to leave the match tied at 8 points each and in theory to perfectly set up the afternoon series of Singles where all eighteen players would be in action.
Unfortunately GB&I were thrashed 7.5 – 1.5 in the Singles. Matthew JORDAN (ENG) won his match and Mitch WAITE (ENG) secured a late half.
It is difficult to put a positive spin on this result for GB&I given that Europe were ‘missing’ at least five of what I would consider to be their potential first team. A number of Europe’s leading players chose to play in this week’s Porsche European Open on the European Tour or to return early to the Unites States in the run up to the U.S. Amateur.
I can’t criticise the GB&I selection as I picked exactly the same team independently before the match started. They were simply outplayed on the final day.
In The R&A’s match report GB&I Captain Craig Watson said: “The team is obviously very disappointed but if you look at the scoring by the Continent of Europe you can see we were up against a very high standard of golf. This is the level that the players need to aspire to and achieve and when they look back on the performance there will be many learning points to take away. If you are to win a match like this you obviously need to make your fair share of putts when it matters. We just couldn’t match the Continent of Europe today. I don’t think we were complacent.”
Coming a year after the 19 – 7 record breaking thrashing at the hands of the United States in the Walker Cup GB&I have just over 400 days to find a team ready to face them again at Royal Liverpool in September 2019.
Looking at the individual performances Matias HONKALA (FIN) was the star man for Europe winning all four of his matches. Stefano MAZZOLI (ITA) didn’t play in the Day 1 Singles but won all three of the other matches he was selected for.
Matthew JORDAN (ENG) was comfortably GB&I’s star man winning three of his four games.
Click here to view the St. Andrews Trophy – Match Results
Individual Performances Analysis
Day 2 Afternoon Singles
Day 2 Afternoon Singles Results (Photo: EGA / Golfbox)
The Continent of Europe’s captain Yves HOFSTETTER will be pleased with the changes he made to his pairings on Day 2 as the home side ran out 3 – 1 winners in the morning Foursomes.
Thankfuly for Great Britain & Ireland, who looked like they were heading for a clean sweep of losses after 9 holes, the Irish pairing of Robin DAWSON and John MURPHY battled back well to secure a 2 hole win in Game 2. Unfortunately our other pairings were all well beaten in the series (see below).
Day 2 Morning Foursomes
Day 2 Morning Foursomes Results (Photo: EGA / Golfbox)
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Thursday 26th July 2018
Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) lead the Continent of Europe 7 – 5 after Day 1 of the 32nd St. Andrews Trophy match in Finland.
English pair Matthew JORDAN and Gian-Marco PETROZZI are unbeaten for GB&I having won their foursomes match this morning before winning their individual Singles this afternoon.
Home favourite Matias HONKALA is the only European player to have a 100% unblemished record so far.
Nick POPPLETON (ENG) and Stefano MAZZOLI (ITA) were both part of winning partnerships in the morning but were stood down for the afternoon Singles.
Day 1 Afternoon Singles
Day 1 Afternoon Singles Results (Photo: EGA / Golfbox)
Day 1 Morning Foursomes
Day 1 Morning Foursomes Results (Photo: EGA / Golfbox)
Robin Dawson In Action During The Day 1 Foursomes (Photo: @LinnaGolf)
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25th July 2018
Earlier today The R&A confirmed that the 2020 St. Andrews Trophy match will be played at Royal Porthcawl G.C. in South Wales.
ME.
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15th July 2018
The 32nd St. Andrews Trophy match will be contested on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th July at Linna Golf in Finland.
9th Green and Clubhouse, Linna Golf (Photo: golfboo.com)
This amateur men’s team match has been played biennially between Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) and the Continent of Europe since 1956.
It was originally established by The R&A to give more European players the chance to play at the highest level and GB&I players more team match play experience for the Walker Cup which is held in alternate years with this competition.
The St. Andrews Trophy was put forward for the match by the Royal and Ancient G.C. of St. Andrews in 1963.
2018 Teams
Each team has nine players.
The golfing calendar is extremely busy at this time of year and therefore player availability may be impacted by other opportunities.
The 2018 St. Andrews Trophy clashes with the Porsche European Open (European Tour, 26-29 July), Euram Bank Open in Austria (Challenge Tour, 26-29 July), German International Amateur (Europe, 26-29 July), Pacific Coast Amateur (U.S., 24-27 July) and to a lesser degree the Western Amateur Championship (U.S., 30 July-4 August).
Continent of Europe
Yves HOFSTETTER (Switzerland) will once again be the Non-Playing Captain of the European team.
His team was announced by the European Golf Association (E.G.A.) on 11th July and is listed below. Each player’s nationality, their SPWAR’s and their SPWAR Regional Ranking on the date of selection is also provided.
Edgar CATHERINE – France #153 (15th)
Marc HAMMER * – Germany #537 (102nd)
Angel HIDALGO PORTILLO – Spain #113 (11th)
Matias HONKALA – Finland #325 (53rd)
Frédéric LACROIX – France #126 (13th)
Stefano MAZZOLI – Italy #62 (7th)
Frederik NILEHN – Sweden #23 (2nd)
Lorenzo SCALISE – Italy #29 (4th)
Sami VALIMAKI – Finland #172 (22nd)
* replaced Falko HANISCH – Germany #586 (106th) who withdrew on 24th July 2018.
Home players Matias HONKALA and Sami VALIMAKI were both in the Finnish team who yesterday won the 2018 European Men’s Amateur Team Championship.
It is disappointing that just 3 of the team were in the SPWAR’s Continent of Europe Top 9 on the date of selection.
The most obvious ‘missing persons’ include John AXELSEN (Denmark), Oliver GILLBERG (Sweden), 2018 European Amateur Championship Nicolai HOJGAARD (Denmark), Rasmus HOJGAARD (Denmark), Viktor HOVLAND (Norway), Hurly LONG (Germany), Victor PASTOR (Spain) and Kristoffer REITAN (Norway).
The St. Andrews Trophy (Photo: Suomen Golfliitto / Finnish Golf Union)
Great Britain & Ireland Team
The R&A Selection Committee, including Non-Playing Captain Craig WATSON (Scotland), announced their nine man team on 16th July. Each player’s nationality, their SPWAR’s and their SPWAR Regional Ranking on the date of selection is also provided.
Todd CLEMENTS (21) – England #36 (4th)
Robin DAWSON (22) – Ireland #8 (1st)
David HAGUE (21) – England #T75 (T10th)
Matthew JORDAN (22) – England #11 (2nd)
John MURPHY (20) – Ireland #61 (7th)
Gian-Marco PETROZZI (21) – England #76 (9th)
Nick POPPLETON (24) – England #223 (26th)
Conor PURCELL (21) – Ireland #47 (5th)
Mitch WAITE (23) – England #17 (3rd)
Unlike the European Team above it is hard to argue with The R&A’s GB&I team or feel disappointed with the players that have not made themselves available. Indeed I selected the same team on 15th July (when this article was first published), explaining how I came to it in the Appendix below.
Match Format
The St. Andrews Trophy is played over two days and consists of match play foursomes and singles matches.
Thursday 26th July AM – Foursomes x 4
Thursday 26th July PM – Singles x 8
Friday 27th June AM – Foursomes x 4
Friday 27th June PM – Singles x 9
The additional Singles on Day 2 was first played in 2016.
With a maximum total of 25 points available and one point awarded for each match a team will be required to accumulate 13 points to secure victory. GB&I can of course retain the Trophy by reaching 12.5 points as they did in 2016.
Venue – Linna Golf, Finland
Linna Golf is a luxury golf resort located in the Vanajanlinna area of Hämeenlinna in Southern Finland. Linna is around 60 miles north of the capital city Helsinki.
The course was designed by European Golf Design and Tim Lobb and opened for play in 2005. It is a hilly parkland course routed through a pine and birch forest. Three lakes and elevated, well protected and quick undulating greens make Linna a challenge from the back tees.
From these Championship Tees the course can be stretched to 7,244 yards. The front 9 is 3,541 yards long with a par of 35 (one par 5) and the back 9 3,703 yards with a par of 37 (three par 5’s). However, previous major events have seen the nines switched and I expect this to be the case again at the forthcoming St. Andrews Trophy match.
Linna Golf, Finland (Photo: European Golf Design)
Linna is consistently ranked as one of the best courses in Finland, normally alongside the two courses at Kytäjä.
It has previously hosted European Challenge Tour (2009) and Staysure Senior (2017) events as well as the 2010 European Amateur Championship. A part of the European Tour Properties chain it is expected to host a European Tour event in due course.
Weather Forecast
The long range weather forecast for Finland looks very good for both the practice and competition days: –
Thur 26th July – Sunny. Wind 8mph E. Temp. Max. 25°C / Min 16°C.
Fri 27th July – Sunny. Wind 8mph E. Temp. Max. 25°C / Min 16°C.
2016 Match – Prince’s Golf Club
GB&I fought back bravely to draw the 2016 match at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent, England 12.5-12.5 and thus retain the St. Andrews Trophy they had won in Sweden in 2014.
GB&I lost the opening morning’s Foursomes series 0-4 and entered Day 2 4-8 down after halving the eight Day 1 Singles.
GB&I won the Day 2 Foursomes 3.5-1.5 before securing sufficient points in the final Singles series to clawback the deficit. Wales’ David BOOTE secured the all important point in the last game still out on the links.
Great Britain & Ireland Retained The St. Andrews Trophy In 2016 (Photo: Darren Plant)
Here are the Individual Player Contributions for the 2016 St. Andrews Trophy match: –
Past Results
To date GB&I have won the St. Andrews Trophy 25 times with Europe having just five wins to their name, albeit two of them came recently in 2010 and 2012. GB&I got back on track in 2014, winning 14-10 at Barsebäck, Sweden.
2016 was the first time the match had been halved. This arguably represents another win for GB&I but I have excluded it from the above numbers.
Europe have won only once on GB&I soil in the history of the match, at Portmarnock GC in 2012.
Here are the historic match results in full: –
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Appendix – My 2018 St. Andrews Trophy Team With Analysis
Nobody who follows GolfBible will be surprised to learn that my primary reference point for selection is the latest Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR).
1. SPWAR (as at 15th July 2018)
The top 20 players in the SPWAR’s GB&I Region Ranking, updated for the European Men’s and Boys’ Team Championships which finished yesterday, are: –
1. Robin DAWSON, Ireland #8
2. Matthew JORDAN, England #11
3. Mitch WAITE, England #17
4. Todd CLEMENTS, England #36
5. Conor PURCELL, Ireland #47
6. Ryan LUMSDEN, Scotland #57
7. John MURPHY, Ireland #61
8. Harry HALL, England #66
9. Gian-Marco PETROZZI, England #74
T10. David HAGUE, England #T75
T10. Jake BURNAGE, England #T75
12. Tom SLOMAN, England #88
13. Ben JONES, England #99
14. Alex GLEESON, Ireland #101
15. Laird SHEPHERD, England #105
16. Caolan RAFFERTY, Ireland #122
17. Sandy SCOTT, Scotland #126
18. Rowan LESTER, Ireland #137
19. Sam LOCKE, Scotland #142
20. Andrew WILSON, England #153
I personally wouldn’t bother but for completeness others may want to cast an eye over the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
2. WAGR (as at 8th July 2018 / published 11th July 2018)
Here are the current top 20 players from GB&I in the WAGR: –
1. Matthew JORDAN, England #5
2. Robin DAWSON, Ireand #10
3. Todd CLEMENTS, England #14
4. Alex FITZPATRICK, England #42
5. Gian-Marco PETROZZI, England #43
6. Billy MCKENZIE, England #71
7. Harry HALL, England #84
8. Ben JONES, England #95
9. David HAGUE, England #97
10. Ryan LUMSDEN, Scotland #102
11. David WICKS, England #113
12. Alex GLEESON, Ireland #124
13. Tom SLOMAN, England #178
14. Peter O’KEEFFE, Ireland #182
15. Caolan RAFFERTY, Ireland #189
16. Euan WALKER, Scotland #193
17. Joe PAGDIN, England #196
18. Charlie STRICKLAND, England #199
19. Mitch WAITE, England #201
20. Rowan LESTER, Ireland #213
Next I would want to look at current form. Obviously this is fully reflected in the SPWAR (but not so well in the WAGR) but specifically we have a perfect last (team match play) event to also consider.
3. European Men’s Amateur Team Championship (10-15 July 2018)
Accepting England’s strength in depth the first thing to say here is if a player isn’t being picked for their 6-man National Team last week why should I pick them for a GB&I Team this week.
That’s obviously not good news for original St. Andrews Trophy Squad members Alex FITZPATRICK, Calum FYFE, Harry HALL, Ben JONES, Sam LOCKE, Billy MCKENZIE, Robin WILLIAMS and Andrew WILSON. All have had their moments in the critical recent months but perhaps haven’t shone to the same degree as some of their peers.
The above rule is of course only true if the teams for the European Men’s were picked well ! In the case of Ireland I feel Conor PURCELL was an unlucky omission. Conor’s strong end of season form in the U.S. was initially ignored by the Irish selectors before he then emphasised the point by having a great Amateur. Immediately after the team announcements in July Conor backed his form up with an excellent European Amateur Championships.
In the European Men’s Team Championship in Germany England finished 2nd, Scotland 8th and Ireland 10th in Germany. Wales played in Division 2. Therefore I see no reason for England not to dominate my selection. This benefits Nick POPPLETON who was selected for England on the back of his Brabazon Trophy win and who played his part for England last week.
Finally, I have looked back at the 20 man St Andrews Trophy Match Squad announced by The R&A on 14thMay 2018 to ensure no one has slipped through the net.
4. St. Andrews Trophy Squad
Todd CLEMENTS, England Robin DAWSON, Ireland Alex FITZPATRICK, England Calum FYFE, Scotland Alex GLEESON, Ireland David HAGUE, England Harry HALL, England Ben JONES, England Matthew JORDAN, England Rowan LESTER, Ireland Sam LOCKE, Scotland Ryan LUMSDEN, Scotland Billy MCKENZIE, England Gian-Marco PETROZZI, England Caolan RAFFERTY, Ireland Sandy SCOTT, Scotland Jamie STEWART, Scotland Euan WALKER, Scotland Robin WILLIAMS, England Andrew WILSON, England
In early June Nick POPPLETON (England), who had just won the Brabazon Trophy, was added to the Squad ahead of a planned gathering at St. Andrews prior to the St. Andrews Links Trophy event.
There were 11 English players, 6 Scottish, 4 Irish and 0 Welsh players selected by the R&A.
Based on the above information the following players are definite’s for me: –
Matthew JORDAN – England
Robin DAWSON – Ireland
Gian-Marco PETROZZI – England
Mitch WAITE – England
John MURPHY – Ireland
David HAGUE – England
To make up my nine man team I’ve gone for: –
Todd CLEMENTS – England
Nick POPPLETON – England
Conor PURCELL – Ireland
but could as easily have included one of the following: –
Tom SLOMAN – England
Ryan LUMSDEN – Scotland
Harry HALL – England
Jake BURNAGE – England
Unfortunately I could find no justification for any Scottish or Welsh players in this team other than a desire to see representation from as many home nations as possible.
Finland won the 2018 European Men’s Amateur Team Championship, comfortably beating England 5-2 in today’s Final.
Finland were only promoted from Men’s Division 2 last year but with Matias HONKALA and Sami VALIMAKI in their ranks, both of whom were selected for the Continent of Europe St. Andrews Trophy Team this week, they proved to be more than a match for the English.
England will be disappointed with their performance. Having previously won the Championship 11 times and given their play so far this week they would certainly have expected to win.
Finland v. England Final Match Play Results (Photo: EGA /Golfbox)
Finland won both morning Foursomes to give themselves the platform for their victory. Whilst the five Singles were all tight at the end of the day only Gian-Marco PETROZZI was able to secure a win.
Also in Flight A Scotland lost to Sweden 3-2 and therefore finished 8th.
Ryan LUMSDEN and Jamie STEWART won their Singles games, overcoming Pontus NYHOLM (2&1) and Tim WIDING (1 Hole) respectively.
England narrowly beat Denmark 4-3 to secure a place in tomorrow’s Men’s Final.
A dream start saw the team take a 2-0 lead after the morning Foursomes. Matthew JORDAN and Gian-Marco PETROZZI beat the in-form Hojgaard twins 4&3 while the Yorkshire pairing of David HAGUE and Nick POPPLETON critically secured another point on the first extra hole of their match.
Playing number 1 Matthew JORDAN won his Singles match against the European Amateur champion Nicolai HOJGAARD. This was Matthew’s fourth win out of four games in the match play stage.
Mitch WAITE secured the all important winning point beating Rasmus HOJGAARD on the 19th hole. Waite hasn’t been used in the Foursomes to date but has now delivered two hard fought Singles wins.
In a change to yesterday’s Quarter Final line up Nick POPPLETON came in for David HAGUE in game 5. Nick lost the first four holes against Morten TOFT HANSEN and was unable to recover any of this early deficit with the match coming to a close on the 15th green. It will be interesting to see if David HAGUE comes back into the Singles line up in the Final.
Denmark v. England Semi-Final Match Play Results (Photo: EGA /Golfbox)
England will face Finland who had a similar game against Germany to that of England’s. 2-0 up after the Foursomes before losing the afternoon Singles series 3-2. Aleksi MYLLYMAKI securing the all important point in the last game against Michael HIRMER with a 1 Hole victory.
Germany will now play Denmark in the Bronze medal match tomorrow.
Scotland lost 1.5-3.5 to France in their Flight A match. Jamie STEWART enjoyed a good 4&3 win against Adrien PENDARIES whilst Sandy SCOTT halved his match with Jeremy GANDON.
Ireland beat Iceland 3.5-1.5 as they seek to regain some pride. Alex GLEESON and Caolan RAFFERTY won their Foursomes before Robin DAWSON and John MURPHY both secured 3&2 wins.
Thursday 12th July 2018 – MATCH PLAY QUARTER FINALS
FLIGHT A
England beat France 6-1 to secure their place in the European Men’s Amateur Team Championship. The score line flattered England a little as most of the games were tight affairs.
As one can see from the results below it was a good all round team effort for England with all six members battling hard and contributing positively to the final result.
England v. France Quarter Final Match Play Results (Photo: EGA /Golfbox)
Denmark, who finished 3rd in Stroke Play Qualifying, proved too strong for Scotland in their Quarter Final match.
Singles wins for Ryan LUMSDEN (3&2 over John AXELSEN) and Euan WALKER (3&1 over Andreas HILLERSBORG SORENSEN) and a half for Sandy SCOTT (with Gustav FRIMODT) gave the scoreline some respectability.
Denmark v. Scotland Quarter Final Match Play Results (Photo: EGA /Golfbox)
As expected Ireland beat debutants Serbia 5-0. The highlight in a understandably one sided match was Robin DAWSON’s 8&7 victory over Mihailo DIMITRIJEVIC.
Men’s Stroke Play Qualifying Results (Photo: EGA /Golfbox)
Ireland finished 9th unable to improve on their position after Day 1. As a result they will play in the Flight B Match Play section.
As can be seen from the scores below John MURPHY once again performed admirably and given his recent form must now be a very strong candidate for a St. Andrews Trophy spot.
Tuesday 10th July 2018 – STROKE PLAY QUALIFYING ROUND 1
England (349 / -11) lead the European Men’s Amateur Team Championship Stroke Play Qualifying after Day 1.
By way of reminder each nation has 6 players with the best five scores counting towards their team score.
Gian-Marco PETROZZI shot a superb 62 (-10) to lead his team to a 2 shot lead over Sweden. Matthew JORDAN, with a 69 (-3), was the only other England player to shoot under par in Round 1.
Gian-Marco Petrozzi’s Round 1 Scorecard (Photo: EGA /Golfbox)
Scotland, led by Sandy SCOTT who posted a 69 (-3), are 7th on 357 (-3).
Ireland, who were helped by strong rounds from both Robin DAWSON 67 (-5) and John MURPHY 68 (-4), are 9th on 359 (-1).
The aim for all three of our teams will be to finish the 36 hole Stroke Play Qualifying in the Top 8 to ensure they make the Match Play Flight A. This will then give them a change to win a medal.
Stroke Play Qualifying Leaderboard – Individual and Team
ME.
_____________________________________________
9th July 2018
The 35th European Men’s Amateur Team Championship will be played between Tuesday 10th and Saturday 14th July 2018 at Golf Club Bad Saarow, Brandenburg in Germany.
Amateur teams from England, Ireland and Scotland will all be competing this week.
Spain are the defending champions having won at Diamond C.C. in Austria last year.
2017 Champions – Spain (Photo: European Golf Association)
The European Men’s Division 2, Ladies’, Boys’ and Girls’ Team Championships are also being played elsewhere in Europe this week.
I will provide daily updates on play on this website during the week and score links to all of the Championships on Twitter.
2018 Teams
16 national teams of 6 players contest the European Men’s Amateur Team Championship.
The teams competing in the 2018 Championship are Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Spain and Sweden.
Belgium, Switzerland and Wales were relegated last year while Norway, who finished 8th, have decided not to compete this year.
Finland, Portugal, Netherlands and Serbia were the top 4 finishers in the 2017 Division 2 Championship.
The 2018 home nation teams are made up of the following players: –
ENGLAND – Todd CLEMENTS, David HAGUE, Matthew JORDAN, Gian-Marco PETROZZI, Nick POPPLETON and Mitch WAITE.
IRELAND – Robin DAWSON, Alex GLEESON, Rowan LESTER, John MURPHY, Caolan RAFFERTY and Jonathan YATES.
SCOTLAND – Stuart EASTON, Ryan LUMSDEN, Euan MCINTOSH, Sandy SCOTT, Jamie STEWART and Euan WALKER.
From our three teams just Robin Dawson, Matthew Jordan, Ryan Lumsden and Jamie Stewart played in last year’s competition in Austria.
Format / Schedule
The Championship is run by the European Golf Association, this year in partnership with the German Golf Association.
Assuming no withdrawals the leading 13 teams from last year’s Division 1 Championship are joined by the host nation (if not otherwise qualified) and 2 or 3 promoted teams from the 2016 Division 2 Championship.
Two rounds of stroke play qualifying are completed on the first two days, with the lowest five scores from each team counting.
These results determine a seeded match play draw. The top 8 qualifying teams will play in a first flight, which will determine the medalists, with the others competing in a second flight. In Fight A it is therefore 1st v. 8th, 2nd v. 7th, 3rd v. 6th and 4th v. 5th.
Additionally the teams finishing 14th to 16th in the match play stage will be relegated to the Division 2 Championship for 2019.
The teams in Flight A play 2 foursomes and 5 singles whilst those in Flight B play 1 foursome and 4 singles.
A win earns 1 point, a draw half a point and a loss no points in all of the matches.
The Faldo Course Berlin is generally accepted as being one of German’s best golf courses.
Located 70 km outside of Berlin the Faldo Course was opened in 1997 and is a manufactured links-style course. It has few trees, plenty of pot bunkers, a burn and some interesting contoured greens.
It plays to 7,093 yards and a standard par of 72. Both nines are similar in length and have the same make up of holes.
Golf Club Bad Saarow – Faldo Course (Photo: golf.de)
Weather Forecast
Some wet weather is forecast in Germany for each of the first three days of the Championship but things are expected to warm up later in the week. Very little wind is forecast on this inland venue.
Tue 10th July – Showers. Wind 4 mph W. Temp. Min. 13°C / Max. 19°C.
Wed 11th July – Rain. Wind 6 mph W. Temp. Min. 14°C / Max. 20°C.
Thur 12th July – Rain. Wind 9 mph NW. Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 23°C.
Fri 13th July – Sunny. Wind 10 mph NW. Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 28°C.
Sat 14th July – Sunny. Wind 8 mph NW. Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 27°C.
History / Previous Results
The European Men’s Amateur Team Championship was first played in 1959.
It was played every second year until 2007. Since then it has been played annually save for 2012 when no Championship was held.
To date England have won 11 times, Scotland 8, Ireland 6, Spain 3, Sweden 2 and Wales, Italy and France once each.
2017 European Men’s Amateur Team Championship
Match Play Stage
ENGLAND lost 4-3 to Spain in the Final of the 2017 European Men’s Amateur Team Championship at the Diamond C.C. in Austria.
SCOTLAND secured 5th place with a 3-2 win over France.
IRELAND finished 7th after a 3-2 win against Norway on the final day.
WALES lost their final Flight B match 3-2 to Switzerland and were sadly relegated in 16th and last place.
ENGLAND (-8) finished 1st in the 36 hole stroke play qualifying event where the 5 best scores from the 6 man team’s counted towards a national aggregate total.
IRELAND (+7) andSCOTLAND (+15) also qualified for the Flight A match play stage finishing 5th and 6th respectively.
WALES (+28) finished 10th and therefore played in the Flight B match play stage. The challenge then is always to avoid finishing 14th or lower to stay in Division 1.
Throughout the year I analyse the two main amateur golf rankings to help us assess the performances of Great Britain and Ireland’s leading players.
This information is maintained on the Rankings page of the GolfBible website and is updated quarterly.
This is a short note to subscribers to flag up that the latest update covering the June 2018Quarter period has been added.
I also select a Player of the Quarter. For Quarter 2 2018 I have chosen England’s Mitch WAITE. Mitch won the Hampshire Salver in April and has subsequently put together a superb run of results throughout the whole period.
Mitch Waite with the Hampshire Hog and Salver Trophies (Photo: Mitch Waite)
Please click this link to be redirected to my Rankings page – GolfBible Rankings
Scotland’s Sam LOCKE saved the day for GB&I amateur golf at Final Qualifying today. Rounds of 69 and 66 helped the Stonehaven man to medalist honours on 135 (-7) at The Renaissance and a place in The 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links.
(l-r) Thomas Curtis, Sam Locke and Grant Forrest (Photo: @Renaissancegc)
With only 3 qualifying places available from each site it was always going to be a big ask for any amateur to come through. It’s therefore a great achievement for Sam who had been exempted into Final Qualifying as the reigning Scottish Closed Amateur champion. He was also rewarded by a 105 place jump in the SPWAR to 140th.
Other notable amateur performances came from David HAGUE ENG (T6), Alex FITZPATRICK ENG (T6) and Jake BURNAGE ENG (T9) at Hollinwell, Ryan LUMSDEN SCO (T4) at Prince’s, Joshua MCMAHON ENG (T8) and Ben HUTCHINSON ENG (T8) at St. Annes Old Links and Eugenio LOPEZ-CHACARRA ESP (T5) at The Renaissance. All ‘came close but no cigar’.
There were 72 amateurs amongst the 288 players contesting today’s four 36 hole Final Qualifying events. 59 of them came through Regional Qualifying whilst 13 were granted exemptions.
Links to the final results are provided below, along with a list of all of the qualifiers from each site and every amateur performance.
Final Qualifying for the 2018 Open Championship will take place on Tuesday 3rd July at four courses across Great Britain.
The qualifying venues are Notts G.C. (Hollinwell), Prince’s G.C., St. Annes Old Links and The Renaissance Club.
There are currently three amateurs in The Open Championship field. These are: –
The Amateur Champion for 2018 – Jovan REBULA (RSA);
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion 2017 – Lin YUXIN (CHI); and
The European Amateur Championship 2018 – Nicolai HOJGAARD (DEN).
Doc REDMAN (USA), the 2017 U.S. Amateur Champion, and Joaquin NIEMANN (CHL), winner of the 2017 Mark H. McCormack Medal (Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking No. 1 in August 2017) have both turned pro and therefore foregone their exemptions.
Final Qualifying represents the last roll of the dice for the Great British and Irish amateur fraternity. There are 72 amateurs competing out of a total field of 288 players, with 65 of them coming from GB&I. 13 amateurs were exempt straight into Final Qualifying. With 12 places available hopefully one of them can come through for me.
Regional Qualifying
143 players initially progressed from the 13 Regional Qualifying events on Monday 25th June with 40 amateurs amongst them.
Following withdrawals from Final Qualifying around 55 Reserves have now also been brought forward from the Regionals. Within this number are another 19 amateurs.
For more information on the Low Amateur prize at The Open Championship you may like to take a look at an article I wrote earlier this year – ‘The Open Championship’s Silver Medal’.
The Day 1 Foursomes Results (Photo: European Golf Association / Golfbox)
The Day 1 Foursomes and Singles Draw (Photo: European Golf Association / Golfbox)
Doc Redman (Photo: U.S.G.A.)
Golf Bible 