Irish Amateur Open Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 07/05/2024 by Golf Bible

12th May 2024

Round 4

Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) won the Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship at County Sligo G.C.

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Matt McClean (Photo: Golf Ireland)

The famous Rosses Point links were bathed in sunshine all week and the cream certainly came to the top.

McClean’s 2-under par 69 in the final round was ultimately good enough for a 273 (-11) total and a 2-shot victory over Liam NOLAN (IRL). After bogeying the 10th he managed two birdies on 12 and 15 to produce a nerveless finish.

Speaking afterwards the champion from Malone G.C. said “It’s my first Irish Championship, I came close quite a few times, too many too think about, specifically two years ago when I lost in a play-off. I always felt like I was still chasing which is the easier position. I only had to hold on coming down the last which was the first time I was ahead and I managed to get that par in at the last.”

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Matt McClean’s Championship Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Heading into the final round with a 4-shot lead Nolan got off to a nightmare start dropping three shots in his opening three holes. Whilst he fought back well to still be in contention late on two finishing bogeys, where both of his approaches ran through the green, allowed McClean to see out the Championship with some ease. Perhaps Nolan’s lack of competitive play in 2024 finally caught up with him but nevertheless this was still an encouraging performance for him to move forward from.

TJ FORD (IRL) produced a superb 65, which included an eagle and four birdies, to finish in 3rd place on -6.

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TJ Ford’s Round 4 Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Oswestry’s Tom MATTHEWS (WAL) -5 will travel back across the Irish Sea pleased with his 4th place finish.

Hugh FOLEY (IRL) also finished strongly; his final round 66 lifting him up to 5th place.

Matthew WILSON (SCO), Joe O’NEILL (IRL) and Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) all finished tied 6th on -3.

They were the only 8 players to finish under par with eight more completing the Championship on Even par.

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Final Results (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2024 Irish Amateur Open Championship Results

ME.

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11th May 2024

Round 3

Liam NOLAN (IRL) shot his second 66 of the Championship on Saturday, the low round of the day, to build a 4-shot lead at the top of the scoreboard.

After a double bogey on the 1st the Galway man produced a stunning 10 birdies, including three consecutively to close, over his remaining holes.

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Liam Nolan’s Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) -9 is 2nd but his 1-under 70, normally a very acceptable score at County Sligo, was made to look a little pedestrian by the scoring of his Walker Cup teammate and playing partner today.

Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) -6 and Tom MATTHEWS (WAL) -4 matched McClean’s 70 and are 3rd and 4th respectively. Joe O’NEILL‘s (IRL) 74 on Day 3 saw him slip to 5th.

Daniel BENNETT (RSA) and Seán KEELING (IRL) -2 both moved up 11 places with well timed 68’s. They sit alongside David TOMI (CZK) 70, Matthew WILSON (SCO) 71 and Keith EGAN (IRL) 71 with 18 holes to play.

52 players made the top 50 and ties cut which fell at 221 (+8).

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Round 3 Leaderboard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

ME.

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10th May 2024

Round 2

Liam NOLAN (IRL) and Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) moved to the top of the leaderboard on 134 (-8) after they both shot 68’s on Day 2 of the Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship.

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Liam Nolan’s Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

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Matt McClean’s Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

After another beautiful day for golf at County Sligo Joe O’NEILL (IRL) -6 is 3rd, Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) -5 4th and TJ FORD (IRL) & Tom MATTHEWS (WAL) -3 tied 5th.

Luke KELLY (IRL), Gregor TAIT (SCO), Welsh Amateur champion Max WEAVER, Matthew WILSON (SCO) and Shane MCDERMOTT (IRL) all remain in contention on -2.

Round of the day went to Wilson who posted a 67 (-4) to move up 34 places on the leaderboard.

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Matthew Wilson’s Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

15 players are under par and 1 on even after 36 holes.

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Round 2 Leaderboard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

ME.

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9th May 2024

Round 1

18 year old Gavin TIERNAN (IRL), who will be taking up a golf scholarship at East Tennessee State in August, took the Day 1 lead at the Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship after shooting a 6-under 65 around County Sligo G.C.

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Gavin Tiernan’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Paired together Liam NOLAN (IRL), playing his first competitive round of the year, and fellow GB&I 2023 Walker Cupper Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) also started strongly with 66’s (-5).

Joe O’NEILL (IRL) -4 is 4th with 2016 & 2022 champion Colm CAMPBELL (IRL), TJ FORD (IRL) and Ruairi O’CONNOR (IRL) one shot further back in tied 5th.

Scottish internationals Gregor GRAHAM and Gregor TAIT (-2) are well placed amongst the tied 8th six man group.

With Sligo bathed in sunshine and with only a modest breeze blowing 22 players broke par around the normally challenging links.

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Round 1 Leaderboard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

ME.

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7th May 2024

The Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by Flogas, starts on Thursday 9th May 2024 at County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point in the north-west corner of Ireland.

It will be the 85th playing of this prestigious Championship. It was last played at County Sligo in 2019 when Englishman James Newton was the surprise winner.

I will be updating this article in due course with daily reports on play.

Format

Organised by Golf Ireland the Irish Amateur Open is a 72-hole stroke play event played over four days.

18 holes will be played on each of the first three days before a top 50 and ties cut is made. A final 18 holes will then be played by the leading competitors on the final day.

A tie for the Championship will be resolved by a sudden death play-off. All other ties will be resolved by a last eighteen and then last nine countback.

The Irish Amateur Open Champion Golfer is awarded a superb silver trophy (see photo below). Irish winners are allowed to take the trophy back to their Club for the year whereas overseas winners must return it to the organisers after the prize presentation.

Players

138 golfers will contest the 2024 Championship.

105 players are from Ireland with 33 travelling from overseas to compete.

The field quality has been impacted by the large number of players now playing on the U.S. college circuit, the England v. France International match which is being played this weekend and the relatively remote location of County Sligo.

The players who I expect to do well include (in alphabetical order) Daniel BENNETT (RSA), Caolan BURFORD (WAL), Colm CAMPBELL (IRL), Quentin CAREW (IRL), Paul COUGHLAN (IRL), Keith EGAN (IRL), Hugh FOLEY (IRL), TJ FORD (IRL), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO), Jack HEARN (IRL), Seán KEELING (IRL), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), Jack MCDONNELL (IRL), Liam NOLAN (IRL), Peter O’KEEFFE (IRL) Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL), Gregor TAIT (SCO) and Gavin TIERNAN (IRL).

Egan beat David BRADY (IRL) in the final of this year’s West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at County Sligo on 2nd April.

Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2024 Irish Amateur Open Tee Times

Players will tee off, all from the 1st tee, between 7.00am and 3.25pm on each of the first three days so changes in the weather and wind speeds could play a big part in scoring.

Course

County Sligo G.C. was established in 1894 with the first nine holes designed by George Combe before Willie Campbell added a further nine a few years later. Harry Colt and Charles Allison remodelled the links in 1927 and more recently Pat Ruddy extended it to ensure it remained of Championship standard.

Famous as the home of the West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship it offers panoramic views, dramatic undulations, dunes and burns, plateau greens with run offs and challenging bunkering.

The course plays to 7,139 yards off the Blue Championship tees. It has a par of 71, a Slope of 146 and Rating of 75.9.

Weather Forecast (as at Tuesday 7th May)

The weather forecast for this week looks generally good for all four competition days – mainly sunny with only light winds expected.

Thu 9th May – Cloudy / Wind 6 mph S / Temp. Min. 11°C / Max. 18°C.
Fri 10th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 10 mph S / Temp. Min. 10°C / Max. 20°C.
Sat 11th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 14 mph SE / Temp. Min. 11°C / Max. 20°C.
Sun 12th May – Light Rain Showers / Wind 13 mph SW / Temp. Min. 10°C / Max. 18°C.

The 2023 Irish Amateur Open Championship

John GOUGH (ENG) won the 2023 Irish Amateur Open Championship at The Island G.C. with a 280 (-8) total.

Rounds of 75, 69, 69 and, after starting the final round six shots back, 67 saw him move through the field to take the title.

Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) -7 finished 2nd, Tomi BOWEN (WAL) -6, which included a 10-under 62 in Round 3, 3rd, Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) -5 4th, Matt ROBERTS (WAL) -4 5th and James CLARIDGE (ENG) -3 6th.

Click here to view the – 2023 Irish Amateur Open Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The Irish Amateur Open Championship was first played in 1892 with early winners including the English amateur greats John Ball and Harold Hilton.

Between 1894 and 1901 (6 years) the competition was played as part of the Irish Championship Meeting alongside a professional tournament.

The Championship was not played during both World Wars.

It was also not played between 1960 and 1994 due to a lack of interest from overseas players amidst concerns over safety.

Prior to 1958 it was a match play event but since returning to the amateur calendar in 1995 it has been 72 holes of stroke play.

To view a list of past winners click here – Irish Amateur Open Past Champions

ME.

NCAA Division I Men’s Regionals – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 01/05/2024 by Golf Bible

15th May 2024

Here is a summary of the results from the six 54-hole NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regional Championships which were played on 13th-15th May 2024.

The low five teams (30 in total) and the low individual (6 in total) not on one of those teams from each Regional advanced to the National Championships.

For more information on these Regional Championships please read the Preview article lower down this page.

The 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship will be played at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California on 24th-29th May 2024.

AUSTIN, TEXAS

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT SCORES – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Texas (-27), 2nd Tennessee (-11), 3rd Notre Dame (-6), 4th Utah (-2), 5th Wake Forest (+2), after play-off with Brigham Young (+2)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Christian Maas (Texas) -9

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Kelvin Hernandez (UNCG) T3 -6

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – JOSH HILL (ENG) Rd 1-3 NS
Non-Qualified – JOSEPH SULLIVAN (ENG / FLORIDA GULF COAST) T25 +2, GAVIN O’NEILL (IRL / GRAND CANYON) T55 +11, JACK MAXEY (ENG / ARKANSAS STATE) 65th +14th, JOSHUA MCCABE (IRL / GRAND CANYON) T66 +15

2022 Brabazon Trophy winner Christiaan Maas led his Texas team to victory in Austin. Texas extended their record streak of consecutive Nationals appearances to an impressive 17 and they will arrive in California as one of the favourites. Joe Sullivan, playing as an individual, dropped 4-shots in his closing four holes to finish T25 on +2.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Auburn (-21), 2nd Virginia (-13), 3rd Texas Tech (-8), 4th Ohio State (Ev), 5th LSU (+4)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Baard Skogen (NOR / Texas Tech) -8

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Ethan Evans (Duke) T2 -6

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – CALUM SCOTT (SCO / TEXAS TECH) T2 -6
Non-Qualified – MAX KENNEDY (IRL / LOUISVILLE) T20 +2, ARCHIE SMITH (ENG / LITTLE ROCK) T49 +10, SAM POTTER (ENG / LIPSCOMB) T54 +12, PATRICK KEELING (IRL / LOUISVILLE) Rd 1-2 T65 +16 / Rd 3 NS, HUGH ADAMS (ENG / OREGON) Rd 1 -3 NS

Highly fancied Auburn came through strongly on the final day with a -20 score to pick up the Championship. Calum Scott and Max Kennedy finished in the top 20 but only Calum’s Texas Tech team progressed to the Nationals.

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Clemson (-25), 2nd East Tennessee State (-24), 3rd North Carolina (-20), 4th Georgia Tech (-17), 5th Baylor (-15)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Austin Greaser (North Carolina) -13

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Nick Matthews (NC State) T2 -12

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – THOMAS HIGGINS (IRL / CLEMSON) T14 -6, MATTHEW DODD-BERRY (ENG / EAST TENNESSEE STATE) T14 -6, JENSON FORRESTER (ENG / EAST TENNESSEE STATE) T48 +4, BEN CARBERRY (SCO / EAST TENNESSEE STATE) Rd 1-3 NS
Non-Qualified – CHARLIE FORSTER (ENG / LONG BEACH STATE) 4th -11, CAMERON ADAM (SCO / NORTHWESTERN) 29th -1, CONOR GOUGH (ENG / CHARLOTTE) T42 +3 NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO / NORTHWESTERN) T42 +3

East Tennessee State, coached by England’s Jake Amos, continued their fine form with a strong qualification but were just piped to the Championship by surprise package Clemson. Thomas Higgins and Matt Dodd-Berry impressed for their teams but the GB&I star of the show was undoubtedly Charlie Forster who finished 4th. Sadly he missed out on progressing as an Individual by 1-shot to Nick Matthews. Forster’s Long Beach team finished 7th on -13, 2-shots short of Baylor in 5th.

RANCHO SANTE FE, CALIFORNIA

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Oklahoma (-3), 2nd California (+3), 3rd Oklahoma State (+5), 4th West Virginia (+5), 5th North Florida (+10)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Ben Lorenz (Oklahoma) -8

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Andi Xu (San Diego) T2 -4

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – None
Non-Qualified – PAUL CONROY (IRL / CHATTANOOGA) T42 +11, DAVID LALLY (IRL / SETON HALL) T47 +12, GEORGE FRICKER (ENG / SETON HALL) 67th +20

The Rancho Sante Fe course played tough with scoring high. West Virginia, who finished 3rd, progressed to the Nationals for the first time in 47 years. However, the real upset here was that Pac-12 champions and top seeds Arizona State could only manage a 6th place finish so missed out. There was no joy for the small number of GB&I players at this site.

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Illinois (-36), 2nd Florida State (-28), 3rd Texas A&M (-19), T4 SMU (-10), T4 Stanford (-10)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Max Herendeen (Illinois) -13

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Ben Warian (Minnesota) – T2 -11

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – BARCLAY BROWN (ENG / STANFORD) T18 -2, TYLER WEAVER (ENG / FLORIDA STATE) Rd 1-3 NS
Non-Qualified – ENRIQUE DIMAYUGA (ENG / NEVADA) T14 -4, CHARLIE CROCKETT (ENG / MISSOURI) T26 -1, JOE SYKES (ENG / IDAHO) T44 +3

Playing as an Individual Enrique Dimayuga continued his excellent Spring Season form with a T14 finish at Stanford. Charlie Crockett also played better than his score falling down the leaderboard after a disappointing finish to his final round. Stanford narrowly avoided the embarrassment of missing out on their home course thus affording both Michael Thorbjornsen and Barclay Brown a proper send off at the Nationals.

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Vanderbilt (-24), 2nd Purdue (-11), 3rd Florida (-4), 4th Arizona (-3), 5th New Mexico (-2)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: William Moll (Vanderbilt) -7

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Cameron Huss (Wisconsin) T4 -5, after play-off with Garrett Endicott (Mississippi State) & Owen Stamper (Middle Tennessee State)

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – SAM EASTERBROOK (ENG / PURDUE) T44 +6
Non-Qualified – DOMINIC CLEMONS (ENG / STETSON) T41 +4, Matt GAUNTLETT (ENG / STETSON) Rd 1 68th +8 / Rd 2 NS / Rd 3 +4, ANDREW THORNTON (SCO / SOUTHERN ILLINOIS) Rd 1 76th +11 / Rd 2-3 NS

Vanderbilt demonstrated their class with a 13-shot win at West Lafayette. Purdue, with Sam Easterbrook in their line up, finished 2nd to join them in the forthcoming Nationals at Carlsbad.

ME.

1st May 2024 (Updated 12th May 2024)

Regional Championships

The six 54 hole NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regional Championships will be played on 13th-15th May 2024.

81 teams and 45 individuals, from non-qualifying teams, were selected on 1st May 2024 to compete at these competitions.

Local Conference Championships were played across the country in April with 30 Conference team champions granted automatic qualification into the 2024 Regionals. The remaining teams progressed based on their performances throughout the season.

13 teams and 10 individuals were allocated to three of the Regional venues with the remaining sites hosting 14 teams and 5 individuals. As always the draw has been made in such a way that all of the fields are of a similar strength.

Teams of five players play 72 holes of stroke play with their best four scores counting towards their team’s total score. Players, who play in each round, are also eligible for a separate Individual competition.

National Championships

5 teams and the top individual (not on one of those teams) from each Regional event will progress to the National Championship which will be played at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California on 24th-29th May 2024.

The National Championships start with 54 holes of stroke play. The top 15 teams and 9 individuals, not on an advancing team, then progress to a final 18 holes of stroke play. After these 72 holes have been played an Individual champion is determined and the top 8 teams advance to a match play stage to establish the Team champions.

Florida is the defending champion after they defeated Georgia Tech 3-1 in the 2023 Championship Final, played at Greyhawk G.C. in Scottsdale, Arizona. Florida’s Fred BIONDI (BRA) won the Individual title with a 273 (-7) total.

Details of the six Regional Championships are shown below with each team listed in seed order and, if they earned automatic qualification, the Conference Championship they recently won to do so.

GB&I players attached to the qualifying colleges are highlighted in bold blue type. Each team is now allowed to take a Reserve to the event so it is possible some may not play or be subbed in and out during the week.

27 GB&I players will start the Regional Championships with a further 4 on the bench waiting to be called upon.

AUSTIN, TEXAS
Course: The University of Texas Golf Club / Host: Texas
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT SCORES – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. Tennessee – JOSH HILL (ENG) #6
2. Arkansas
3. Texas – Big 12 Conference
4. Georgia
5. Wake Forest
6. Notre Dame
7. UNC Greensboro
8. Brigham Young
9. Utah
10. San Jose State
11. Grand Canyon – Western Athletic Conference – GAVIN O’NEILL (IRL) #3, JOSHUA MCCABE (IRL) #5 SAM MURPHY (IRL) NS, CRAIG PASSMORE (ENG) NS
12. Arkansas State – Sun Belt Conference – JACK MAXEY (ENG) #2
13. Kansas City – The Summit League

Individuals
Gustav Frimodt, TCU
Luke Gutschewski, Iowa State
Hunter Bott, UTSA
Cooper Schultz, Kansas State
Kobe Valociek, Virginia Tech
JOSEPH SULLIVAN (ENG), Florida Gulf Coast
Erik Jansson, Jacksonville State
Justin Brewer, Colorado
Alexandre Vandermoten, Jacksonville
Peicheng Chen, St. John’s

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
Course: Louisiana State University Club / Host: Louisiana State
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. Auburn – Southeastern Conference
2. Virginia
3. Texas Tech – CALUM SCOTT (SCO) #3
4. Oregon – HUGH ADAMS (ENG) #6, DANIEL BULLEN (SCO) NS
5. Duke
6. Ohio State
7. LSU
8. Louisville – MAX KENNEDY (IRL) #3, PATRICK KEELING (IRL) #5
9. Houston – RUBEN LINDSAY (SCO) NS
10. South Carolina
11. Lipscomb – ASUN Conference – SAM POTTER (ENG) #3
12. Yale – Ivy League
13. Loyola Maryland – Patriot League
14. Arkansas, Pine Bluff – Southwestern Athletic Conference

Individuals
Alex Goff, Kentucky
Max Sturdza, Florida Athletic
Niilo Maki-Petaja, Louisiana Tech
Hugo Thyr, South Alabama
ARCHIE SMITH (ENG), Little Rock

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA
Course: University of North Carolina Finley Golf Course / Host: University of North Carolina
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. North Carolina – Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Alabama
3. Georgia Tech
4. East Tennessee State – Southern Conference – MATTHEW DODD-BERRY (ENG) #3, JENSON FORRESTER (ENG) #4, BEN CARBERRY (SCO) #6, ARCHIE DAVIES (WAL) NS, JOSHUA PRITCHETT (ENG) NS
5. Northwestern – Big Ten Conference – CAMERON ADAM (SCO) #3, NIALL SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) #4
6. Baylor
7. VCU – Atlantic 10 Conference
8. Loyola Marymount (LMU)
9. Long Beach State – Big West Conference – CHARLIE FORSTER (ENG) #2
10. Clemson – THOMAS HIGGINS (IRL) #2
11. Michigan State
12. Ball State – Mid-American Conference
13. Howard – Northeast Conference

Individuals
Tobias Jonsson, Mercer
Walker Isley, UNCW
Nick Matthews, NC State
CONOR GOUGH (ENG), Charlotte
Will Davis, Davidson
Spencer Oxendine, NC State
Erik Johansson, Campbell
Claes Borregaard, Kennesaw State
Justin LaRue, Longwood
Fred Roberts IV, High Point

RANCHO SANTE FE, CALIFORNIA
Course: The Farms Golf Club / Host: San Diego
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. Arizona State – Pac-12 Conference
2. Washington
3. Oklahoma
4. California
5. Oklahoma State
6. North Florida
7. Chattanooga – PAUL CONROY (IRL) #3
8. South Florida – American Athletic Conference
9. San Diego – West Coast Conference
10. West Virginia
11. Kansas
12. Wright State – Horizon League
13. Seton Hall – Big East Conference – DAVID LALLY (IRL) #3, GEORGE FRICKER (ENG) #5
14. Winthrop – Big South Conference

Individuals
Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine
Tegan Andrews, Cal State Fullerton
William Walsh, Pepperdine
Brady Siravo, Pepperdine
Kevin Li, Seattle University

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA
Course: Stanford Golf Course / Host: Stanford
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. Florida State – TYLER WEAVER (ENG) #6, JACK BIGHAM (ENG) NS
2. Ole Miss
3. Illinois
4. Texas A&M
5. Stanford – BARCLAY BROWN (ENG) #5
6. UCLA
7. SMU
8. Missouri – CHARLIE CROCKETT (ENG) #2
9. Fresno State
10. UNLV
11. Augusta University – Southland Conference
12. Liberty – Conference USA
13. Sacramento State – Big Sky Conference
14. Siena – Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Individuals
ENRIQUE DIMAYUGA (ENG), Nevada
Ben Warian, Minnesota
Jakob Melin, San Francisco
Cole Rueck, Boise State
JOE SYKES (ENG), Idaho

WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
Course: Brick Boilermaker Golf Complex / Host: Purdue
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. Vanderbilt
2. Arizona
3. Florida – JOE PAGDIN (ENG) NS, LUKE POULTER (ENG) NS
4. New Mexico
5. Purdue – SAM EASTERBROOK (ENG) #5
6. San Diego State – Mountain West Conference
7. Mississippi State
8. Indiana
9. College of Charleston – Coastal Athletic Association
10. Stetson – DOMINIC CLEMONS (ENG) #1, Matt GAUNTLETT (ENG) #5
11. Colorado State
12. Southern Illinois – Missouri Valley Conference – ANDREW THORNTON (SCO) #5
13. Tennessee Tech – Ohio Valley Conference

Individuals
Caleb Van Arragon, Valparaiso
Hunter Thomson, Michigan
Cameron Huss, Wisconsin
Barend Botha, Toledo
Valentin Peugnet, Illinois State
Owen Stamper, Middle Tennessee
Alex McCulla, Illinois State
Ty Ginerich, Cincinnati
Luke Fuller, Western Kentucky
Ben Ortwein, Rider

NS – Not Selected

ME.

NCAA Division I Women’s Regionals – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 25/04/2024 by Golf Bible

8th May 2024

Here is a summary of the results from the six 54-hole NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Regional Championships which were played on 6th-8th May 2024.

The low five teams (30 in total) and the low individual (6 in total) not on one of those teams from each Regional advanced to the National Championships.

For more information on these Regional Championships please read the Preview article lower down this page.

The 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship will be played at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California on 17th-22nd May 2024.

AUBURN, ALABAMA

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Auburn (+10), 2nd Oregon (+14), 3rd North Carolina (+21), T4 South Carolina (+27), T4 Tulsa (+27)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Anna Davis (Auburn) -5

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Isabella McCauley (Minnesota) T2 -2

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – ANNA FOSTER (IRL / AUBURN) T25 +11, HANNAH DARLING (SCO / SOUTH CAROLINA) 29th +12
Non-Qualified – SARA BYRNE (IRL / MIAMI) T7 +1, REBEKAH GARDNER (IRL / MIAMI) 49th +21

Hannah Darling’s South Carolina, the 2nd ranked team in the country, required a strong finish to their final round to take their place in the National Championshipss after looking like they may miss out. Georgia and Houston both finished on -28 just one shot worse off than top 5 qualifiers South Carolina and Tulsa.

BERMUDA RUN, NORTH CAROLINA

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Ole Miss (-21), 2nd Texas (-20), 3rd Wake Forest (-18), 4th Mississippi State (-3), 5th Oregon State (-2)

INDIVIDUAL CO-MEDALISTS: Caitlyn Macnab (Ole Miss) & Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest) -12

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Bailey Davis (Tennessee) T3 -8

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – MIMI RHODES (ENG / WAKE FOREST) 20th Ev
Non-Qualified – KATIE POOTS (IRL /UCF) T42 +11, JESS BAKER (ENG / UCF) T51 +14

England’s Mimi Rhodes played her part in helping reigning champions Wake Forest advance to the Nationals.

BRYAN, TEXAS

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st LSU (-8), T2 SMU (-4), T2 Clemson (-4), 4th Vanderbilt (+1), 5th Texas A&M (+6)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Ingrid Lindblad (LSU) -12

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Carla Bernat (Kansas State) T3 -7

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – AINE DONEGAN (IRL / LSU) T34 +7
Non-Qualified – CALEY MCGINTY (ENG / OHIO STATE) T44 +11, ANNA DAWSON (IRL / LITTLE ROCK) 59th +26

Aine Donegan’s LSU won their first NCAA Regional title in the program’s history and with World No. 1 Ingrid Lindblad, who won here for a college career 15th time, leading the team advanced from Texas with confidence.

CLE ELUM, WASHINGTON

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Stanford (-17), 2nd Duke (+1), 3rd Virginia (+12), 4th Arizona State (+21), 5th San Jose State (+23)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Rachel Heck (Stanford) -8

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Jasmine Leovao (Long Beach State) 8th +2

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – BETH COULTER (IRL / ARIZONA STATE) 12th +4, PATIENCE RHODES (ENG / ARIZONA STATE) T24 +9
Non-Qualified – LILY HIRST (ENG / KANSAS) T13 +5, HARRIET LOCKLEY (WAL / ALABAMA) T47 +16

Rachel Heck, who recently announced she wouldn’t be turning pro, won the Individual leading Stanford comfortably to the Ole Elum Regional title. Beth and Patience’s young Arizona State team finished 4th to extend their U.S. seasons.

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Southern California (-9), 2nd Oklahoma State (-5), 3rd Michigan State (-4), 4th Northwestern (-3), 5th Pepperdine (-1)

INDIVIDUAL MEDALIST: Lauren Beaudreau (Notre Dame) -12

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Lauren Beaudreau (Notre Dame) 1st -12

GB&I PLAYERS:
Non-Qualified – CARMEN GRIFFITHS (SCO / LOUISVILLE) T45 +10

Carmen Griffiths, playing as an Individual, got off to a bad start in Michigan and was unable to recover. On the team front big-hitter Florida continued to disappoint missing out on Nationals for the fourth straight year.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Arkansas (Ev), 2nd Purdue (+4), 3rd Baylor (+8), 4th UCLA (+12), 5th Florida State (+14)

INDIVIDUAL CO-MEDALISTS: Zoe Campos (UCLA) & Kajal Mistry (Arkansas) -6

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Veronika Kedronova (Kent State) T6 -1

GB&I PLAYERS:
Qualified – LOTTIE WOAD (ENG / FLORIDA STATE) 3rd -4, CHARLOTTE HEATH (ENG / FLORIDA STATE) T20 +5, ROSIE BELSHAM (ENG / BAYLOR) T41 +11
Non-Qualified – GRACIE MAYO (WAL / OKLAHOMA) T43 +13, OLIVIA LEE (ENG / CALIFORNIA) T52 +17

A windy final day led to an exciting conclusion to this Regional with scoring proving difficult. Lottie Woad slipped out of the Individual title race and nearly contributed to her Florida State team missing out on the Nationals.

ME.

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25th April 2024 (Updated 6th May 2024)

Regional Championships

The six 54 hole NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Regional Championships will be played on 6th-8th May 2024.

72 teams and 36 individuals, from non-qualifying teams, were selected on 24th April 2024 to compete at these competitions.

Local Conference Championships were played across the country in April with 27 Conference team champions granted automatic qualification into the 2024 Regionals. The remaining teams progressed based on their performances throughout the season.

12 teams and 6 individuals were allocated to each of the six Regional venues with a strength-of-field metric factored in to ensure balance and fairness across all of them.

The leading 5 teams and the top individual (not on one of those teams) from each Regional event will progress to the National Championship which will be played at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California on 17th-22nd May 2024.

Beginning this year, Regional Champion Awards will be given to the team champions at each site.

I will be updating this article with a summary of the results when play is completed.

National Championships

The Division I Competition Oversight Committee announced in January 2023 that the field for Division I Women’s Golf National Championships would be increased from 147 to 156. The number of teams was also increased from 27 to 30 with the number of individual participants falling from 12 to 6.

The National Championships start with 54 holes off of stroke play. The top 15 teams and 9 individuals, not on an advancing team, then progress to a final 18 holes of stroke play. After these 72 holes have been played an Individual champion is determined and the top 8 teams advance to a match play stage to establish the Team champions.

Wake Forest defeated Southern California to win the 2023 Division I Women’s Golf National title. Rose Zhang of Stanford won the 2023 individual competition, becoming the first back-to-back individual NCAA champion.

The six Regional Championships are shown below with each team listed in seed order.

Schools and Individuals with a Conference affiliation also noted below were the Team or Individual winners of these earlier tournaments.

AUBURN, ALABAMA
Course: Auburn University Club / Host: Auburn University
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL
Teams
1. South Carolina – HANNAH DARLING (SCO) #2
2. Auburn – ANNA FOSTER (IRL) #4, CARYS WORBY (WAL) #6 NS, RACHEL GOURLAY (ENG) NS
3. Oregon
4. Georgia
5. North Carolina
6. Michigan
7. Houston – ELLEN YATES (ENG) NS
8. Tulsa
9. Miami – SARA BYRNE (IRL) #1, REBEKAH GARDNER (IRL) #3
10. Kennesaw State – Atlantic Sun Conference
11. East Tennessee State – Southern Conference
12. Albany – Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Individuals
Anna Morgan, Furman
Isabella McCauley, Minnesota
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
Audrey Ryu, Furman
Lauren Thompson, Lipscomb
Viktoria Hund, Charleston

BERMUDA RUN, NORTH CAROLINA
Course: Bermuda Run Country Club / Host: Wake Forest University
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. Wake Forest – Atlantic Coast Conference – MIMI RHODES (ENG) #4
2. Texas – Big 12 Conference
3. Ole Miss – ELLEN HUME (ENG) NS
4. Mississippi State – Southeastern Conference
5. UCF – JESS BAKER (ENG) #1, KATIE POOTS (IRL) #4
6. South Florida
7. Tennessee
8. Oregon State
9. North Texas
10. Delaware – Coastal Athletic Association
11. Charleston Southern – Big South Conference
12. Navy – Patriot League

Individuals
Lauren Olivares Leon, N.C. State
Louise Reau, Georgia Southern
Christin Eisenbeiss, North Florida
Kendall Turner, James Madison
Isabel Amezcua, N.C. State
Maria Beltran, Fairfield – Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

BRYAN, TEXAS
Course: The Traditions Club / Host: Texas A&M University
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. LSU – AINE DONEGAN (IRL) #4
2. Texas A&M
3. Clemson
4. Vanderbilt
5. SMU – American Athletic Conference
6. Ohio State – CALEY MCGINTY (ENG) #4
7. Maryland
8. Iowa State
9. Texas State – Sun Belt Conference
10. Sam Houston – Conference USA
11. Sacred Heart – Northeast Conference
12. Little Rock – Ohio Valley Conference – ANNA DAWSON (IRL) #1

Individuals
Carla Bernat, Kansas State
Camryn Carreon, UTSA
Louis Lau, TCU
Sofia Barroso Sa, TCU
Daniela Abonce, UTSA – American Athletic Conference
Ryann Honea, Abilene Christian – Western Athletic Conference

CLE ELUM, WASHINGTON
Course: Tumble Creek Club / Host: University of Washington
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. Stanford – Pac-12 Conference
2. Duke
3. Arizona State – BETH COULTER (IRL) #2, PATIENCE RHODES (ENG) #5
4. Virginia
5. San Jose State – Mountain West Conference
6. Washington
7. Alabama – HARRIET LOCKLEY (WAL) #2
8. Virginia Tech
9. Kansas – LILY HIRST (ENG) #2
10. Long Beach State – Big West Conference
11. Sacramento State – Big Sky Conference
12. Seattle University – Western Athletic Conference

Individuals
Emma Bunch, New Mexico State – Conference USA
Riana Mission, San Francisco
Kelli Ann Strand, Nebraska
Morgan Miller, Colorado
Sabrina Iqbal, Colorado
Madelyn Gamble, Washington State

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN
Course: Forest Akers Golf Course / Host: Michigan State University
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. Southern California
2. Northwestern
3. Florida
4. Pepperdine
5. Michigan State
6. Kentucky
7. Denver – Summit League
8. Oklahoma State
9. Indiana – Big Ten Conference
10. Augusta – Southland Conference
11. Illinois State – Missouri Valley Conference
12. Oakland – Horizon League

Individuals
Isabel Sy, Illinois
Catie Craig, Western Kentucky
Lauren Beaudreau, Notre Dame
CARMEN GRIFFITHS (SCO), Louisville
Hana Ryskova, Louisville
Kate Petrova, Evansville – Missouri Valley

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Course: Spanish Trail Country Club / Host: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Teams
1. UCLA
2. Arkansas
3. Arizona
4. Florida State – LOTTIE WOAD (ENG) #1, CHARLOTTE HEATH (ENG) #4
5. California – OLIVIA LEE (ENG) #3
6. Purdue
7. Baylor – ROSIE BELSHAM (ENG) #2
8. Oklahoma – GRACIE MAYO (WAL) #5
9. Colorado State
10. Kent State – Mid-American Conference
11. Xavier – Big East Conference
12. Dartmouth – The Ivy League

Individuals
Toa Yokoyama, UNLV
Lauren Lehigh, New Mexico
Lauren Zaretsky, Texas Tech
Myah McDonald, New Mexico
Victoria Liu, Princeton – Ivy League
Lizzie Neal, Northern Arizona – Big Sky

NS – Not Selected

ME.

The Lytham Trophy – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 25/04/2024 by Golf Bible

5th May 2024

Play-Off

Will HOPKINS (ENG) won the 58th Lytham Trophy after a three hole play-off with Tomi BOWEN (WAL) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) that took in holes 1 (par 3), 2 (par 4) and 18 (par 4).

Will HOPKINS (ENG) 3, 3, 4 = -1
Tomi BOWEN (WAL) 3, 4, 4 = Ev
James ASHFIELD (WAL) 3, 5, 4 = +1

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Will Hopkins (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C.)

Round 4

Will HOPKINS (ENG), Tomi BOWEN (WAL) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) all finished the 72 holes on 279 (-1).

Hopkins closed his tournament with a superb bogey free 66 (-4) to move up from tied 9th at the start of the afternoon series.

Bowen shot a steady even par 70 which included 16 pars.

Ashfield posted a 69 (-1) but will be rueing his bogey on the last hole of the event particularly as he called a penalty shot on himself for making his ball move while addressing his second shot into the green.

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Will Hopkins’ Round 4 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Matt ROBERTS made it three Welshmen in the top 4 with a 69 and 70 on the final day.

Ukraine’s Lev GRINBERG secured a creditable tied 5th result, alongside South Africa’s Daniel BENNETT and third round leader and Lytham member Jamie VAN WYK (ENG), after following a morning 70 with a bogey free 67.

Young English players Daniel HAYES (+2) and Ben BOLTON (+3) enhanced their growing reputations with 8th and tied 9th place finishes (alongside Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG)).

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Final Results (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

The average score in Round 4 by the 46 remaining players was 72.31 (+2.31).

Click here to view the – 2024 Lytham Trophy Final Results

Round 3

Jamie VAN WYK (ENG) extended his lead to 3-shots after an impressive 1-under 69 this morning.

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Round 3 Leaderboard (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Tomi BOWEN (WAL) moved up into 2nd place after a 68. This was some achievement when one sees that he was 4-over after 8 holes of his third round. To birdie six of his remaining 10 holes takes some doing on this course.

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Tomi Bowen’s Round 3 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Bowen’s Welsh compatriots Matt ROBERTS and James ASHFIELD entered the final round tied 3rd on Even par with Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) and Daniel HAYES (ENG) tied 5th on +1.

Hayes shot the best score in Round 3; his 67 including five birdies.

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Daniel Hayes’ Round 3 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

The average score in Round 3 by the 46 remaining players was 72.53 (+2.53).

ME.

_____________________________________________

4th May 2024

Round 2

Home player Jamie VAN WYK (ENG) produced a solid even par 70, which included two birdies and two bogies, all on the front nine, to move into the lead on -3 at the halfway stage of the Lytham Trophy.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) is one shot back on -2 with Andrew HASWELL (ENG), Luis MASAVEU (ESP) and Oscar COUILLEAU (FRA) all tied 3rd on -1.

Haswell, who finished tied 10th last year, recorded the low round of the day with a bogey free 67 (-3).

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Andrew Haswell’s Round 2 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Spain’s Luis Masaveu, who is the lowest ranked player in the field (WAGR #32) and finished tied 2nd last year, must head into tomorrow’s final two rounds as the favourite.

Couilleau’s 69 in Round 2 included the second hole-in-one of the tournament. Having birdied the 3rd and 4th he went one better at the 5th, the same hole as Tim Shin yesterday.

Will HOPKINS (ENG) Ev is tied 6th and Tomi BOWEN (WAL) & Matt ROBERTS (WAL) +1 both tied 10th.

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Round 2 Leaderboard (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

46 players made the top 40 and ties cut which fell at 145 (+5). James CLARIDGE (ENG) +6, Harley SMITH (ENG) +8, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) +9, Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL) +13 and Seán KEELING (IRL) +18 were amongst the higher profile players to miss out.

Round 2 proved to be tougher with the average score rising slightly to 74.73 (+4.73) and only 17 players recording a score of par (70) or better.

ME.

_____________________________________________

3rd May 2024

Round 1

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and home player Jamie VAN WYK (ENG) carded 3-under 67’s to take the early lead in the 58th Lytham Trophy.

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James Ashfield’s Round 1 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

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Jamie Van Wyk’s Round 1 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Highlighting the international field that has gathered on the Fylde Coast Alvaro PASTOR ROMAN (ESP), Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI) and Sarno TOLLENAIRE (BEL) are all 1-shot further back after they opened their tournaments with 68’s.

Looking at the other GB&I players to make good starts Henry FEATHERSTONE (ENG) & Daniel HAYES (ENG) -1 are tied 6th and Jack MCDONALD (SCO), Will COXON (ENG), Will HOPKINS (ENG), Josef HACKER (JER), Matt ROBERTS (WAL), Max WEAVER (WAL), Paul HOWARD (ENG) and Matthew WILSON (SCO) Even are all tied 10th.

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Round 1 Leaderboard (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

The average score in Round 1 was 74.38 (+4.38) with 24 players recording a score of par (70) or better.

Tim SHIN (ENG) made a great start to his round, birdieing the 4th hole before having a hole-in-one on the 5th. However, he ultimately had to settle for a 73 (+3).

ME.

_____________________________________________

25th April 2024 (Updated 1st May 2024)

The 2024 Lytham Trophy will be played between 3rd and 5th May at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England.

Traditionally viewed as the first major event in the Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) men’s amateur golf season it is always a privilege for the players to compete on this magnificent championship course.

Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. (Photo: Golf Bible)

Format and Tee Times

144 scratch golfers from 21 different countries will tee off in what will be the 58th playing of this prestigious competition.

The Lytham Trophy is a 72-hole stroke play event. 18 holes are played on the first two days before a top 40 and ties cut is made. 36-holes are then played on the final day by the leading competitors.

In the event of a tie for the lowest score there will be a 3-hole stroke play play-off on holes 1, 2 and 18. If a winner still hasn’t been determined then the play-off moves to sudden death over the same holes.

Click here to view the – 2024 Lytham Trophy Tee Times (use filter for each round)

Players

Whilst most of GB&I’s leading home-based amateurs will be competing the field strength sadly continues to decline.

This is primarily due to the growing popularity of U.S. college golf where the academic year and NCAA playing season only come to a close in late May.

In 2022 the WAGR Event Power Number for this event was 661.0000 and in 2023 it was 566.2711.

This year only 14 players in the field are ranked in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) Top 250 and just 29 are in the Top 500. Over 88 of the competitors are ranked higher than 1,000th in the world.

Connor GRAHAM (SCO) #238, Jose Antonio SINTES (ESP) #329 and Jerry JI (NED) #373 have both withdrawn since the original draw was made.

Here are the 14 leading players based on the WAGR rankings (01/05/24 release): –

Luis MASAVEU (ESP) #32
James ASHFIELD (WAL) #62
Albert HANSSON (SWE) #77
Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED) #79
Matthew MCCLEAN (IRL) #80
Richard TEDER (EST) #108
Andrey BORGES XAVIER (BRA) #125
Will HOPKINS (ENG) #147
Jack INGHAM (NED) #169
Matheus BALESTRIN (BRA) #180
James CLARIDGE (ENG) #185
Caolan RAFFERTY (ENG) #191
Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) #211
Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI) #228

Lytham Trophies

The Lytham Trophy and the Winner’s Replica (Photo: Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C.)

Course

The famous Royal Lytham links course certainly presents a stern test. Playing off the blue championship tees competitors have to meet a 7,091 yard par 70 challenge; the front nine being 3,427 yards, a par 34, and the back nine being 3,664 yards, a par 36 this week.

Players will tee off between 7.30am and 3.30pm on the Friday and Saturday so changes in the weather and wind speeds throughout the first two days can play a big part in scoring.

Weather Forecast

Showers and drizzle seems to be the over-riding weather forecast for this year’s event (as at Wednesday 1st May).

Friday 3rd May – Light Rain / Wind 10 mph W / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 14°C.
Saturday 4th May – Light Rain / Wind 8 mph SW / Temp. Min. 8°C, Max. 14°C.
Sunday 5th May – Drizzle / Wind 9 mph S / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 16°C.

The 2023 Lytham Trophy

Frank KENNEDY (ENG), who had Fanny Sunesson on his bag, won last year’s Lytham Trophy with rounds of 70, 68, 68 and 72 for a 278 (-2) total.

Frank was the only competitor out of a starting field of 144 players to finish under par despite the playing conditions being generally very good, mainly dry with only a modest breeze, for all three days.

Frank Kennedy and Fanny Sunesson (Photo: Golf Bible)

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Luis MASAVEU (ESP) finished tied 2nd on 280 (Ev) and Hugh FOLEY (IRL) and Sam EASTERBROOK (ENG) tied 4th on 282 (+2).

Here are the final results: –

Final Results (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2023 Lytham Trophy Final Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The competition was first played in 1965 after the Club identified a need for a new top class amateur competition and one that could be played in the North of England.

A date on the first weekend in May was established and a 72 hole stroke play format adopted.

Member’s subscribed to purchase the unique sputnik trophy. This remains at Royal Lytham with a smaller replica handed out annually to the winner.

The event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

As one would expect the list of past winner’s is a who’s who of GB&I and more recently world amateur golf.

Of the older winners the most notable are: –

Michael BONALLACK – 1965 (s), 1972
Rodney FOSTER – 1967, 1968
Geoffrey MARKS – 1970 (s)
Charles GREEN – 1970 (s), 1974
Michael KING – 1973
George MACGREGOR – 1975
Peter MCEVOY – 1978
Ian HUTCHEON – 1980
Roger CHAPMAN – 1981
John HAWKSWORTH – 1984
Paul BROADHURST – 1988
Gary EVANS – 1990, 1991
Stephen GALLACHER – 1995
Graham RANKIN – 1997
Stuart WILSON – 2003
(s) = shared

In 2004 21 year old James HEATH won with a record score of 266 (-18), recording rounds of 67, 68, 66, and 65. Garth McGimpsey, the then Walker Cup captain, described Heath’s performance as ‘the best amateur golf I’ve ever seen’.

No one else has ever come close to this low scoring mark before or after. The next best scores being Matthew JORDAN‘s 272 (-12) in 2018 and Daan HUIZING’s 273 (-11) in 2013.

In 1999 the Lytham Trophy was won by German Tino SCHUSTER, the first time a non-GB&I player had been successful.

The following list of the last 10 winners shows just how international the amateur game has become. However, after a spell of overseas winners the last six have all come from England: –

Daan HUIZING – 2012 (The Netherlands)
Albert ECKHARDT – 2013 (Finland)
Thriston LAWRENCE – 2014 (South African
Marcus KINHULT – 2015 (Sweden)
Alfie PLANT – 2016 (England)
Jack SINGH BRAR – 2017 (England)
Matthew JORDAN – 2018 (England)
Josh MCMAHON – 2019 (England)
John GOUGH – 2022 (England)
Frank KENNEDY – 2023 (England)

Lytham Trophy Honours Board (Photo: GolfBible)

Click here to view the complete list of – Lytham Trophy Past Winners

ME.

Men’s European Nations Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 15/04/2024 by Golf Bible

20th April 2024

Round 4

IRELAND (+4) held off a fast finishing SWITZERLAND (+5) to win the 2024 Men’s European Nations Championship at R.C.G. Sotogrande.

It was Ireland’s second victory in the competition following with their previous win which came in 2016.

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Ireland Team (Photo: Golf Ireland)

WALES (+6) finished 3rd, SCOTLAND (+7) 4th and ENGLAND (+16) tied 7th.

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Round 4 Team Results (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

James ASHFIELD (WAL) -5 won the Individual title at the European Nations Championship helped by a classy 69 in the final round.

Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) -3 finished 2nd and Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED), Will HOPKINS (ENG) and Jack HEARN (IRL) -2 tied 3rd.

Tomi BOWEN (WAL) +5 tied 13th, Seán KEELING (IRL) +6 tied 17th and Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) +7 tied 19th all finished in the top 20 from the GB&I contingent.

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James Ashfield (Photo: Golf Wales)

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Round 4 Individual Results (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

__________________________________________

19th April 2024

Round 3

IRELAND (+1) for the second day running delivered the best team score with a +3 total to move into the overall European Nations Championship lead.

WALES (+5) are four shots behind them in 2nd but SCOTLAND (+10), hampered by the withdrawal of Connor GRAHAM due to injury, tumbled down the rankings to 5th with a +17 score on Day 3. The defending champions ENGLAND (+16) continue to disappoint, remaining tied 9th.

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Round 3 Team Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

Jack HEARN (IRL) -5 moved to the top of the Individual leaderboard as he added a 71 (-1) to his consistent body of work in Sotogrande. Will HOPKINS (ENG) -3 moved up to 3rd whilst Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) & James ASHFIELD (WAL) -2 fell to tied 4th.

Spanish U18 Boys’ champion, Sebastian DESOISA +1 tied 11th, who is from Gibraltar and therefore British qualified continued to move up the leaderboard. He is one of the players invited to compete by R.C.G. Sotogrande. Seán KEELING (IRL) sits alongside Desoisa.

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Round 3 Individual Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

__________________________________________

18th April 2024

Round 2

SCOTLAND (-7) moved to the top of the leaderboard with a -2 team score. WALES (-6) are now tied 2nd, IRELAND (-2), who enjoyed a best of the day -7 team score, rose to 4th place whilst ENGLAND (+7) slipped to tied 9th.

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Round 2 Team Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

Michele FERRERO (ITA) shot a 68 in Round 2 to move into 1st place in the Individual standings. James ASHFIELD (WAL) -6 2nd, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) -5 3rd, Jack HEARN (IRL) -4 4th and Seán KEATING (IRL) & Will HOPKINS (ENG) -3 tied 5th are all within striking distance.

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Round 2 Individual Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

__________________________________________

17th April 2024

Round 1

At the end of Day 1 WALES (-6) led SCOTLAND (-5) at the top of the 2024 Men’s European Nations Championship leaderboard. ENGLAND (+4) were 5th and IRELAND (+5) tied 6th.

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Round 1 Team Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Gregor TAIT (SCO) shared the Round 1 Individual lead after opening with 5-under 67’s.

Tomi BOWEN (WAL) & Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) -3 tied 3rd and Jack HEARN (IRL) -2 7th were also in the top 10.

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Round 1 Individual Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

__________________________________________

15th April 2024

The Men’s European Nations Championship (ENC) starts on Wednesday 17th April at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Southern Spain.

R.C.G. Sotogrande is the permanent home of the ENC and this will be the 16th playing of the event.

It is a 72 hole stroke play Team and Individual competition.

I will be providing daily reports once the Championship commences.

Field
21 four-man teams (84 players) will play for the Team prize.

An additional seven players invited by both RCG Sotogrande and the Spanish Golf Federation will contest the Individual competition, making a total field of 91 players.

The following players have been selected to represent the four competing home nations in 2024: –

England – Will HOPKINS, Kris KIM, Dylan SHAW-RADFORD, Harley SMITH

Ireland – Hugh FOLEY, Jack HEARN, Seán KEELING, Matt MCCLEAN

Scotland – Connor GRAHAM, Gregor GRAHAM, James MORGAN, Gregor TAIT

Wales – James ASHFIELD, Tom BASTOW, Tomi BOWEN, Matt ROBERTS

A Women’s ENC, made up of three player teams, also takes place alongside the Men’s competition. Only England from the four home nations is among the ten team field this year.

Tee Times / Scores
Click here to view the – 2024 ENC Men’s Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2024 ENC Men’s Team Scores

Click here to view the – 2024 ENC Men’s Individual Scores

Format and Prizes
72 holes of stroke play, with 18 holes played daily, will be contested by all of the players. There is no cut.

In the Team event the best three 18-hole scores from the four players count towards the overall total.

In the case of a tie for 1st place a team member will be nominated and a sudden death play-off will be contested on the 9th hole. Other ties will be determined by a count back of the team score for the last 18, 27, 36, etc. holes.

The Individual prize is awarded to the lowest scoring player. Ties will be broken in line with the Team approach outlined above.

Winning Team members each receive a replica of the Nations Trophy. The Individual champion receives a trophy and a bright yellow jacket.

Venue and Course
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande was opened in 1964 and was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones. One of the best courses in Continental Europe it first held the Spanish Open in 1966, won that year by Roberto de Vicenzo.

In 1970 The Sherry Cup, the precursor of the European Nations Cup / Championship, was established. Former Individual winners of this include Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia. (see below for the full list of past Individual winners).

In 1973 a Women’s event started to be played alongside the Men’s.

In 1983 Sotogrande hosted the Spanish Amateur Championship with Jose Maria Olazabel victorious.

Sotogrande was awarded royal patronage by HM King Juan Carlos I in 1994.

Between 1996 and 2001, in tandem with nearby San Roque GC, the course hosted the European Tour’s Qualifying School.

In 2006 The Sherry Cup was rebranded as the European Nations Cup and in 2017 become known as the European Nations Championship played for the Sotogrande Cup.

In 2011, ahead of it’s 50th anniversary, the Club decided to embark upon a major course renovation appointing Roger Rulewich and David Fleury. With the work on greens, bunkering and drainage taking place in 2015 and early 2016 the ENC moved temporarily to the nearby La Reserva Club de Golf for two years. Since 2017 the competition has been played on the renovated course.

The Black Tee Championship Course at Sotogrande plays 6,492m with a par of 72. The front nine measures 3,163m and the back 3,329m.

Weather Forecast
The forecast looks good albeit as always the winds will be a factor, particularly during the afternoons. This can cause problems given the numerous water hazards on the course.

Wednesday 17th – Sunny Intervals Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 23°C; Wind E 15mph
Thursday 18th – Sunny Intervals Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 21°C; Wind E 15mph
Friday 19th – Sunny Intervals Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 20°C; Wind E 30mph
Saturday 20th – Sunny Intervals Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 19°C; Wind SE 40mph

Past ENC Winners

The home nations have an excellent record, particularly in recent years, in this event.

Team Competition

2023 England 2023 ENC Team Results

Dylan Shaw-Radford, Josh Berry, John Gough & Arron Hill-Edwards (Photo: Josh Berry)

2022 Spain 2022 ENC Team Results
2021 Cancelled
2020 Cancelled
2019 England 2019 ENC Team Results
2018 England 2018 ENC Team Results
2017 Wales 2017 ENC Team Results
2016 Ireland 2016 ENC Team Results
2015 England
2014 Scotland
2013 England
2012 France
2011 England
2010 England
2009 England
2008 Scotland
2007 Denmark

Past Sherry Cup Team Winners (started 1998)

2006 Spain
2005 Spain
2004 England
2003 England
2002 Wales
2001 England
2000 England
1999 Germany
1998 Spain

Individual Competition

2023 Albert Hansson (SWE) 2023 ENC Men’s Individual Results

Hansson beat England’s John Gough in a sudden death play-off-to win the Individual title after both players finished on 286 (-2).

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Albert Hansson (Photo: Swedish Golf Federation)

2022 Jaime Montojo (ESP) 2022 ENC Men’s Individual Result

Montojo won the Individual competition beating teammate Luis Masaveu in a play-off after both finished on 288 (Ev).

2021 Cancelled
2020 Cancelled
2019 Tom Sloman (England) 2019 ENC Individual Results

Tom won the Individual competition with a 294 (+6) total. His final round 77 looked like it would cost him the title but an eagle on 14 and three closing pars ended up being sufficient as is nearest challengers faltered on the demanding Sotogrande course.

2018 Todd Clements (England) 2018 ENC Individual Results

Todd secured the Individual title with rounds of 69 73 71 and 70 for a 283 total (-5).

2017 Jack Davidson (Wales) 2017 ENC Individual Results

Jack won the Individual European Nations Cup title by 4-shots last year. Rounds of 70, 70, 70 and 73 (-5), which included 20 birdies and 2 eagles, gave him his second major title in less than a month. He had won the Spanish International Amateur a few weeks before.

2016 Jack Hume (Ireland) 2016 ENC Individual Results

In winning the Individual Jack Hume played one of the best rounds of amateur golf in the world in 2016 at La Reserva. His 64 in Round 2 was an astonishing 8 shots better than any other player in the field.

2015 Mario Galliano (Spain)
2014 Guido Migliori (Italy)
2013 Adrien Saddier (France)
2012 Robin Kind (The Netherlands)
2011 Julien Brun (France)
2010 Nino Bertasio (Italy)
2009 Sam Hutsby (England)
2008 Shane Lowry (Ireland)
2007 Rory McIlroy (Ireland)

Past Sherry Cup Individual Winners

2006 Nigel Edwards (Wales)
2005 Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2004 Francesco Molinari (Italy)
2003 Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2002 Lee Harpin (Wales)
2001 Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2000 Gary Wolstenholme (England)
1999 Marcel Siem (Germany)
1998 Sergio Garcia (Spain)
1997 Sergio Garcia (Spain)
1996 Alvaro Salto (Spain)
1995 José María Zamora (Spain)
1994 Francisco Cea (Spain)
1993 Francisco Valera (Spain)
1992 Frederic Cupillar (France)
1991 Padraig Harrington (Ireland)
1990 Alvaro Prat (Spain)
1989 Diego Borrego (Spain)
1988 Yago Beamonte (Spain)
1987 Yago Beamonte (Spain)
1986 Borja Queipo de Llano (Spain)
1985 José L. Padila (Spain)
1984 John Marks (England)
1983 José L. de Bernardo (Spain)
1982 Borja Queipo de Llano (Spain)
1981 Veit Pagel (Germany)
1980 Jesús López (Spain)
1979 Veit Pagel (Germany)
1978 José L. de Bernardo (Spain)
1977 F. Jiménez (Spain)
1976 Alberto Croze (Italy)
1975 Veit Pagel (Germany)
1974 Veit Pagel (Germany)
1973 Alberto Croze (Italy)
1972 E. de la Riva and J. Gancedo (Spain)
1971 Alberto Croze (Italy)
1970 Henric Adam (England)

ME.

The Masters – 2024 Amateur Preview & Results

Posted on 09/04/2024 by Golf Bible

14th April 2024

Results

22 year old NEAL SHIPLEY (USA) won the low amateur Silver Cup at The 88th Masters Invitational at Augusta National G.C.

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Neal Shipley (Photo: The Masters)

His rounds of 71-76-80-71 and total score of 300 +12 saw him finish in tied 53rd place.

NEAL SHIPLEY (USA) – 300 +12 Tied 53rd

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Neal Shipley’s 72 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

The Ohio State graduate student and Pittsburg native had the additional privilege of being paired with Tiger WOODS (USA) in the final round. Woods, struggling for fitness, shot a disappointing 76 to follow up his 82 on Saturday.

Speaking after his round Shipley said “Playing with Tiger on Sunday at The Masters, I think I would have to win one of these to top this week. It has definitely been a dream week but I am looking forward to being out here soon, hopefully. He is such a normal guy and really cool, and he was great to me all day.”

Scottie SCHEFFLER (USA) won the tournament by 4-shots with a 277 -11 score, collecting $3.6m in prize money. Ludvig ÅBERG (SWE) -7, playing in his first major, finished 2nd with Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG), Max HOMA (USA) and Collin MORIKOWA (USA) all tied 3rd on -4. It was Scheffler’s second Masters win following on from his triumph in 2022.

The 36-hole cut fell at 150 (+6) with 60 players progressing to the weekend. This was the first year that the cut has fallen at +5 or higher since 2017 highlighting how tough Augusta played on the opening two days.

There was a 2.5 hour weather delay on Day 1 of The Masters following overnight rain. As a result 27 of the 89 players in the field were required to complete their first rounds on Friday morning.

Neal SHIPLEY (USA), on +3, was the only amateur to make the cut with rounds of 71 and 76.

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Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

Here are the individual scorecards of the four other amateurs that failed to make the cut: –

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT (RSA) – 152 +8 Tied 71st MC

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Christo Lamprecht’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

STEWART HAGESTAD (USA) – 152 +8 Tied 71st MC

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Stewart Hagestad’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

SANTIAGO de la FUENTE (MEX) – 154 +10 Tied 77th MC

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Santiago de la Fuente’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Jasper STUBBS (AUS) – 156 +12 Tied 82nd MC

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Jasper Stubbs’ 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to view the – 2024 Masters Final Results

ME.

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9th April 2024

The 88th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between Thursday 11th and Sunday 14th April.

A field of 89 players will be competing, one more than last year.

Five amateurs will be playing, two less than in 2023.

The primary goal for each amateur is to make the 36 hole cut and if they achieve that to then go on and win the low amateur Silver Cup.

I will be updating this article with amateur scoring information and reports as the tournament unfolds.

2024 master journal cover_final-1

The 2024 Masters Journal

2024 Amateur Player Biographies

The legacy of Bobby Jones, the co-founder of the tournament and a lifelong amateur (at least during his competitive years), means The Masters has always found a place for the world’s leading amateurs.

This year’s intake will see the total number of amateurs to have played in The Masters rise to 459.

The five amateurs competing at The Masters in 2024 are: –

SANTIAGO de la FUENTE (MEX), 22 – winner of the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship
Santiago is from Ocotlan in Mexico but will be well acclimatised as he is in his third year at the University of Houston in Texas. In 2023 he represented the International Team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and represented his home country in the Eisenhower Trophy.
WAGR #26 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 4/1

STEWART HAGESTAD (USA), 33 on 10th April – winner of the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship
From Newport Beach, California Stewart won the U.S. Mid-Amateur title for the third time last year. He has also played on four successful Walker Cup teams. Third Appearance at Augusta. In 2017 he finished tied 36th to pick up the low amateur prize.
WAGR #12 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 3/1

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT (RSA), 23 – winner of the 2023 Amateur Championship
The Amateur champion from George made a splash in last year’s Open Championship with an opening round of 66 (-5) and ultimately won the Silver Medal. In 2023 he represented the International Team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and represented his home country in the Eisenhower Trophy. Masters debut.
WAGR #1 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 6/4

NEAL SHIPLEY (USA), 23 – runner-up at the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship
Now a graduate student at Ohio State University having graduated from James Madison University in 2022. He is an experienced amateur with a number of high finishes to his name. Lost to Nick Dunlap in the U.S. Amateur Championship final last year. Masters debut.
WAGR #37 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 17/4

Jasper STUBBS (AUS), 22 – winner of the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
Earned his place by winning the Asia-Pacific in a play-off against Wenyi Deng at Royal Melbourne G.C. Masters debut.
WAGR #339 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 13/2

U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

Nick Dunlap, the 2023 U.S. Amateur champion, and Fred Biondi (BRA), the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Individual champion both turned pro to forego their amateur exemptions. Dunlap is of course in the field as his decision was prompted by a win at the American Express event on the PGA Tour in January.

2024 Amateur Tee Times (GMT +5hrs)

Round 1

Group 2 – 8.12am EDT / 1.12pm BST – José-María Olazábel (ESP), Taylor Moore (USA) & Santiago de la FUENTE (MEX)

Group 4 – 8.36am EDT / 1.36m BST – Chart Schwartzel (RSA), Luke List (USA) & Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA)

Group 6 – 9.00am EDT / 2.00pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA), Corey Connors (CAN) & Jasper STUBBS (AUS)

Group 18 – 11.30am EDT / 4.30pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN), Ryo Hisatsune (JAP) & Neal SHIPLEY (USA)

Group 20 – 11.54am EDT / 4.54pm BST – Fred Couples (USA), Adam Hadwin (CAN) & Stewart HAGESTAD (USA)

Round 2

Group 3 – 8.24am EDT / 1.24pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN), Ryo Hisatsune (JAP) & Neal SHIPLEY (USA)

Group 5 – 8.48am EDT / 1.48pm BST – Fred Couples (USA), Adam Hadwin (CAN) & Stewart HAGESTAD (USA)

Group 17 – 11.18am EDT / 4.18pm BST – José-María Olazábel (ESP), Taylor Moore (USA) & Santiago de la FUENTE (MEX)

Group 19 – 11.42am EDT / 4.42pm BST – Chart Schwartzel (RSA), Luke List (USA) & Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA)

Group 21 – 12.12pm EDT / 5.12pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA), Corey Connors (CAN) & Jasper STUBBS (AUS)

By tradition the reigning U.S. Amateur champion is always paired with the reigning Masters champion. Accordingly Nick Dunlap has been paired with Jon Rahm this year (with Justin Rose making up the three ball).

Click here to view all of the – Masters 2024 Tee Times

Amateur Perks

Only amateur competitors are permitted to stay in the Crow’s Nest accommodation in the clubhouse. Most of them normally spend at least one night there during Masters week.

The Amateur Dinner, hosted by chairman Fred Ridley and normally attended by around between 50-100 guests, was held in The Founders Room on the evening of Monday 8th April. The Captain of The R&A, President of the USGA, a former amateur participant and an amateur contestant from this year normally speak.

Perhaps somewhat harshly Nick Dunlap, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, was not invited.

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Jasper Stubbs, Santiago de la Fuente, Neal Shipley, Fred Ridley, Stewart Hagestad and Chrsito Lamprecht (Photo: Chris Turvey / Augusta National G.C.)

2023 Masters – Amateur Performances

The 2022 U.S. Amateur champion Sam BENNETT (USA) finished tied 16th with a 286 (-2) total. As the only amateur to make the cut he also secured the low amateur Silver Cup.

Sam, who was 23 at the time, was the first amateur to finish inside the top 20 since 2005 (Ryan Moore, tied 13th) and the first in 30 years to card a bogey-free round (Round 1) at The Masters.

However, after tiring over the weekend he missed out on a Top 12 finish which would have earned him an exemption into next year’s tournament. It is worth remembering that after two opening 68’s he entered the weekend on -8 and in sole 3rd place.

Sam Bennett’s Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

The six other amateurs competing in 2023 all missed the cut.

Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

For more information on amateur performances at The Masters please take a look at this companion article – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

March 2024 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 09/04/2024 by Golf Bible

9th April 2024

Throughout the year I analyse the main golf rankings to help us assess the performances of Great Britain and Ireland’s (GB&I) leading players as well as the status of events they compete in.

This information is maintained on the Rankings page of the GolfBible website and is updated quarterly.

The latest update covering the March 2024 Quarter period has now been added.

I have selected Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) as my Player of the Quarter after he performed superbly in South Africa in January and February.

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Gregor Graham (Photo: Golf RSA)

Here is a summary of Gregor’s Quarter 1 performances highlighted by his win in the South African Amateur Championship.

Gauteng North Open (PN 170.7142) – 2nd
South African Stroke Play Championship (PN 259.4548) – 8th
South African Amateur Championship (PN 290.6836) – 1st
Golf RSA International Amateur (PN 284.6546) – 3rd
Spanish International Amateur (PN 513.9808) – 7th

Pease click this link to be redirected to my Rankings page – GolfBible Rankings

ME.

The Georgia Cup – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 07/04/2024 by Golf Bible

7th April 2024

Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA), the reigning Amateur champion, has beaten Nick DUNLAP (USA), the U.S. Amateur champion, by 1 Hole to win the 27th Georgia Cup match.

The giant South African eagled the par 5 18th hole on the Golf Club of Georgia’s Lakeside Course with a 14 foot putt to take the title.

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Christo Lamprecht and Nick Dunlap (Photo: The GC of Georgia)

Lamprecht was the third South African to play in the match following in the footsteps of Jovan Rebula (2019) and Aldrich Potgieter (2023), who both won their matches too.

The Amateur champions now lead the U.S. Amateur champions 15-11 in the series which was first played in 1998. The 2020 match was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a postponement in the playing of The Masters until November.

Background

The Georgia Cup is an 18-hole match play event played annually between the reigning United States and (British) Amateur champions.

The two Amateur champions play the match as a precursor to competing in The Masters which both of their respective wins earned them an invitation to.

The Georgia Cup (Photo: The Golf Club of Georgia)

Venue

The match was established by The Golf Club of Georgia (GCOG).

Located in Alpharetta the GCOG has two Arthur Hills-designed courses, the Lakeside (L) and the Creekside (C). Both have hosted the Georgia Cup match in the past but since 2006 the Lakeside has taken precedence.

The 2024 Georgia Cup was played on Sunday 7th April. The match is used as a charitable fundraiser with The Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides support to the families of fallen and disabled military personnel, the main benficiary.

Players

Nick DUNLAP (USA) is a 20-year old from Huntsville, Alabama with a stellar amateur record. He won the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, followed it up by securing the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship and also represented USA in last year’s Walker Cup match. Dunlap received a sponsor’s exemption to compete in the American Express tournament in January 2024 and proceeded to win at PGA West, becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. With his playing rights secured he left the University of Alabama and moved over to the paid ranks. He will be the second player after Colt Knost (2008) to play in The Georgia Cup match having turned professional.

Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA), a 6ft. 8″ 23 year old from the Western Cape, is a two time Junior President’s Cup team member and winner of the 2017 South African Amateur Championship. He won the 128th Amateur Championship at Hillside before earning the low amateur Silver Medal at the subsequent Open Championship at Royal Liverpool G.C. As a senior on the Georgia Tech Men’s Golf Team he calls The Golf Club of Georgia his home club so will have a degree of home course advantage. He is the current World Amateur #1 according to the WAGR.

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Previous Matches and Results

The Amateur champions now lead the U.S. Amateur champions 15-11 in the series. The Amateur champion has overcome the U.S. Amateur champion in seven of the last ten matches played.

All of the previous results are shown below (with the Amateur titles won shown in brackets): –
1998 (L) – Matt Kuchar (US) def. Craig Watson (British) – 3 & 1
1999 (L) – Sergio Garcia (British) def. Hank Kuehne (US) – 5 & 4
2000 (L) – David Gossett (US) def. Graeme Storm (British) – 3 & 2
2001 (C) – Mikko Ilonen (British) def. Jeff Quinney (US) – 6 & 4
2002 (C) – Michael Hoey (British) def. Bubba Dickerson (US) – 4 & 2
2003 (L) – Ricky Barnes (US) def. Alejandro Larrazabal (British) – 4 & 2
2004 (C) – Gary Wolstenholme (British) def. Nick Flanagan (US) – 4 & 2
2005 (C) – Ryan Moore (US) def. Stuart Wilson (British) – 2 & 1
2006 (L) – Brian McElhinney (British) def. Edoardo Molinari (US) – 3 & 2
2007 (L) – Richie Ramsay (US) def. Julien Guerrier (British) – 2 & 1
2008 (L) – Colt Knost (US) def. Drew Weaver (British) – 2 & 1
2009 (L) – Danny Lee (US) def. Reinier Saxton (British) – 2&1
2010 (L) – Matteo Manassero (British) def. Byeong-hun An (US) – 5&4
2011 (L) – Peter Uihlein (US) def. Jin Jeong (British) – 4&2
2012 (L) – Brydon Macpherson (British) def. Kelly Kraft (US) – 2&1
2013 (L) – Alan Dunbar (British) def. Steven Fox (US) – 1 Hole
2014 (L) – Garrick Porteus (British) def. Matthew Fitzpatrick (US) – 3&2
2015 (L) – Gunn Yang (US) def. Bradley Neil (British) – 3&2
2016 (L) – Romain Langsaque (British) def. Bryson DeChambeau (US) – 4&3
2017 (L) – Scott Gregory (British) def. Curtis Luck (US) – 19th hole
2018 (L) – Harry Ellis (British) def. Doc Redman (US) – 6&5
2019 (L) – Jovan Rebula (British) def. Viktor Hovland (US) – 1 Hole
2020 (L) – Cancelled*
2021 (L) – Tyler Strafaci (US) def. Joe Long (British) – 2 Holes
2022 (L) – James Piot (US) def. Laird Shepherd (British) – 1 Hole
2023 (L) – Aldrich Potgieter (British) def. Sam Bennett (US) – 5&4
2024 (L) – Christo Lamprecht (British) def. Nick Dunlap (US) – 1 Hole

*The 2020 match between Andy Ogletree (USA) and James Sugrue (IRL) was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a postponement in the playing of The Masters until November.

ME.

December 2023 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 10/01/2024 by Golf Bible

10th January 2024

Throughout the year I analyse the main golf rankings to help us assess the performances of Great Britain and Ireland’s (GB&I) leading players as well as the status of events they compete in.

This information is maintained on the Rankings page of the GolfBible website and is updated quarterly.

The latest update covering the December 2023 Quarter period has now been added.

I have selected Joshua BERRY (ENG) as my Player of the Quarter after he earned his DP World Tour card for the 2024 season by successfully negotiating the three stages of it’s Q-School last Autumn.

Caddie George Hanson With Joshua Berry (Photo: Joshua Berry)

Over 1,000 players entered the DP World Tour’s Q-School with 33 players finishing in the top 25 and ties to secure their place on Tour in 2024.

18 year old Josh was the only amateur amongst this group and the second youngest player ever to make the grade. The Yorkshireman turned pro immediately and made his debut on 23rd November at the Joburg Open in South Africa.

Here is a summary of Joshua’s Q-School performances: –

19-22 Sept 2023: First Stage Donnington Grove (ENG) 72 holes – T13 (-6)
2-5 Nov 2023: Second Stage Fontanals (ESP) 72 holes – 2nd (-12)
10-15 Nov 2023: Final Stage Infinitum (ESP) 108 holes – T16 (-15)

Pease click this link to be redirected to my Rankings page – GolfBible Rankings

ME.

Jones Cup Invitational – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 03/01/2024 by Golf Bible

Sunday 7th January 2024 – Round 3

Jacob MODLESKI (USA) won the 20th Jones Cup Invitational at Ocean Forest G.C. with a 215 (-1) total.

A 69 (-3) in the final round, which included a five birdie final nine holes of 32, meant he was the only player to finish the 54-holes under par and was good enough to give him a 1-shot victory.

Ranked 404th in WAGR the Notre Dame freshman was a surprise winner of this prestigious title. Indeed at the start of the week he wasn’t even in the field, only gaining his place on Thursday.

Modleski earned an exemption to play in this year’s RSM Classic at Sea Island G.C. with his win.

Jacob Modleski (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational)

Caleb SURRATT (USA) and Jackson KOIVAN (USA) finished tied 2nd on Even par. USA Walker Cup player Surratt finished his tournament with a best of the week 67 (-5). Having also finished runner-up last year a bogey 5 on the 16th will hurt as he looks back on his round. Koivan, who is a freshman at Auburn, once again showed his huge promise with his second 71 on Sunday.

Blades BROWN (USA), who ultimately finished tied 5th, looked like he may make a run at the title before a triple-bogey on the par 3 17th and a bogey on the home hole sent him tumbling down the leaderboard.

The average score in Round 3 was 77.3, the tougher final day pin positions on the undulating greens strengthening the course.

Results (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

It was another generally disappointing Jones Cup for the GB&I contingent who were competing.

Jack BIGHAM (ENG) +8 finished tied 18th albeit, having dropped 5-shots in his closing three holes on his way to a final round 78, his play over the tournament certainly deserved better.

James ASHFIELD (WAL), who was paired with Caleb Surratt and World No. 1 Gordon Sargent on Sunday, also shot 78 to finish tied 27th on +11.

Callum SCOTT (SCO) +13 battled back well from his disastrous opening round with two closing 73’s to finish tied 33rd.

GB&I-Only Results (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2024 Jones Cup Invitational Results

ME.

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Saturday 6th January 2024 – Round 2

An even par 72 was good enough to lift World #19 Luke CLANTON (USA) into the lead at the Jones Cup Invitational with a 143 (-1) total.

16 year old protégé Brown BLADES (USA) and Thomas PONDER (USA) are his nearest challengers heading into tomorrow’s final round after they posted a 72 and 71 respectively to finish up on 144 (Ev).

Norway’s Herman SEKNE shot the best round of the day and the tournament so far with a 69 (-3). The Purdue senior should have been even lower after he double-bogeyed the 18th to take the gloss off a good day’s work.

The average score in Round 2 was 75.7 (+3.7), a full 2-shots lower than on Friday. Overnight rain led to a 30 minute delay in play but at least softened the very firm greens a little.

Round 2 Scores (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

Jack BIGHAM (ENG) +2, a Florida State teammate of Clanton, shot a 71, one of eight under par rounds today, to move into the top 10.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) +5 is now tied 18th after a 73 whilst his compatriot Jonathan BALE +9 fell back to tied 37th after a 77 in Round 2.

Josh HILL (ENG), who spent much of last year injured, is +11 after his own 77 but still in the top 50.

Calum SCOTT (SCO) bounced back well from his disappointing opening round with a 73 and now sits alongside Luke POULTER (ENG) in tied 55th on +12.

Round 2 GB&I-Only Scores (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

ME.

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Friday 5th January 2024 – Round 1

Nick GABRELCIK (USA), who started his round on the 10th hole, took the early lead at the 2024 Jones Cup Invitational with a 2-under 70. He shot three birdies around a windy Ocean Forest course which sits alongside the Atlantic ocean.

Tommy MORRISON (USA) and Luke CLANTON (USA) -1 tied 2nd were the only other players to break par on a high scoring opening day.

The defending champion David FORD (USA) is well placed after an even par 72.

The average score on Day 1 was 77.9 (+5.9), highlighting the severity of the test.

Round 1 Scores (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

Jack BIGHAM (ENG) +3 tied 19th was the leading GB&I player. Jack’s round included four birdies but four bogeys and a triple on the difficult par 4 13th impacted his progress.

Welshmen James ASHFIELD and mid-amateur Jonathan BALE +4 tied 25th also enjoyed reasonable starts to this elite event. Ashfield’s round included three birdies whilst Bale managed one in a steadier effort.

Calum SCOTT‘s (SCO) round was ruined by a 9 on the par 3 15th.

Round 1 GB&I-Only Scores (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

ME.

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3rd January 2024 – Preview

The 20th Jones Cup Invitational will be played between 5th-7th January 2024 at Ocean Forest G.C. on the northern tip of Sea Island in Georgia.

Historically a top 10 ranked amateur tournament it has always attracted a strong field.

The winner of the Jones Cup Invitational, subject to them remaining an amateur, traditionally receives an exemption into the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic played at Sea Island in November.

The Jones Cup Invitational was first played in January 2001 as a prelude to that year’s Walker Cup match which was being staged at Ocean Forest in the following August.

The Sea Island resort is a big supporter of amateur golf with the Jones Cup Junior Invitational, Jones Cup Senior Invitational and Sea Island Women’s Amateur also played at the nearby Seaside Course since 2009, 2012 and 2021 respectively.

Format

The Jones Cup Invitational is a 54 hole individual stroke play competition played over three days.

Given the small field there is no cut.

The winner receives the silver Jones Cup and the Layne Williams Medal which was awarded for the first time in 2022. Layne Williams was a rules official for the Georgia State Golf Association.

Players

The Jones Cup Invitational Committee invite just 84 players to contest their tournament.

The majority of invites are granted based on each player’s previous performances and their world amateur rankings.

77 players contested an 18 hole qualifier on Sea Island’s Retreat Course on 11th December with Henry GUAN (USA) -7, Sihan SANDHU (USA) -4 and Harrison DAVIS (USA) -3 all added to the field. Jon HOPKINS (ENG) -3 missed out on the final qualifying spot after a 4-for-1 sudden death play-off. Click here to view the – 2024 Jones Cup Invitational Qualifier Results

Tyler WATTS (USA), the winner of the Jones Cup Junior Invitational which was played a few weeks ago on 18th-19th December also earned an exemption. Click here to view the – 2023 Jones Cup Junior Invitational Results

8 golfers from Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) are competing this year and I am sure a few more would have liked to have played if they could. They are (in alphabetical order with their current WAGRs): –

James ASHFIELD (WAL) #65
Jonathan BALE (WAL) #717
Jack BIGHAM (ENG) #77
Archie DAVIES (WAL) #220 – Reserve, added to the field 03/01/24
Josh HILL (ENG) #648
Max KENNEDY (IRL) #73
Luke POULTER (ENG) #416
Calum SCOTT (SCO) #33

In addition to Scott, Ashfield, Kennedy and Bigham there are 37 other players in the WAGR Top 100 who are competing (in rank order): –

Gordon SARGENT (USA) #1
David FORD (USA) #4
Nick GABRELCIK (USA) #8
Caleb SURRAT (USA) #11
Austin GREASER (USA) #12
Luke CLANTON (USA) #19
Michael BRENNAN (USA) #20
Maxwell MOLDOVAN (USA) #22
Jackson KOIVUN (USA) #23
Drew GOODMAN (USA) #26
Matthew RIEDEL (USA) #29
Jackson VAN PARIS (USA) #31
Mats EGE (NOR) #34
Maxwell FORD (USA) #35
Brian STARK (USA) #37
Brendan VALDES (USA) #38
Tobias JONSSON (SWE) #39
Cole ANDERSON (USA) #43
Ian GILLIGAN (USA) #44
Bryce LEWIS (USA) #47
Jackson BUCHANAN (USA) #48
Caden FIORONI (USA) #49
Bartley FORRESTER (USA) #50
Albert HANSSON (SWE) #52
Canon CLAYCOMB (USA) #57
Brett ROBERTS (USA) #62
Neal SHIPLEY (USA) #64
Wells WILLIAMS (USA) #68
Miles RUSSELL (USA) #69
Peter FOUNTAIN (USA) #74 – Withdrew 03/01/24
Jake HOLBROOK (USA) #85
Nathan PETRONZIO (USA) #86
Thomas PONDER (USA) #91
Mac MCCLEAR (USA) #92
Sebastian MOSS (USA) #93
Jack LUNDIN (USA) #94
Algot KLEEN (SWE) #97

Course

Ocean Forest is a challenging course with an exposed seaside links feel. Holes run alongside both the Hampton River and the Atlantic Ocean with marshes and the sea abutting a number of the fairways and greens. The remaining holes are cut through a pine forest.

Natural sand dunes are evident albeit the defining feature is the small undulating greens.

The course plays to 7,308 yards with a standard par of 72. If the wind blows here scores can be unusually high.

The Club was founded in 1995 by Bill Jones III. His family’s Sea Island Company having owned the land since the 1920’s.

Jones invited architect Rees Jones to design a championship course on the site with work commencing in September 1993. Some renovation work was subsequently done by Rees Jones in 2007. Beau Welling Design worked on the course in 2023 refreshing most of the tees, greens and bunkers as well as adding a number of new sandy waste areas.

President George H. Bush, Bill Jones III, former U.S. attorney general Griffin Bell, David Love III and Rees Jones played the opening round in Spring 1995.

The course was awarded the 2001 Walker Cup shortly after opening. At just 6 years old it remains the youngest club to be afforded this honour. Peter McEvoy led GB&I to a convincing 15-9 victory.

Weather Forecast (as at 3rd January)

Generally sunny weather is expected this week albeit the wind is likely to be challenging.

Fri 5th Jan. – Sunny / Wind 15 mph NE / Temp. Min. 15°C, Max. 20°C.
Sat 6th Jan. – Rain AM, Sunny PM / Wind 18 mph SW / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 23°C.
Sun 7th Jan. – Sunny / Wind 10 mph NW / Temp. Min. 9°C, Max. 18°C.

2023 Jones Cup Invitational

David FORD (USA) completed a wire-to-wire win at the 19th Jones Cup Invitational in Georgia beating Caleb SURRATT (USA) by 1-shot.

Ford’s 204 (-12) total was the second best in tournament history, 1-shot short of Davis Thompson’s (USA) 203 (-13) total in 2020.

Both players would go on to represent USA in the Walker Cup match at St. Andrews last September.

David Ford (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational)

Michael BRENNAN (USA) finished strongly with a final round of 67 to claim 3rd place on -8. Peter FOUNTAIN (USA), who had been amongst the leading group for most of the tournament, had to settle for 4th place after a 71 on Sunday.

Top 20 Results (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius Scoring)

The best placed GB&I player, of which there were 11 in the field, was James ASHFIELD (WAL) +3 who finished tied 27th. Barclay BROWN (ENG) and Frank KENNEDY (ENG) +4 were tied 33rd and reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion Matthew MCCLEAN (IRL) +5 tied 39th.

GB&I Results (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius Scoring)

Please click here to view the – 2023 Jones Cup Invitational Results

Here is a list of the past winners with their finishing scores: –

2023 – David FORD (USA) 204 (-12)
2022 – Palmer JACKSON (USA) 211 (-5)
2021 – Ludvig ÅBERG (SWE) 214 (-2)
2020 – Davis THOMPSON (USA) 203 (-13)
2019 – Akshay BHATIA (USA) 142 (-2) – event shortened to 36 holes due to bad weather
2018 – Garrett BARBER (USA) 212 (-4) – winner of the Jones Cup Junior Invitational in 2016
2017 – Braden THORNBERRY (USA) 212 (-4)
2016 – Beau HOSSLER (USA) 214 (-2)
2015 – Austen CONNELLY (USA) 216 (Ev)
2014 – Corey CONNORS (CAN) 218 (+2)
2013 – Sean DALE (USA) 213 (-3)
2012 – Justin THOMAS (USA) 216 (Ev)
2011 – John PETERSON (USA) 217 (+1)
2010 – Patrick READ (USA) 222 (+6)
2009 – Kyle STANLEY (USA) 217 (+1)
2007 – Luke LIST (USA) 206 (-10) – played at Frederica G.C. due to renovation work at Ocean Forest
2005 – Nicholas THOMPSON (USA) 214 (-2)
2003 – Gregg JONES (USA) 211 (-5)
2001 – DJ TRAHAN (USA) 210 (-6)

Canada’s Corey Connors and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg are the only non-American winners of the Jones Cup Invitational.

ME.

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