1st May 2022

John GOUGH (ENG) won the 2022 Lytham Trophy with a 280 (Ev) total, albeit he was made to work very hard for arguably the biggest win of his career.

Gough has won the Palmetto Amateur (USA), English Amateur, Spanish International Amateur and now the Lytham Trophy during the last 12 months. He rose to 37th in the updated Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking accurately reflecting his status as one of the world’s best amateur golfers.

John Gough (Photo: Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C.)

The 57th Lytham Trophy will be played on 5th-7th May 2023.

Round 4

Gough showed great heart in twice having to recover from setbacks in the final round to secure the victory. His double bogey 5 on the 5th hole saw him tumble out of the lead before a badly timed run of three bogeys on the 14th to 16th holes initially looked like it may be terminal.

Having dropped into a share of the lead with Connor Graham, safely in the clubhouse on +1, Gough was faced with parring his final two holes to force a play-off. At the time few would have bet on it with the wheels seemingly having come off his victory parade bus. To then birdie the 17th – he chipped in from off the green – and par the 18th with the Trophy on the line showed just how much the BB&O golfer has matured in recent years.

Reflecting on the 17th afterwards Gough said “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that shot.” Perhaps Royal Lytham should install a plaque to commemorate Gough’s chip-in, after all Bobby Jones was afforded one back down the 17th fairway for a par on his way to winning the 1926 Open Championship ?

John Gough Scorecard (Graphic: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Whilst the plaudits will go to the winner the 2nd place performance of 15 year old Scottish protege Connor GRAHAM was equally impressive. After a roller coaster opening nine in the morning his play was simply outstanding in the heat of battle. To play the final 27 holes at Royal Lytham with just two bogeys on his card, not to mention six birdies, is nothing short of remarkable for one so young.

Connor Graham Scorecard (Graphic: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Ben QUINNEY (ENG) finished 3rd on 283 (+3), Connor ROCHON (SCO) 4th on 285 (+5) and Robert MORAN (IRL) 5th also on +5.

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

Click here to view the full – 2022 Lytham Trophy Results

Round 3

Eoin MURPHY (IRL) and Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI), who recorded 1-under 69’s, were the only players in the third round to break par. Both players made slow starts before birdieing the 9th and then coming home strongly with no bogeys; Murphy was 2-under for his back nine whilst Gerhardsen was 3-under.

Murphy shares the 54 hole lead with John GOUGH (ENG) who sadly bogeyed his final two holes to give the chasing pack some encouragement.

Ben QUINNEY (ENG) and Robert MORAN (IRL) are tied 3rd, just one shot back of the leaders. Both could have been much better off. Moran triple bogeyed the 8th and double bogeyed the 7th on his way to a front nine 40. Quinney double bogeyed the 11th and 17th before bogeying his final hole.

15 year old Scottish protege Conor GRAHAM (SCO) moved into the top 5 with a level par 70 which included four birdies. It would be some story if he comes through this afternoon to win the title.

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

ME.

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30th April 2022

Robert MORAN (IRL) moved into the 36 hole lead on 136 (-4) at Lytham with a second consecutive 68. He is the only player in the competition to have recorded to under par rounds.

Rob Moran Scorecard (Graphic: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

John GOUGH (ENG), who Moran memorably competed against at last year’s Men’s Home Internationals when they were the best two players on show, moved into sole 2nd place, on -3, with a 70 in Round 2.

Ben QUINNEY (ENG) and Paul BEAUVY (FRA) recorded the day’s low rounds with 3-under 67’s to move firmly into the top 10. Quinney’s highlight was an eagle on the 589 yard 8th which presumably brought a smile to his face having had an 8 on the same hole yesterday. Beauvy was 3-over after 4 holes but seven birdies during the rest of his round represented some bounce back.

It proved to be a tough day for the two opening day leaders, Matt McCLEAN (IRL) and Oliver MUKHERJEE (SCO). McClean shot a 77 and Mukherjee a 76 which saw them both tumble down the leaderboard to tied 14th on 143 (+3).

45 players made the top 40 and ties cut which fell at 147 (+4).

The weather started to turn a little today with early morning mist giving way to cloud before some late light rain came in to disturb the later finishers.

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

Sadly Royal Lytham were unable to provide live scoring in Round 2 which meant it was difficult to follow the ebbs and flows of the rounds as had been possible on the opening day.

ME.

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29th April 2022

Matt McCLEAN (IRL), who plays out of the Malone G.C. in Ulster, teed off in the third from last group at 3.20pm on Day 1 of the Lytham Trophy. His 4-under 66, which included five birdies and a solitary bogey on the challenging dog-leg 17th, proved good enough to take the early lead.

Matt McClean’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

One shot further back after 67’s were young Oliver MUKHERJEE (SCO), Florian SCHWEIGHOFER (AUT) and John GOUGH (ENG).

Mukherjee was the second player to tee off in the competition and like McClean impressively kept the damage on his card to just a single bogey. His came on the 3rd hole with birdies on 7 and 8 before another pair on 17 and 18 left him well placed heading into the weekend.

The highlight of Austrian Schweighofer’s round was an eagle 2 on the 417 yard par 4 8th hole.

John Gough, who teed off in the final group at 3.40pm made a great start moving to 4-under after 8 holes. He had got to 5-under after 12 before two successive bogeys on 14 and 15 took the edge off what looked like it could be a special round.

Robert MORAN (IRL), who is tied with compatriot Eoin MURPHY on 2-under in 5th place, will clearly have been disappointed to triple-bogey the home hole to slip out of the Round 1 lead which he had held on 5-under standing on the 18th tee.

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

ME.

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26th April 2022 

The 2022 Lytham Trophy will be played between 29th April and 1st May at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England.

This event was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Traditionally the first major event in the Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) men’s amateur golf season its return is being eagerly anticipated.

It has historically been the 3rd best event in GB&I based on field strength sitting behind only the Amateur Championship and the St. Andrews Links Trophy. Coming so early in the season it is held back by missing out on all of the European players still studying at and competing for their U.S. colleges.

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

Format and Tee Times

144 scratch golfers from 15 different countries will tee off in what will be the 56th 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.

View the Draw for Rounds 1 and 2 here – 2022 Lytham Trophy Tee Times

Players

Whilst most of GB&I’s leading home-based amateurs will be competing my perception is that the field looks weaker than I have seen it in previous years.

This is probably due to the growing popularity of U.S. college golf and a clash of dates this year with the Italian International Stroke Play Championship. Additionally a COVID-19 travelling and funding hangover, which is perhaps seeing overseas players undertaking shorter trips, may mean we see a focus on the St Andrews Links and The Amateur in June or worse still the new seven event Elite Amateur Golf Series in USA.

This scenario is a little disappointing given that the 127th Amateur Championship is also being staged at Royal Lytham, alongside St. Anne’s Old Links, on 13th-18th June 2022 so one would have thought the Lytham Trophy may have been better supported.

There are just 11 players competing this week who are currently ranked in the top 200 of the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking. Here are the ten highest ranked players: –

Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) – SPWAR 34th
The 2021 Brabazon Trophy winner will arrive on the Fylde coast as GB&I’s No. 1 amateur.

John GOUGH (ENG) – SPWAR 60th
John has enjoyed a great last 12 months winning the English Amateur and earlier in 2022 backing it up with the Spanish International Amateur.

Rory FRANSSEN (SCO) – SPWAR 95th
Rory moved into the world top 100 after a hugely successful tour of South Africa in the winter and a good run at the Spanish Amateur.

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) – SPWAR 112th
The consistent Essex man has to win a big one soon – why not this week ?

Kiet VAN DER WEELE (NED) – SPWAR 133rd
A recent home win at the Voorjaarswedstrijd tournament has Keita on an upward curve.

Jack BROOKS (ENG) – SPWAR 142nd 
The world’s most active amateur golfer has thankfully found time in his busy schedule to play at Lytham. In great form and 3rd in 2019, just one shot behind the winner, it’s hard to see how the big man won’t finish well up the leaderboard.

Olly HUGGINS (ENG) – SPWAR 148th
Olly has also shown good form in Spain and Portugal earlier in 2022 and will now be looking to push on in the big events coming up back in the UK.

Hugh FOLEY (IRL) – SPWAR 158th 
Fast improving and links ready Foley, Ireland’s No. 1, will be confident after another impressive performance at the West of Ireland last week.

Luis MASAVEU (ESP) – SPWAR 164th 
One of Spain’s best prospects Luis has already reached the semi-finals of the Spanish Amateur and placed 2nd at Sotogrande in the European Nations Individual this year. Let’s see what he makes of there Lytham test.

Robert MORAN (IRL) – SPWAR 180th 
The star player at last year’s Home Internationals has been a bit quieter this year but can hopefully recapture his best form this week.

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 7,118 yard par 70 challenge; the front nine being 3,437 yards, a par 34, and the back nine being 3,681 yards, a par 36.

Players will tee off between 7.30am and 3.40pm 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

The weather forecast (as at Tuesday 26th April) looks good; sunny and dry throughout with only moderate breezes expected during the competition.

Friday 29th April – Sunny Intervals / Wind 8 mph N / Temp. Min. 6°C, Max. 14°C.
Saturday 30th April – Sunny Intervals / Wind 10 mph NW / Temp. Min. 7°C, Max. 13°C.
Sunday 1st May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 8 mph NW / Temp. Min. 7°C, Max. 15°C.

The 2019 Lytham Trophy

Josh MCMAHON (ENG) won the 55th Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham & St Annes G.C.

McMahon, then 22 and now a professional, produced a solid final round of 71 to secure the biggest title of his amateur career. He memorably finished with a clutch 40 foot putt on the final green to set a 288 (+8) total which proved to be good enough.

Josh McMahon’s 72nd Hole Birdie That Secured The 2019 Lytham Trophy Title

Gerold FOLK (AUT) +9 finished his tournament with a best of the day 69 which also included a closing birdie to secure 2nd place. As the winds picked up there briefly appeared a chance that his score may hold up despite 30 players teeing off after him.

Jack BROOKS (ENG), who incidentally bogeyed the tough 17th, finished 3rd behind Folk on +9 countback.

The most disappointed player on the final afternoon was probably Harry GODDARD (ENG) who enjoyed a superb opening nine but fell away down the home straight having been amongst the leaders all week and worked himself back in to contention. A final bogey on 18 saw him slip out of a share of the lead to also finish one back.

The top 40 and ties 36 hole cut fell at +9 in 2019 with 49 players progressing to the final day.

Royal Lytham have recently changed their scoring system from Intelligent Golf to Golf Genius so the complete 2019 Results are no longer publically available.

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.

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 GALLAGHER – 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 in 2018 and Daan HUIZING’s 273 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 four have all come from England: –
Paul CUTLER – 2010 (Ireland)
Jack SENIOR – 2011 (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)

Here’s is the Winner’s Board which is situated on the main staircase in the Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. clubhouse.

Lytham Trophy Past Winners’ Board in 2019 (Photo: Golf Bible) 

For more information please take a look at the Club website’s dedicated page – Lytham Trophy 

ME.

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