NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship – 2021 Preview & Results

Posted on 24/05/2021 by Golf Bible

2nd June 2021

Pepperdine University beat Oklahoma University 3-2 at the Greyhawk Golf Club in Arizona to win the 2021 NCAA Division I National title.

It was the second time in their history that the Malibu, California based team had lifted the National Championship trophy. They previously won in 1997.

Pepperdine Team and Coaches (Photo: Pepperdine Men’s Golf Team)

Every player on the Pepperdine team delivered at least one win and one half during the match play stage. However, the stars for the Waves were Clay FEAGLER, a fifth year senior, and junior Joe HIGHSMITH who both won all three of their games.

The team line up also included sophomore Dylan MENANTE, sophomore William MOUW and senior Joey VRZICH.

Championship Results (Graphic: Golfstat)

Pepperdine had earlier finished 3rd in the stroke play stage of the competition with Oklahoma coming in 4th.

ME.

______________________________________________

1st June 2021 PM

The afternoon semi-finals saw two minor upsets with Pepperdine and Oklahoma battling through to the Final.

Semi-Final Results (Graphic: Golfstat)

ME.

______________________________________________

1st June 2021 AM

In line with the stroke play seedings Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Arizona State and Oklahoma all came through their Quarter Final matches without too much trouble.

Quarter Final Results (Graphic: Golfstat)

ME.

______________________________________________

31st May 2021

With rounds of 68, 67, 68 and 70 (-7) Turk PETTIT of Clemson University won the NCAA Division I Individual Championship.

He finished 1 shot ahead of Bo JIN who was representing Oklahoma State with Ryggs JOHNSTON from Arizona State a further shot back.

Turk Pettit (Photo: NCAA)

Alex FITZPATRICK was GB&I’s highest finisher. A final round 76 saw him have to settle for a +9 total and a tied 39th finish.

After a poor opening round of 78 John MURPHY settled well. His final +11 total was good enough for a tied 52nd.

Here are the leading Individual scores: –

Leading Individual Results (Graphic: Golfstat)

In the Team competition Georgia Tech (+1) beat TCU (+4) in the 54-hole team play-off to start the day off.

From a GB&I perspective it was a disappointing day as both Louisville and Wake Forest missed out on the match play stage, thus ending our interest in the Championship.

Wake Forest had a disastrous final day recording a +23 score which saw them tumble down the rankings.

Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Oklahoma, Illinois, Florida State, Vanderbilt and North Carolina were the eight teams to advance to the match play stage.

ME.

______________________________________________

30th May 2021

The 54 hole first cut saw the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on those teams progress to the final 18 holes of stroke-play.

Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) and Mark POWER (IRL) helped their Wake Forest team through to the next stage in tied 6th place on +13. In the individual standings Alex +3 is tied 22nd and Mark +8 tied 56th.

Louisville proved to be one of the surprise packages finishing the first stage of the Championship in 12th place on +24. John MURPHY (IRL) +9 is tied 67th. After an opening round 78 Max KENNEDY (IRL) was dropped with Dev MORLEY (IRL) coming in to replace him. Dev posted a counting 74 in round 2 and a 76 in round 3.

Georgia Tech and TCU will play-off [5-from-5 scores to count playing holes 14-18 concurrently] to determine the final team progressing to round 4.

The final round of stroke play will be played on Monday 31st to establish the eight teams that will progress to match play as well as the Individual champion.

To date play has proven much easier in the morning with the course firming up as the temperatures reach the high 90’s in the afternoon.

Here are the 54 hole Team results: –

Team Scores (Graphic: Golfstat)

Day 3 was as far as it went for the following GB&I players and their teams.

Rhys NEVIN-WHARTON +11 finished T90 as his Tennessee team missed out on a play-off for the final stroke-play day by just 1-shot.

Joe PAGDIN +15 finished tied 115th with his Florida team coming in 22nd.

Toby BRIGGS +15 also finished tied 115th as his San Francisco team finished in 29th place.

Archie DAVIES +18 finished tied 130th with East Tennessee State ending their Championship in 28th place. Despite his team under performing Head Coach Jake Amos chose not to play Ben CARBERRY in any of the rounds.

Callum BRUCE +21 finished tied 139th as San Diego State failed to progress in tied 25th place.

University of Texas were the highest ranked team to crash out after the first stage. They were not helped when one of their star men Pierceson Coody became ill after his first round and was unable to play on the subsequent two days.

Bo JIN -9 from Oklahoma State leads Turk PETTIT -7 of Clemson in the Individual competition.

Here are the leading 54-hole Individual Scores: –

Leading Individual Scores (Graphic: Golfstat)

ME.

______________________________________________

24th May 2021

The 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship starts on Friday 28th May at Greyhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona with Arizona State University hosting this year’s competition.

Greyhawk has just finished hosting the Women’s NCAA Division I Championship. The set up proved to be demanding with few players finishing under par.

30 5-man teams and 6 individuals not on those teams qualified to play through six Regional events played on 17th – 19th May. To learn more about these please read my earlier article – NCAA Division I Men’s Regionals – 2021 Preview & Results

Stanford, the last champions in 2019, failed to progress through their Regional event at Albuquerque. They were not helped when two of their leading players, Barclay Brown (ENG) and Henry Shrimp (USA), failed COVID-19 tests on the eve of the competition and were forced to withdrawal from the Cardinals line-up.

At the National Championship 54 holes of stroke play will be played on 28-30 May. A cut will then take place which will see the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on those teams play a final 18 holes on 31 May. After 72 holes an Individual champion is crowned with the leading 8 teams progressing to a match play stage. Seeded match play will then take place on 1-2 June and will be used determine the Team national champions.

Team scores in the stroke play stage are based on a best four from five players cumulative total.

______________________________________________

There are nine GB&I players competing this year – Toby BRIGGS (San Francisco), Callum BRUCE (San Diego State), Archie DAVIES (East Tennessee State), Alex FITZPATRICK (Wake Forest), Max KENNEDY (Louisville), John MURPHY (Louisville), Rhys NEVIN-WHARTON (Tennessee), Joe PAGDIN (Florida) and Mark POWER (Wake Forest).

Ben CARBERRY (East Tennessee State) and Dev MORLEY (Louisville) have also been selected as No. 6 substitute players for their respective teams so may see some action. Substitutes can be used by coaches in both the stroke play and match play stages of the Championship to cover injuries and loss of form.

Here is a list of the competing teams and individuals, along with their Regional site result in brackets: –

TEAMS
Arizona State (Albuquerque T2)
Arkansas (Kingston Springs 2nd)
Clemson (Kingston Springs T4)
East Tennessee State (Cre Elum 1st)
Florida (Cre Elum 5th)
Florida State (Tallahassee 1st)
Georgia (Tallahassee 2nd)
Georgia Tech (Tallahassee 3rd)
Illinois (Stillwater 2nd)
Liberty (Tallahassee 4th)
Little Rock (Stillwater 5th)
Louisville (Noblesville 4th)
North Carolina (Noblesville T2)
North Carolina State (Kingston Springs T4)
Oklahoma (Albuquerque 4th)
Oklahoma State (Stillwater 1st)
Oregon State (Albuquerque T2)
Pepperdine (Cre Elum 4th)
Sam Houston State (Stillwater 4th)
San Diego (Albuquerque 15th)
San Diego State (Kingston Springs 3rd)
San Francisco (Cre Elum 2nd)
SMU (Stillwater 3rd)
Tennessee (Noblesville T2)
Texas (Noblesville 1st)
Texas Tech (Albuquerque 1st)
TCU (Tallahassee 5th)
UAB (Noblesville 5th)
Vanderbilt (Kingston Springs 1st)
Wake Forest (Cre Elum 3rd)

INDIVIDUALS
Cole Bradley – Purdue (Noblesville 1st)
Ryan Hall – South Carolina (Albuquerque 1st)
Tristan Mandur – Utah (Cre Elum T4)
AJ Ott – Colorado State (Stillwater T3)
James Piot – Michigan State (Kingston Springs T4)
Michael Sakane – Jacksonville (Tallahassee 2nd)

Florida State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Texas and North Carolina are considered the favourites to win the 2021 National Championship.

______________________________________________

Weather Forecast

Unsurprisingly the weather forecast for Scottsdale, Arizona is perfect. Perhaps a little warm for the GB&I players.

Fri 28th May – Sunny / Wind 8 mph W / Temp. Min. 21°C / Max. 38°C,
Sat 29th May – Sunny / Wind 9 mph W / Temp. Min. 22°C / Max. 37°C
Sun 30th May – Sunny / Wind 9 mph W / Temp. Min. 23°C / Max. 37°C
Mon 31st May – Sunny / Wind 8 mph W / Temp. Min. 23°C / Max. 37°C
Tue 1st Jun – Sunny / Wind 8 mph W / Temp. Min. 23°C / Max. 37°C
Wed 2nd Jun – Sunny / Wind 9 mph W / Temp. Min. 24°C / Max. 39°C

______________________________________________

Click these links to view the – GOLFSTAT STROKE PLAY RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

______________________________________________

2020 Results

The 2020 NCAA Division 1 National Championship was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019 Results

Stanford beat Texas 3-2-0 in the 2019 NCAA Division I National Championship match at Blessings G.C. in Arkansas to secure their 9th national title.

B5D90840-753F-4FB0-B808-DEA963486218

The Stanford Team (Photo: Jack Dempsey NCAA Photos)

Matthew WOLFF (USA) of Oklahoma State won the Individual 2019 NCAA Division I National title. His 278 (-10) total was 5 shots better than second placed Steven FISK (USA).

Just 5 players from the field of 156 recorded an under par score over the 72 holes.

Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) finished tied 15th in the Individual stroke play standings. Consistent rounds of 75, 73, 72 and 72 saw him post a +4 total. His Wake Forest team lost 3-2-0 to Stanford in the quarter finals of the match play stage, albeit freshman Fitzpatrick won his single beating Junior Henry Shimp by 1 hole.

Harry HALL (ENG), John MURPHY (IRL) and Dev MORLEY (IRL) were the three other GB&I players competing in Arkansas.

Cornishman Hall posted a 54-hole total of 222 (+6) to finish tied 34th. His UNLV team finished on 906 (+42) in tied 20th place and he failed to pick up one of the leading Individual spots.

The two Irishmen were further down the field. John MURPHY (IRL) +17 finished tied 110th and Dev MORLEY (IRE) +18 tied 119th. Their Louisville team were 29th on 932 (+68).

Matthew Wolff (Photo: Jack Dempsey NCAA Photos)

Click these links to view the – GOLFSTAT STROKE PLAY RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

ME.

NCAA Division I Men’s Regionals – 2021 Preview & Results

Posted on 05/05/2021 by Golf Bible

Updated 19th May 2021

The 54-hole NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Regional Championships were played on 17th-19th May.

The NCAA Committee selected the participating teams and leading individuals, from non-qualifying teams, largely based on the GolfStat U.S. College 2020/21 Men’s Division I Rankings which can be viewed here – Team and Individual

The teams and individuals were seeded and spread across the Regional sites to ensure each field was broadly of equal standing.

Three of the sites had 13 teams and 10 individuals competing, while three had 14 teams and five individuals. There were 81 teams and 45 individuals playing in total.

Looking at the Individual GolfStat Rankings on 5th May 2021 there were 11 Great British and Irish players in the Top 200. These were Alex FITZPATRICK (3), Joe PAGDIN (68), Mark POWER (69), Barclay BROWN (104), Daniel O’LOUGHLIN (105), Angus FLANAGAN (113), Archie DAVIES (117), Callum BRUCE (177), John GOUGH (178), Rhys NEVIN-WHARTON (185) and John MURPHY (193).

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

The 2021 National Team and Individual titles will be decided on 28th May – 2nd June at Greyhawk G.C., Scottsdale, Arizona with Arizona State University hosting this year’s Championship.

______________________________________________

Each team is listed below in seed order so it is clear who the favourites were to progress from each Regional. After the College or University name you will also find the Team’s Golfweek / Sagarin national ranking and if they earned automatic qualification the Conference Championship they won to do so.

A number of GB&I players competed in the Regional Championships. All of them are shown below in bold type.

______________________________________________

Here is a summary of each Regionals results with links to the full Golfstat scores: –

Championship Course, UNM – ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico
Hosted by the University of New Mexico / 7,555 yards Par 72 / SPWAR Field Ranking 1st

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Texas Tech (-26), T2 Arizona State (-16), T2 Oregon State (-16), 4th Oklahoma (-13), 5th San Diego (-12)

No. 1 seeds Oklahoma started the final day in 9th five shots back of 5th place but thankfully came through to progress. Texas A&M and New Mexico were the two highest ranked teams in the field to fall at this stage.

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: 1st Ryan Hall (-11) South Carolina

INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Ryan Hall (-11) South Carolina

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Oklahoma (1)
Arizona State (9)
Texas A&M (14)
Texas Tech (15) – Sandy SCOTT N/S
New Mexico (29 / Mountain West)
Stanford (34) – Barclay BROWN N/S
Oregon State (48)
Boise State (56)
South Carolina (31)
Nevada (68)
San Diego (63)
New Mexico State (151 / WAC)
Oakland (163) – Chris HANDY +9 T58 / Oakland (+36) 13th
Prairie View A&M (268 / Southwestern)

Individuals:

Tommy Stephenson, Fresno State
Daniel O’LOUGHLIN, Colorado +6 T51
Blake Hathcoat, Saint Mary’s CA
Gavin Cohen, Loyola-Marymount
Riley Lewis, Loyola-Marymount

Tumble Creek Club – CRE ELUM, Washington
Hosted by the University of Washington / 7,069 yards Par 71 / SPWAR Field Ranking 4th

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st East Tennessee State (-14), 2nd San Francisco (-4), 3rd Wake Forest (-2), 4th Pepperdine (-1), 5th Florida (+6)

East Tennessee State, led by medalist Shiso Go and T4 placed Welshman Archie Davies, made the headlines at Cle Elum picking up all of the trophies despite supposedly being only the 8th strongest team on site. Having traversed the hole of America to get to the Washington Regional Florida thankfully scraped home on the final day reeling in a 6-shot deficit in Round 3 over the closing holes as Denver buckled under the pressure. Alex Fitzpatrick finished T2 confirming his current status as GB&I’s beat amateur golfer.

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: T4 Tristan Mandur (-6) Utah

INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Shiso Go (-8) East Tennessee State

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Wake Forest (8) – Alex FITZPATRICK -7 T2, Mark POWER +3 T19 / Wake Forest (-2) 3rd
Pepperdine (5 / WCC)
Florida (21) – Joe PAGDIN +7 T39 / Florida +6 5th
Arizona (16 / PAC-12)
San Francisco (24) – Toby BRIGGS +7 T39 / San Francisco (-4) 2nd
Iowa (35) – Callum MACFIE N/S, Jake ROWE (Rd 3 Only)
Washington (51)
East Tennessee State (45 / Southern) – Archie DAVIES -6 T4 / East Tennessee State (-14) 1st
Utah (60)
Oregon (58)
Mississippi State (43)
Long Beach State (84 / Big West)
Denver (96 / Summit)
Sacramento State (146 / Big Sky)

Individuals:

Carson Lundell, BYU
Matt McCarty, Santa Clara
Jack Trent, UNLV
Jake Vincent, Southern Utah
Gabe Lysen, Utah Valley

Golf Club of Tennessee – KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tennessee
Hosted by Vanderbilt University / 7,107 yards Par 71 / SPWAR Field Ranking 6th

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Vanderbilt (-18), 2nd Arkansas (-7), 3rd San Diego State (-5), T4 North Carolina State (-3), T4 Clemson (-3)

There were no surprises in Tennessee as the five most highly ranked teams all progressed. Charlotte (-1) were 2-shots back of displacing NC State and / or Clemson.

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: T4 James Piot (-5) Michigan State

INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Puwit Anupansuebsai (-8) San Diego State

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Clemson (3 / ACC)
NC State (10)
Vanderbilt (13 / SEC)
Arkansas (22)
San Diego State (25) – Callum BRUCE +4 T37 / San Diego State (-5) 3rd
Virginia (44)
Charlotte (46) – John GOUGH +6 T42 / Charlotte (-1) 6th
Kent State (50 / MAC)
UTSA (57)
Houston (52)
Loyola-Maryland (116 / Patriot League)
UConn (135 / Big East)
Iona (247 / Metro Atlantic) – Oisin DEVERUEX +17 T64 / Iona (+81) 13th

Individuals:

James Piot, Michigan State
Ben van Wyk, Augusta
Evan Davis, Belmont
Van Holmgren, Florida Gulf Coast
Christopher Gotterup, Rutgers
Hunter Eichhorn, Marquette
Brandon Einstein, High Point
Hunter Fry, USC Upstate
Timothius Tamardi, Appalachian State
Austin Devereux, Rider

Sagamore Golf Club – NOBLESVILLE, Indiana
Hosted by Ball State / 7,173 yards Par 72 / SPWAR Field Ranking 3rd

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Texas (-20), T2 Tennessee (-15), T2 North Carolina (-15), 4th Louisville (-10), 5th UAB (-5)

UAB came from 7-shots back heading into the final round to secure the 5th qualifying place. North Florida and to a lesser degree South Florida were the two most notable teams to miss out in Indiana.

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: 1st Cole Bradley (-10) Purdue

INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Cole Bradley (-10) Purdue

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Texas (6)
North Carolina (7)
Tennessee (18) – Rhys NEVIN-WHARTON +2 T31 / Tennessee (-15) 2nd
North Florida (23)
Louisville (32) – Max KENNEDY +1 T26, John MURPHY +5 T42, Dev MORLEY N/S, Hugh O’HARE N/S / Louisville (-10) 4th
South Florida (36 / AAC)
UAB (38)
Duke (41)
UNC Wilmington (49)
Arkansas State (40) – Jack MADDEN N/S
Campbell (92 / Big South)
UT Martin (147 / Ohio Valley)
Loyola Chicago (198 / Missouri Valley)

Individuals:

Ross Steelman, Missouri
Angus FLANAGAN, Minnesota +4 T38
Joe Weiler, Purdue
Mark Goetz, West Virginia
Zack Taylor, Coastal Carolina
Alex Goff, Kentucky
Cole Bradley, Purdue
Michael Cascino, Butler
Henry May, Dayton

Karsten Creek Golf Club – STILLWATER, Oklahoma
Hosted by Oklahoma State University / 7,502 yards Par 72 / SPWAR Field Ranking 2nd

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Oklahoma State (-28), 2nd Illinois (-14), 3rd SMU (Ev), 4th Sam Houston State (+11), 5th Little Rock (+15)

Sam Houston State and unseeded Little Rock outperformed to knock out the more highly rated colleges Auburn, Notre Dame, Alabama and Baylor. It is the first time Sam Houston State and Little Rock have qualified for the Nationals.

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: T3 AJ Ott (-5) Colorado State

INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Noah Goodwin (-15) SMU

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Oklahoma State (4 / Big 12)
Illinois (11 / Big Ten)
Auburn (17)
SMU (20)
Notre Dame (33)
Alabama (28)
Baylor (30)
Sam Houston State (65 / Southland)
Little Rock (54)
Ole Miss (39)
Northwestern (66) – Eric MCINTOSH +2 T16 / Northwestern +25 9th
College of Charleston (79 / CAA)
Middle Tennessee State (86 / Conference USA)

Individuals:

Devon Bling, UCLA
Mark Lawrence, Jr., Virginia Tech
Vicente Marzilio, North Texas
Lachlan Barker, Iowa State
A.J. Ott, Colorado State
Tim Tillmanns, Kansas State
Guillaume Fanonnel, ULM
Lucas Carper, UC Davis
Jack Howes, Oral Roberts

Golden Eagle Golf & Country Club – TALLAHASSEE, Florida
Hosted by Florida State / 7,505 yards Par 72 / SPWAR Field Ranking 5th

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1st Florida State (-34), 2nd Georgia (-17), 3rd Georgia Tech (-16), 4th Liberty (-15), 5th TCU (-9)

LSU and Georgia Southern were the big losers at Tallahassee with an inexperienced TCU team containing four sophomores and one freshman playing their was into the finals.

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: 2nd Michael Sakane (-13) Jacksonville

INDIVIDUAL WINNER: Davis Thompson (-14) Georgia

Thompson also picked up medalist honours at Georgia’s 2019 Regional.

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Florida State (2) – Jamie LI N/S
Georgia (12)
Liberty (19 / Atlantic Sun)
LSU (27)
Georgia Tech (26)
Georgia Southern (42 / Sun Belt)
TCU (37)
Indiana (53)
Kansas (47)
Southern California (59)
Ohio State (55)
Davidson (125 / Atlantic 10)
Florida A&M (176 / Mid-Eastern)
LIU (246 / Northeast)

Individuals:

Keller Harper, Furman
Johnny Travale, Central Florida
Michael Sakane, Jacksonville
Enrique DIMAYUGA, Florida Atlantic +1 T38
Saptak Talwar, Sacred Heart

N/S = Not Selected

______________________________________________

The 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Championship was played at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas with The University of Arkansas hosting the competition.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY beat University of Texas 3-2-0 in the 2019 NCAA Division I Championship match to secure their 9th national title.

B5D90840-753F-4FB0-B808-DEA963486218

The Stanford Team (Photo: Jack Dempsey NCAA Photos)

Matthew WOLFF (USA) of Oklahoma State won the Individual NCAA Division I National title. His 278 (-10) total was 5 shots better than second placed Steven FISK (USA) during the 72 hole stroke play qualifying.

Click these links to view the – 2019 GOLFSTAT STROKE PLAY RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

Click this link to view the – 2019 GOLFSTAT MATCH PLAY RESULTS – TEAM

ME.

The Masters – 2021 Amateur Preview & Results

Posted on 07/04/2021 by Golf Bible

Sunday 11th April 2021

Hideki MATSUYAMA (JAP) won the 2021 Masters Tournament with a 278 (-10) total.

Hideki Matsuyama (Photo: The Masters)

The Masters reflected his journey to the title in a nice tweet which highlighted his two Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship titles in 2010 and 2011 to qualify for the tournament, his Silver Cup low amateur win in 2011 and finally the life changing first major victory today.

Matsuyama became just the seventh player to win both the Silver Cup and The Masters tournament itself, joining Cary MIDDLECOFF, Jack NICKLAUS, Ben CRENSHAW, Tiger WOODS, Phil MICKELSON and Sergio GARCIA in a select group.

The prize money for finishing first this year at Augusta National was £2,070,000.

A journey completed – Hideki Matsuyama wins the 2021 Masters Tournament. #themasters　

大会が終了-松山英樹が2021年のマスターズトーナメントで優勝 pic.twitter.com/IWuB2K2h96
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 11, 2021

2017 Walker Cup players Will ZALATORIS (USA) -9 finished 2nd and Robert MACINTYRE (SCO) -2 tied 12th. They earned $1,242,000 and $264,500 respectively and also secured their places in the 2022 Masters.

The 2021 Masters Results (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to view the full – 2021 Masters Results

ME.

_________________________________________________

Saturday 10th April 2021

Hideki MATSUYAMA (JAP) moved into a four shot lead on -11 after a superb 65 in Round 3 which saw him come home in just 30 shots. His bogey free round included one eagle and five birdies.

Playing in his tenth Masters the Japanese star now has a great chance to become Asia’s first male major champion.

There would be a nice symmetry if he can come through tomorrow as his compatriot 17 year old Tsubasa Kajitani won the 2nd Augusta National Women’s Amateur last week.

Hideki Matsuyama Receives The Silver Cup In 2011 (Photo: The Masters)

Heading into tomorrow’s final round Xander SCHAUFFELE (USA), Mark LEISHMAN (AUS), Justin ROSE (ENG) and Will ZALATORIS (USA) are his nearest challengers on -7.

ME.

_________________________________________________

Friday 9th April 2021

Sadly no amateur made the cut at the 2021 Masters and therefore the Silver Cup will not be awarded on Sunday. It is the first time since 2015 that an amateur has not completed the 72 holes.

Ollie OSBORNE (USA) shot his second successive 76 to finish tied 74th on 152 (+8), the best of the three amateurs in the field. His three birdies today were offset by seven bogeys. Ollie was a little unlucky with his tee shots on the 6th and 16th but a couple of pulled drives late on simply left him too much to do. The SMU college golfer had another good day but will no doubt be disappointed with his finish.

Screenshot 2021-04-09 at 21.08.19

Ollie Osborne’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to watch every shot of – Ollie Osborne’s Round 2

Joe LONG (ENG) produced the lowest round by an amateur at this year’s Masters in Round 2 with a very accomplished 72 (Ev). His 154 (+10) total saw him finish in 80th place. The highlights were his three consecutive birdies on the back nine. He hit the 13th and 15th greens in two and had tap-in birdies on both of these famous par 5’s. Just like yesterday he finished with a superb approach into the 18th but was unable to convert his 4 foot birdie putt. James Sugrue’s 71 last November therefore remains the sole under par round by a GB&I amateur in Masters history.

Joe Long’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to watch every shot of – Joe Long’s Round 2

U.S. Amateur champion Tyler STRAFACI (USA) struggled on Friday and finished 86th, last of the three amateurs. His 81 included one double bogey and eight bogeys. The highlight was his birdie on 14 where he holed a huge 25 yard putt from just off the front of the green.

Screenshot 2021-04-10 at 08.08.17

Tyler Strafaci’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to watch every shot of – Tyler Strafaci’s Round 2

Justin ROSE (ENG) recovered from another slow start to shoot an even par 72 in Round 2 and retain his lead on -7. His 18 hole 4-shot lead is now down to one though with Will ZALATORIS (USA) and Brian HARMAN (USA) in tied 2nd on -6.

The Top 50 and Ties cut fell at +3 with 54 players making the weekend.

ME.

_________________________________________________

Thursday 8th April 2021

Ollie OSBORNE (USA), the least heralded of the three amateurs in the field, shone brightest on the opening day at Augusta National G.C. The course played firm and fast and the wind swirled through the pines making for a tough test.

Osborne’s 76 (+4) saw him finish the day in tied 60th. The big hitting SMU player produced a tidy round with no big errors which were the downfall of his competitors for the Silver Cup. His bonus came via nice putts for birdies on the par 5 8th and 15th which gave him some additional breathing space.

Screenshot 2021-04-08 at 22.46.08

Ollie Osborne’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to watch every shot of – Ollie Osborne’s Round 1 (select Round 1 tab)

Tyler STRAFACI (USA) played better than his 80 (+8) paying a heavy price for two mistakes which ended up costing him 5-shots. He’ll start Day 2 in 84th place. Firstly an aggressive approach to the 9th left him over the back with no shot to a green which sloped severely away from him. Then three holes later his tee shot to the notorious par 3 12th came up short finding the lake.

Screenshot 2021-04-08 at 20.42.54

Tyler Strafaci’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to watch every shot of – Tyler Strafaci’s Round 1 (select Round 1 tab)

Joe LONG (ENG) shot an 82 (+10) in Round 1 to finish the day in tied 86th place. The Bristolian made a solid start but a pushed drive into the trees on the 5th cost him a triple-bogey and entering a tough run of holes he was unable to get back on track. The back nine saw an improvement with five pars and a birdie. Having struggled down the 13th he produced a great chip over Rae’s Creek to escape with just a bogey. However, the 17th will have disappointed the Amateur champion – three putts from 4ft saw him leave the green with a 6 when a 4 had looked likely. Nevertheless this time he bounced back well on 18 with a birdie. A great drive round the left-to-right dog leg set up a mid-iron which finished dead having lipped out for eagle.

Screenshot 2021-04-08 at 19.27.23

Joe Long’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to watch every shot of – Joe Long’s Round 1 (select Round 1 tab)

Justin ROSE (ENG) leads the 2021 Masters by 4-shots after his 65 (-7) in Round 1. Rose was 9-under for his final 11 holes after a slow start which had seen him record bogeys on the 1st and 7th. Brian HARMAN (USA) and Hideki MATSUYAMA (JAP) lead the chasing pack after 69’s (-3).

ME.

_________________________________________________

7th April 2021

The 85th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between 8th-11th April.

The field is a little lower than normal with just 88 players competing.

One of the reasons for this is that there are only three amateurs playing in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic saw the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Latin America Amateur Championship and U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship cancelled in 2020 so the three places traditionally allocated to their winners were not required this year.

As with last year’s Masters, played later than normal in November, there will only be a limited number of patrons on site due to COVID-19. This will hopefully help the amateurs to settle more quickly in to their famous surroundings when play gets underway.

The 2021 Masters Journal

2021 Amateur Player Biographies

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

This year’s intake will take the total number of amateurs to have participated to 441.

The three Amateurs competing at The Masters are : –

JOE LONG (England) – winner of the 2020 Amateur Championship (Cat. 8 exemption). One of ten Englishmen in the field Long, 23 from Bristol, qualified after beating compatriot Joe Harvey in the Amateur Championship final at Royal Birkdale G.C. His victory also earned him automatic selection for the GB&I Walker Cup team. Joe picked up an injury whilst surfing in February but is confident he has fully recovered. This will be his first major appearance as well as his first competitive outing in USA. Caddie – John Chance (local). Current SPWAR #35 / WAGR #46.

Joe Long (Photo: Richard Heathcote / The R&A / R&A via Getty Images)

CHARLES ‘OLLIE’ OSBORNE (USA) – runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship (Cat. 7 exemption). Osborne, 21, is a junior at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He has won two college titles to date. Ollie monday qualified for the 2019 Baracuda Championship on the PGA Tour played at his home course in Reno, Nevada but missed the cut. This will be his first major appearance. Caddie – Stephen Osborne (father). Current SPWAR #124 / WAGR #247.

TYLER STRAFACI (USA) – winner of the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship (Cat. 7 exemption). Strafaci, 22, graduated from Georgia Tech last May and whilst he returned for a fifth year in September he ultimately decided to forego his final spring semester to pursue playing opportunities. In addition to his U.S. Amateur win at Bandon Dunes he also won the North & South Amateur and Palmetto Amateur last summer. Like Long he will represent USA in the 2021 Walker Cup match at Seminole G.C. next month. He has played in one major before, the 2018 U.S. Open Championship. Tyler has also played in four PGA Tour events missing the cut in each of them. He picked up a collarbone injury playing in the 2021 Genesis Invitational which he has only just recovered from. Tyler’s grandfather Frank Sr., who died 10 years before he was born, played in The Masters in 1938 and 1950. Only Tommy Armour and Tommy Armour III have previously achieved this grandfather-grandson double. Caddie – Bret Benjamin (local). Current SPWAR #18 / WAGR #11.

The 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.

Amateur Perks

Due to social distancing only one amateur has been allowed to stay in the Crow’s Nest per night. Joe Long stayed there on Sunday night, Tyler Strafaci on Monday and Ollie Osborne on Tuesday.

The Amateur Dinner is being held on Wednesday night as it was in 2020. It had for many years been held on the Monday of Masters week. Chairman Fred Ridley will host the evening with Viktor Hovland, the 2018 U.S. Amateur champion who has subsequently transitioned smoothly to the pro ranks, the special guest speaker.

A night to remember: The Amateur Dinner. #themasters pic.twitter.com/7XdRdAwx1v
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2021

2021 Amateur Tee Times (GMT +5hrs)

Round 1

Group 5 – 8.48am EDT / 1.48pm BST – Bernhard Langer (GER) / Will Zalatoris (USA)* / JOE LONG (ENG)

Group 13 – 10.30am EDT / 3.30pm BST – Dustin Johnson (USA) / Lee Westwood (ENG) / TYLER STRAFACI (USA)

Group 22 – 12.24pm EDT / 5.24pm BST – Fred Couples (USA) / Francesco Molinari (ITA) / OLLIE OSBORNE (USA)

Round 2

Group 7 – 9.12am EDT / 2.12pm BST – Fred Couples (USA) / Francesco Molinari (ITA) / OLLIE OSBORNE (USA)

Group 20 – 11.54am EDT / 4.54pm BST – Bernhard Langer (GER) / Will Zalatoris (USA)* / JOE LONG (ENG)

Group 28 – 1.36pm EDT / 6.36pm BST – Dustin Johnson (USA) / Lee Westwood (ENG) / TYLER STRAFACI(USA)**

*Will Zalatoris who represented USA in the 2017 Walker Cup is also making his Masters debut this week. Alongside the three amateurs there are three professional debutants this year; Robert MacIntyre, who also played in the 2017 Walker Cup, and Carlos Ortiz are the other two.

**By tradition the reigning U.S. Amateur champion is always paired with the reigning Masters champion.

Click here to view all of the – Masters 2021 Tee Times

2020 Masters – Amateur Performances

Andy OGLETREE (USA) won the 2020 Silver Cup at The Masters for the low amateur completing all 72 holes.

He finished tied 34th on 286 (-2) after rounds of 73, 70, 71 and 72.

Andy Ogletree (Photo: Michael Holahan / The Augusta Chronicle)

James SUGRUE (IRL) finished his opening two rounds on 148 (+4) and missed the cut. His four 3-putts in Round 1, including a short one on the 18th when he was trying to finish his round before darkness fell, probably ruined his chances of progressing.

He can take some consolation from his second round 71 though which was the first under par and lowest round ever recorded by a GB&I amateur at The Masters. Whilst the shots still had to be played James took advantage of the November playing with the softer conditions making scoring much easier than normal.

James Sugrue 36 hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to view the final – Masters 2020 Leaderboard

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

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

ME.

March 2021 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 02/04/2021 by Golf Bible

2nd April 2021

Throughout the year I analyse the two main amateur golf rankings, the SPWAR and the WAGR, 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 2021 Quarter period has now been added.

England’s Jack DYER has won my Player of the Quarter Award. Jack travelled to South Africa in early 2021 and produced a set of consistent results that made him an obvious selection.

He was also selected as 1st Reserve for the GB&I Walker Cup team earlier this week – the only player to break into the 12 man team from outside the original squad announced last December.

Jack Dyer with the Proudfoot Trophy (Photo: Ernest Blignault / GolfRSA)

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

ME.

The Georgia Cup – 2021 Preview & Results

Posted on 26/03/2021 by Golf Bible

28th March 2021

Tyler Strafaci (USA) beat Joe Long (ENG) by 2 Holes to win the 23rd Georgia Cup at The Golf Club of Georgia.

The U.S. Amateur champions now trail the Amateur champions 13-10 in the series.

Joe Long and Tyler Strafaci (Photo: The Golf Club of Georgia)

ME.

_______________________________________________________

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

This year’s match, the 23rd, will be contested by Tyler Strafaci (USA) and Joe Long (ENG).

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.

I will update this article with a match report on Sunday.

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

Venue

The match was established by The Golf Club of Georgia (GCOG) and was first contested in 1998.

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 2021 Georgia Cup will start at 11.00am (4.00pm GMT) on Sunday 28th March. The match is used as a charitable fundraiser with local facilities benefitting.

Players

Tyler Strafaci (22) comes from Davie, Florida and played college golf in the U.S. at Georgia Tech. University. He won the 120th U.S. Amateur Championship by defeating Ollie Osborne by 1 Hole at Bandon Dunes. A month prior to this win he also picked up the prestigious North and South Amateur title.
Current world rankings: SPWAR #16 / WAGR #12.

2020 U.S. Amateur

Tyler Strafaci – 2020 US Amateur champion (Photo: Steven Gibbons / USGA)

Joe Long (23) is from Bristol, England. He won the 125th Amateur Championship by beating compatriot Joe Harvey 4&3 in the final at Royal Birkdale G.C.
Current world rankings: SPWAR #28 / WAGR #48.

Joe Long – 2020 Amateur champion (Photo: The R&A / Getty Images)

Scores

Sadly no hole-by-hole scores were provided this year.

More information on the match can be found on the Club’s website – www.golfclubofgeorgia.com – and twitter account – @TheGCOG.

Previous Matches and Results

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.

In 2019 Jovan Rebula (RSA) beat Viktor Hovland (NOR) thus extending the Amateur champions lead over the United States champions to 13-9.

Jovan Rebula (Photo: The Golf Club of Georgia)

The Amateur champion has overcome the U.S. Amateur champion in eight 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

ME.

Jones Cup Invitational – 2021 Preview & Results

Posted on 01/02/2021 by Golf Bible

7th February 2021

Sweden’s Ludvig ABERG won the 2021 Jones Cup Invitational at Ocean Forest G.C. in Georgia.

The Texas Tech University teammate of Scotland’s Sandy Scott finished on a 214 (-2) total, good enough for a 1-shot victory. His 2-under 70 in the second round, played in very difficult conditions, was probably the determining factor. Ironically he only secured his place in the field last week when there was a withdrawal.

Aberg’s win secured him an exemption into the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic event next November.

Ludvig Aberg (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational)

With the 16th, 17th and 18th holes ranking as the 2nd, 5th and 6th hardest on the course over the three days it was inevitable that there would be some late twists in this tournament and so it proved to be.

Aberg bounced back from a bogey on the 17th by holing a winning 7 foot birdie putt on the final hole. This shortly after defending champion Davis THOMPSON (USA) had bogeyed both the 16th and 17th and Cole HAMMER (USA) had bogeyed the short 17th. To his credit co-runner up Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) pared all three finishing holes but in the end needed more.

Hammer, Thompson and Fitzpatrick finished in a three-way tie for 2nd place on 215 (-1).

Results (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius Scoring)

John MURPHY (IRL) finished strongly with a final round 70 to secure tied 6th place on 217 (+1).

Ben SCHMIDT (ENG) finished tied 11th on 219 (+3). His final round 71 was his best of the week and given his lack of competitive action in the last 6 months and the difficulties of practicing in the UK recently his overall performance was very impressive. The same goes for Matty LAMB (ENG) whose tied 22nd was no mean achievement.

Barclay BROWN (ENG) 21st and Angus FLANAGAN (ENG) tied 22nd were both left to rue bad rounds, Barclay’s 78 today and Angus’ 80 yesterday.

Here are the final results for all thirteen of the GB&I players: –

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

Click here to view the full results – Jones Cup Invitational Results

Given the Walker Cup sub-plot this week it is interesting to see the impact of these results on the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking. The ranking was updated shortly after the finale with the notable moves being Fitzpatrick rising 37 places to 18th, Schmidt 14 places to 38th and John Murphy 95 places to 76th.

SPWAR GB&I Top 30 On 7th February 2021 (Photo: SPWAR)

ME.

_______________________________

6th February 2021

It was a wet and windy day in Georgia and the scores ballooned around the challenging Ocean Forest course. Yesterday the average score was 74.3, today it was 77.4 as the field of 84 generally struggled to deal with the conditions.

Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) and Spencer RALSTON (USA) share the 36 hole lead but both players reversed back into the field after rounds of 77 and 76 respectively.

Ludvig ABERG (SWE) -2 is 3rd and will join the leaders in tomorrow’s final group. Aberg’s 70 was the joint best round of the day.

Ominously defending champion Davis THOMPSON (USA) moved into tied 4th after a very satisfactory 1-over 73.

Barclay BROWN (ENG) matched Thompson’s 73 and will start the final round on even par in tied 6th place. A top 10 finish here will go along way to securing his place in the GB&I Walker Cup team.

Leading Round 2 Scores (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius Scoring)

There was just 4 rounds under par and one of par in Round 2. John MURPHY (IRL) shot the par 72 round to move up to tied 16th.

Ben SCHMIDT (ENG) and Matty LAMB (ENG) finished the day on +4 and tied 19th after shooting 74 and 76. Given their lack of competitive golf over the last six months both are doing well in such a high class field.

Mark POWER was on track for one of the best rounds of the day but a quadruple bogey 7 on the 17th ruined what had been another very good bad weather day for the Irishman. His 2-over par 74 didn’t tell the full story and left him back in tied 25th, alongside Tom MCKIBBIN (IRL).

By way of reminder there is no cut in the Jones Cup Invitational with all of the players returning for the final round tomorrow. Some may be looking forward to this more than others as the weather forecast is again mixed.

Here are the full Round 2 scores for all thirteen of the GB&I players: –

img_4340-1

GB&I Round 2 Scores (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius Scoring)

ME.

_______________________________

5th February 2021

Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) leads the Jones Cup Invitational after recording an opening round 64 (-8).

Starting on the 10th tee at 8.50am the Yorkshireman quickly got into his stride with five birdies in his opening nine holes. A further three were added on the front nine as he completed a blemish free round. His final birdie on the par 3 9th secured a new tournament record round score.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s Round 1 Scorecard (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius Scoring)

Spencer RALSTON (USA) -7 and Maxwell FORD (USA) -5, who had played alongside Fitzpatrick, finished the day in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Ralston and Ford were also bogey free in Round 1.

Defending champion and Ocean Forest G.C. specialist Davis THOMPSON (USA) shot 70 (-2) to finish the day in tied 7th place.

Barclay BROWN (ENG) and Angus FLANAGAN (ENG), who like Fitzpatrick are both studying in the U.S. College system, are tied 11th after 71’s (-1). Both played well but were unable to avoid all of the pitfalls on this tricky course; Brown posting three bogeys and Flanagan four.

Like Flanagan Matty LAMB (ENG) let a good round slip on the closing holes of the front nine having started on the 10th. Four bogeys in his final five holes will have frustrated the Hexham player who had previously suggested that he had lost none of his excellent 2020 form. Nevertheless an even par 72 for tied 19th place represents a solid start.

Here are the full Round 1 scores for all thirteen of the GB&I players: –

GB&I Round 1 Scores (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius Scoring)

ME.

_______________________________

1st February 2021

The 17th Jones Cup Invitational will be played between 5th-7th February 2021 at Ocean Forest G.C. on the northern tip of Sea Island in Georgia.

Historically a top 10 ranked amateur tournamant this year it will be taking on even greater importance. The COVID-19 impacted schedule and the early playing of the Walker Cup match in May means results here may have a significant bearing on the final selection of both teams. Even more so given the similarities between the Seminole and Ocean Forest courses.

It is also worth noting that the winner of the Jones Cup Invitational earns an exemption into the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic, subject to them remaining an amateur. This year’s RSM Classic will be played at Sea Island G.C. on 18th-21st November 2021.

I will be updating this article as the tournament progresses with daily reports.

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 August.

The Jones Cup Junior Invitational and Jones Cup Senior Invitational commenced in 2009 and 2012 respectively. These two competitions are played at Sea Island G.C.’s nearby Seaside Course.

A new Sea Island Women’s Amateur will be played for the first time between 27th-29th July 2021 also on the Seaside Course.

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.

Players

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

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

An 18 hole qualifying event was played on Sea Island’s Plantation Course on 18th January with three spots in the main event allocated to the leading players from a field of 78.

13 golfers from Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) are competing this year. 10 of the 15 man GB&I Walker Cup squad are in attendance. They are (in alphabetical order with their SPWARs): –

Jonathan BALE (WAL) #4761
Jake BOLTON (ENG) #34 WC SQUAD
Barclay BROWN (ENG) #67 WC SQUAD
Callum FARR (ENG) #132 WC SQUAD
Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) #51 WC SQUAD
Angus FLANAGAN (ENG) #66 WC SQUAD
Rory FRANSSEN (SCO) #363
Conor GOUGH (ENG) #1148
Matty LAMB (ENG) #57 WC SQUAD
Tom MCKIBBIN (IRL) #77 WC SQUAD
John MURPHY (IRL) #167 WC SQUAD
Mark POWER (IRL) #22 WC SQUAD
Ben SCHMIDT (ENG) #50 WC SQUAD

Ben JONES (ENG) had entered but withdrew last week.

For those GB&I players not studying in USA such as Jake Bolton, Callum Farr, Conor Gough, Matty Lamb, Tom McKibbin and Ben Schmidt this will be one of the last playing opportunities they have to impress before the Walker Cup team is selected.

In a very strong field there are 26 other players in the SPWAR Top 100 competing (in rank order): –

Quade CUMMINS (USA) #2 WC SQUAD
Davis THOMPSON (USA) #5 WC SQUAD – defending champion
Cole HAMMER (USA) #6 WC SQUAD
Pierceson COODY (USA) #8 WC SQUAD
Preston SUMMERHAYS (USA) #9
McClure MEISSNER (USA) #12 WC SQUAD
William HOLCOMB (USA) #19
Luke POTTER (USA) #21
Travis VICK (USA) #25
Parker COODY (USA) #28
Ludvig ABERG (SWE) #29
Trey WINSTEAD (USA) #29
Graysen HUFF (USA) #33
Trent PHILLIPS (USA) #37
Kelly CHINN (USA) #40
Jonathan BRIGHTWELL (USA) #42
Julian PERICO (PER) #43
Garett REBAND (USA) #48 WC SQUAD
Wilson FURR (USA) #69
Mateo FERNANDEX DE OLIVEIRA (ARG) #74
Jackson SUBER (USA) #78
Stewart HAGESTAD (USA) #83 WC SQUAD
Austin HITT (USA) #86
Hunter WOLCOTT (USA) #90
Ryan HALL (USA) #94
Julien SALE (USA) #100

As shown above there are seven players selected for the 16-man US Walker Cup Squad playing this week in Georgia.

On 21st December 2020 the USGA confirmed that the three highest ranked players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) as at 10th February 2021, i.e. immediately following the playing of the Jones Cup Invitational, would receive exemptions onto the 2021 USA Walker Cup team. As at 3rd February the three ‘places’ are currently held by Davis THOMPSON #2, Ricky CASTILLO #5 and Pierceson COODY #6. Castillo is not playing this week due to University commitments. Garrett REBAND #10, Quade CUMMINS #12, Stewart HAGESTAD #14 and McClure MEISSNER #18 are and will all be hoping to force their way into the automatic WAGR USA selection spots.

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 7,321 yards with a standard par of 72.

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.

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 February)

Showers and moderate winds appear to be in order for the tournament which traditionally has cool weather.

Fri 5th Feb. – Showers / Wind 17 mph SW / Temp. Min. 8°C, Max. 18°C.
Sat 6th Feb. – Showers / Wind 12 mph NE / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 12°C.
Sun 7th Feb. – Showers / Wind 12 mph N / Temp. Min. 9°C, Max. 14°C.

2020 Jones Cup Invitational

Local player Davis THOMPSON (USA) won the 2020 Jones Cup Invitational by 9-shots after a record breaking performance.

His 203 (-13) total was capped by a final round of 65, almost certainly the best in the tournament’s history.

Davis Thompson (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational)

From a GB&I perspective Mark POWER (IRL) +3 was our highest finisher in tied 13th.

Joe PAGDIN (ENG), Callum BRUCE (SCO), John PATERSON (SCO) all +5 came tied 21st, Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) +7 tied 31st and Archie DAVIES (WAL) +9 tied 37th.

Click here to view the – Jones Cup Invitational 2020 Results

To finish off here is a list of the past winners with their finishing scores: –

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 is the only non-American winner of the Jones Cup Invitational.

ME.

December 2020 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 12/01/2021 by Golf Bible

12th January 2021

Throughout the year I analyse the two main amateur golf rankings, the SPWAR and the WAGR, to help us assess the performances of Great Britain and Ireland’s 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 2020 Quarter period has now been added.

England’s Alex FITZPATRICK has won my Player of the Quarter Award. Alex, a student golfer at Wake Forest University in USA, won The Golf Club of Georgia Amateur Invitational in October and contributed well to the International Team’s win at the Arnold Palmer Cup in December.

Alex Fitzpatrick with The GCoG Amateur Invitational Trophy (Photo: Wake Forest Men’s Golf )

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

ME.

South Beach International Amateur – 2020 Preview & Results

Posted on 17/12/2020 by Golf Bible

22nd December 2020 – Round 4

Cole HAMMER (USA) won the 2020 South Beach International Amateur with a 267 (-16) total. He completed the tournament with a final round 69 at Miami Beach G.C. to extend his victory margin to 5 shots.

Four under par rounds in the 60’s, on his way to breaking Pierceson Coody’s 2018 winning score record by 5-shots, must have impressed a watching USA Walker Cup captain Nathanial Crosby.

Cole Hammer (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

Pierre VIALLANEIX (FRA) -11 finished second with Kelly CHINN (USA) and Zach TAYLOR (USA) -9 tieing for third place.

Archie DAVIES (WAL) -4 was the highest placed GB&I player in tied 15th. In the 5th strongest field of 2020 according to the SPWAR this was arguably a career best performance for the Welshman.

SBIA Final Results (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

Dan BRADBURY (ENG) finished strongly with a 68 to secure a tied 41st finish on Even par.

Enrique DIMAYUGA (ENG) and Joe PAGDIN (ENG) were our only other players to make the cut with neither able to push on during the final 36 holes.

SBIA GB&I Final Results (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

Click here to view the complete Final Results – SBIA 2020 Leaderboard

ME.

______________________________________________

21st December 2020 – Round 3

Cole HAMMER (USA) took control of the SBIA after a best of the day 62 (-9) in Round 3 at Miami Beach G.C.

Hammer was afforded the final tee time at Normandy Shores G.C. on Saturday after attending the USA Walker Cup team session in Orlando which finished on Friday. His decision to then travel south, the only member of the squad to do so, now looks like being a very good one. After a relatively lacklustre summer a win tomorrow will almost certainly secure his place in the USA team.

Cole now leads Kelly CHINN (USA), the AJGA Rolex Player of the Year, Zack TAYLOR (USA) and Pierre VIALLANEIX (FRA) by 4-shots heading into the final round. Given his experience Hammer should go on to win but nothing can be taken for certain around the demanding Miami Beach course.

Archie DAVIES (WAL) fell back to tied 11th after a 72 on Monday. As on Day 1 he again struggled on Miami Beach’s opening holes, particularly the 4th and 5th which have collectively now cost him 6-shots over two rounds. Nevertheless he showed his battling skills by getting back to even par before a bogey on the 18th took the edge off his back nine comeback.

SBIA Round 3 Leaderboard (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

Enrique DIMAYUGA (ENG), Dan BRADBURY (ENG) and Joe PAGDIN (ENG) stayed in the pack after all struggling to over par rounds in Round 3.

SBIA Round 3 GB&I Leaderboard (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

ME.

______________________________________________

20th December 2020 – Round 2

Frankie CAPAN (USA) and Ben SMITH (USA) share the 36 hole lead at the SBIA on 133 (-8) after recording second rounds of 65 and 63 at Normandy Shores G.C.

Archie DAVIES (WAL) extended his run of bogey free holes to 31 with his own 65 at Normandy Shores and heads into Round 3 alone in 3rd place.

Conditions were near perfect on Sunday and many of the players scored well. Michael ROME’s (USA) 61 at Normandy Shores, which included nine birdies with 6 coming in his final 7 holes, was the highlight.

The 72 players plus ties cut fell at Even par (tied 65th place) with 74 players progressing.

Miami Beach (par 71) played to an average score of 73.77 on Day 2, up by 1.5 shots on Round 1, and Normandy Shores (par 70) to an average score of 70.55, down by 0.61 shots on the opening round. To the extent these things can be assessed a Miami Beach then Normandy Shores draw therefore appears to have been favourable.

SBIA Round 2 Leaderboard (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

Enrique DIMAYUGA (ENG), Dan BRADBURY (ENG) and Joe PAGDIN (ENG) all joined Davies in the latter stages of the tournament. With 36 holes still to play and the field tightly bunched they still have every opportunity to achieve a high finish.

Bradbury’s 69 included a homeward nine of 34 (-2) to comfortably make the cut on -2 overall.

Jake HIBBERT (ENG), Tom MCKIBBIN (IRL) and Max O’HAGAN (ENG) all missed the cut by one shot. Hibbert was perhaps the most unfortunate shot a battling 70 (-1) at Miami Beach on Day 2.

SBIA Round 2 GB&I Leaderboard (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

ME.

______________________________________________

19th December 2020 – Round 1

Calvin MCCOY (USA) from Colorado leads the SBIA at the end of Round 1. Playing at Miami Beach G.C. he shot a 65 (-6) which included eight birdies but also a double bogey on the 13th.

Keller HARPER (USA), Jake MAPLES (USA) and Julien SALE (FRA) are all 1-shot further back. Maples’ 65 (-5) was the lowest round recorded at Normandy Shores G.C. on Day 1.

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s top 72 cut 92 players finished Round 1 on Even par (tied 63rd) or better. On Sunday all of the players will play their second round on the other host course.

Miami Beach (par 71) played to an average score of 72.27 (+1.27) in Round 1 and Normandy Shores (par 70) to an average score of 71.16 (+1.16).

SBIA Round 1 Leaderboard (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

Enrique DIMAYUGA (ENG), now a sophomore at nearby Florida Atlantic University, leads the way in tied 5th for the GB&I contingent after a 66 (-4) at Normandy Shores. Enrique’s round included 6 birdies including four in a strong finish over his last eight holes.

Archie DAVIES (WAL) showed excellent fighting spirit on Day 1. 4 over par after 5 holes he produced six unblemished birdies in the remainder of his round at Miami Beach to more than recover his position.

Joe PAGDIN (ENG), playing at Normandy Shores, is tied 43rd on -1. 5 birdies were offset by 4 bogeys on an up and down day for the Walker Cup squad man.

Pleasingly Dan BRADBURY (ENG), Eric MCINTOSH (SCO), Tom MCKIBBIN (IRL), Max O’HAGAN (ENG), all on Even par, and John HOPKINS (ENG) on +1 are all still well within sight of the likely cut line.

Here is a summary of all of the GB&I Round 1 scores / positions: –

SBIA Round 1 GB&I Leaderboard (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

ME.

______________________________________________

17th December 2020

The 10th South Beach International Amateur (SBIA) will be played between 19th – 22nd December 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida (GMT -5 hours).

First played in 2011 the SBIA has quickly become one of the world’s leading amateur golf competitions.

Unfortunately this year the organisers have been hampered by the USGA holding a USA Walker Cup practice session on 16th – 18th December, the Arnold Palmer Cup being rescheduled for 21st – 23rd December and the COVID-19 pandemic. As such the field appears a little weaker than we have seen in recent years.

Format

The SBIA is a 72 hole stroke play competition played over four days.

18 holes are played at both Miami Beach G.C. and the nearby Normandy Shores G.C. over the first two days.

After a top 72 and ties cut the final 36 holes are played exclusively at Miami Beach over the remaining two days.

Players

A field of 210 players have paid the $395 entry fee and will contest the 2020 SBIA.

10 golfers from Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) are in this year’s starting field, most of whom are studying at U.S. Colleges. The highest number to date was 19 in 2018 and there were 18 last year.

I’ve listed all of this year’s GB&I entries below (in alphabetical order) along with their current SPWAR (as at 17th December): –

Dan BRADBURY (ENG) #250
Archie DAVIES (WAL) #623
Enrique DIMAYUGA (ENG) #141
Jake HIBBERT (ENG) #1,212
Jon HOPKINS (ENG) #1,484
Eric MCINSTOSH (SCO) #778
Tom MCKIBBIN (N.I.) #66
Max O’HAGAN (ENG) #986
Joe PAGDIN (ENG) #171
John PATERSON (SCO) #647

Tom McKibbin and Joe Pagdin are both members of the 2021 GB&I Walker Cup Squad and will be hoping for high finishes to boost their selection hopes.

Other players in the SPWAR Top 150 competing include (in rank order): –

William HOLCOMB (USA) #15
Ben SHIPP (USA) #20 – defending champion
Parker COODY (USA) #21
Travis VICK (USA) #25
Trent PHILLIPS (USA) #26
Cole HAMMER (USA) #30
Aman GUPTA (USA) #43
Chris GOTTERUP (USA) #49
Karl VILIPS (AUS) #62
Ryan GRIDER (USA) #69
James PIOT (USA) #79
Frankie CAPAN (USA) #94
Julien SALE (FRA) #108
David FORD (USA) #111
Matt MCCARTY (USA) #114
Jamie WILSON (USA) #116
Max MOLDOVAN (USA) #129
Ben CARR (USA) #131
Connor SCHMIDT (USA) #136
Kelly CHINN (USA) #137

Cole Hammer is the only member of the 16-man 2021 USA Walker Cup Squad that is competing. The SBIA is played just down the coast from Seminole G.C. where the match will be contested next May.

Courses

Both courses were designed by Arthur Hills and play to around 6,800 yards.

They are typical Florida layouts with numerous lakes coming into play throughout the 18 holes. As a result scores can be high if the wind blows – which it frequently does.

Normandy Shores plays to a par of 70 and Miami Beach a par of 71 during the tournament.

Weather Forecast (as at 17th December)

The weather looks good for the duration of the 2020 event with sun throughout and only moderate breezes blowing.

Sat 19th Dec. – Sunny / Wind 12 mph E / Temp. Min. 13°C, Max. 24°C.
Sun 20th Dec – Sunny / Wind 9 mph SE / Temp. Min. 16°C, Max. 26°C.
Mon 21st Dec – Sunny with AM Showers / Wind 13 mph S / Temp. Min. 13°C, Min 26°C.
Tue 22nd Dec – Sunny Intervals / Wind 13 mph NE / Temp. Min. 15°C, Max. 25°C.

SBIA Website Links

Click here to view the – SBIA 2020 Leaderboard

Click here to view the – SBIA 2020 Pairings

Click here to view the – SBIA Website

I will be updating this article as the tournament progresses with daily reports.

2019 South Beach International Amateur

Ben SHIPP (USA) won the 2019 South Beach International Amateur (SBIA) after a play-off with Garett REBAND (USA). Both players finished on 281 (-2). This was the highest winning score in the history of the event reflecting the unusually wet and windy conditions.

Ben Shipp (Photo: SBIA)

From a GB&I perspective Jake BOLTON (ENG) finished 4th on 283 (Ev), Ben JONES (ENG) 5th on 284 (+1) and Tom MCKIBBIN (IRL) 8th on 287 (+4).

Click here to view the – SBIA 2019 Results

Click here to view the – SBIA 2018 Results

Click here to view the – SBIA 2017 Results

Here is a list of past winners and the 36 hole cut marks for each year: –

2019 – Ben SHIPP (USA) -2 / Cut +8
2018 – Pierceson COODY (USA) -11 / Cut +3
2017 – Jacob BERGERON (USA) -3 / Cut Ev
2016 – Danny WALKER (USA) -4 / Cut +1
2015 – Jorge GARCIA (VEN) -5 / Cut +6
2014 – Gabriel LENCH (USA) -4 / Cut +3
2013 – Greg EASON (ENG) -5 / Cut +6
2012 – Juan Pablo HERNANDEZ (MEX) -10 / Cut +3
2011 – Kelly KRAFT (USA) -4 / Cut +11

ME.

The Masters – 2020 Amateur Results

Posted on 08/11/2020 by Golf Bible

15th November 2020 – Round 4

2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy OGLETREE (USA) won the 2020 Silver Cup at The Masters for the low amateur completing all 72 holes.

Andy Ogletree (Photo: Michael Holahan / The Augusta Chronicle)

2020 Final Results (Photo: The Masters)

Ogletree delivered another very impressive round, particularly after starting on the 10th with two straight bogeys. His even par 72 in the final round saw him finish in tied 34th place on 286 (-2).

Andy Ogletree’s Results (Photo: The Masters)

John AUGENSTEIN (USA) also teed off on the 10th hole but a poor start meant he was unable to apply any pressure on Ogletree in his pursuit of the amateur prize. His final round 75 meant he finished 5-shots back of his compatriot.

John Augenstein’s Results (Photo: The Masters)

Click here to view the final – Masters 2020 Leaderboard

ME.

________________________________________________

14th November 2020 – Round 3

Andy OGLETREE (USA) again impressed in round 3 and will take a 2-shot lead into the final round in the race for the low amateur Silver Cup. Ogletree, looking increasingly comfortable in these surroundings, shot a 71 today alongside Shane Lowry and Ian Poulter off the 10th. Another very steady round, albeit one which included two bogeys in his last three holes, means he has had just four bogeys in his last 36 holes.

Andy Ogletree 54 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

John AUGENSTEIN (USA), playing with Rory McIlroy and Bernhard Langar off the 1st, sadly continued to trend upwards in scoring terms. A poor start and finish both caused by pushed tee shots were the main contributors to his 75. He’ll start the final round on Even par and will be hoping for a low one to get a modicum of revenge for his 2019 U.S. Amateur defeat to Ogletree at Pinehurst.

John Augenstein 54 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Dustin Johnson on -16, a 54 hole tied record score after a 65 (-7) in round 3, will take a 4-shot lead into tomorrow’s final round over Sungjae Im, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith.

54 Hole Leaderboard (Photo: The Masters)

ME.

________________________________________________

12th-14th November 2020 – Rounds 1 and 2

John AUGENSTEIN (USA) and Andy OGLETREE (USA) both made the 36 hole cut and will now contest the low amateur Silver Cup competition over the weekend.

A total of 60 players made the cut which fell at 144 (Even). The soft conditions saw lower than normal scoring.

Amateur 36 Hole Leaderboard (Photo: The Masters)

John AUGENSTEIN (USA) enjoyed an excellent 3-under par opening round which included an eagle on the 13th. Starting his second round on the 10th he moved to -6 overall and was sitting comfortably in the top 10 before a poor finish saw him fall down the leaderboard to tied 28th.

John Augenstein 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Andy OGLETREE (USA) showed great character to make the cut on 143 (-1) in tied 43rd place. He was 4-over after four holes having started nervously from the 10th in round 1 in the company of Tiger Woods. In his subsequent 32 holes he recorded nine birdies and just four bogeys to get himself under par.

Andy Ogletree 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

James SUGRUE (IRL) finished on 148 (+4) to miss the cut. His four 3-putts in Round 1, including a short one on the 18th when he was trying to finish his round before darkness fell, probably destroyed his chances of progressing. He can take some consolation from his second round 71 though which was the lowest round ever recorded by a GB&I amateur at The Masters.

James Sugrue 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Mid-amateur Lukas MICHEL (AUS) also missed the cut after rounds of 76 and 74. Six birdies weren’t enough to offset a number of bogeys.

Lukas Michel 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Left hander Yuxin LIN (CHN) struggled to a disappointing 79 in round 1. His eagle 3 on the 15th was the highlight and will at least earn him a pair of crystal highball glasses. A much improved second round 73 restored some pride but sadly the damage had already been done.

Yuxin Lin 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Abel GALLEGOS (ARG), the youngest and least experienced player in the field, unsurprisingly found the going tough. His 160 (+18) tied 89th with Andrew Landry, last of the 90 players who completed both rounds.

Abel Gallegos 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Here are the 36 hole playing statistics for the six amateur contestants: –

Screenshot 2020-11-15 at 09.26.57

36 Hole Amateur Playing Statistics (Source: The Masters)

ME.

________________________________________________

10th November 2020

The 84th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. between 12-15 November. A field of 92 players including six amateurs will be aiming to win the green jacket in 2020.

This year’s Masters was originally scheduled to be played on 9-12 April but had to be deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As such there will be no colourful azalea backdrops and the course is expected to be much softer, playing longer but easier.

This year the Amateur Dinner is being held on Wednesday night, instead of the normal Monday, and due to social distancing only one amateur will be allowed to stay in the Crow’s Nest per night.

Andy Ogletree, Lukas Michel, Abel Gallegos, Fred Ridley, James Sugrue, Luxin Yin and John Augenstein at the 2020 Amateur Dinner (Photo: The Masters)

There will be no patrons due to COVID-19 which should hopefully help the amateurs to settle more quickly in to their famous surroundings when play gets underway. However, their chances of making the weekend have been reduced with the 36-hole cut being restricted to just the low 50 players and ties – the within 10 strokes proviso being removed due to the limited daylight.

I will be updating this article throughout the week with scoring information as I have done in previous years.

The 2020 Masters Journal (November Version)

2020 Amateur Player Biographies

The legacy of Bobby Jones, the founder of the tournament and a lifelong amateur (at least during his competitive years), means The Masters has always found a place for the leading amateur players. This year’s intake will take the total number of amateurs to have competed to 438.

Since 2016 just six Amateurs have been able to qualify for The Masters. In 2020 they are: –

The Winner of the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship (Cat. 7) – ANDY OGLETREE (USA). Ogletree, 22, graduated from Georgia Tech last May with a degree in Business Administration. He represented USA in the 2019 Walker Cup match at Royal Liverpool G.C. and has played in four PGA Tour events this year missing the cut in all of them. Tradition dictates that Ogletree will have the pleasure of playing with Tiger Woods, the defending champion, in the opening two rounds. SPWAR #11 / WAGR #7.

The Runner-Up at the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship (Cat. 7) – JOHN AUGENSTEIN, (USA). Augenstein is a 22 year old 5th year Senior at Vanderbilt University and also represented USA in the 2019 Walker Cup match. SPWAR #13 / WAGR #12.

The Winner of the 2019 Amateur Championship (Cat. 8) – JAMES SUGRUE (Ireland). The 23 year old from Mallow in County Cork will become the 15th Irishman to play in The Masters this week. He won the Amateur at Portmarnock in June 2019 and represented GB&I in the Walker Cup a few months later. SPWAR #95 / WAGR #8.

The Masters

James Sugrue During Tuesday Practice (Photo: Golffile / Scott Halleran)

Ogletree, Augenstein and Sugrue had all planned to turn pro after playing in The Masters in April so have had to delay their plans to ensure they experience Augusta National G.C.

The 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.

The Winner of the 2019 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (Cat. 9) – YUXIN LIN (China). This was left-hander Yuxin’s second win in this Championship, he also won in 2017, so for a 20 year old amateur he will unusually arrive in Augusta with some experience. The Masters co-founded this event in 2009. SPWAR #45 / WAGR #29.

The Winner of the 2019 Latin America Amateur Championship (Cat. 10) – ABEL GALLEGOS CAPUTO (Argentina). Gallegos won the Championship at El Camaleon G.C. in Mexico when he was just 17. The Masters co-founded this event in 2015. SPWAR #165 / WAGR #199.

The Winner of the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship (Cat. 11) – LUKAS MICHEL (Australia). The 26 year old Michel was the first non-American to win this title. He is of Czechoslovakian descent and has a Masters Degree in Engineering from the University of Melbourne. This exemption has been in place since 1989. SPWAR #230 / WAGR #90.

Up until 2015, when the U.S.G.A. discontinued the Championship, the winner of the U.S. Public Links was also invited. Byron Meth (USA) was the last recipient of such an invite in 2015.

2020 Amateur Tee Times – Rd 1 and Rd 2 (GMT +4hrs)

John Augenstein – 11.16am (1st) / 7.11am (10th)
with Danny Willett and Rickie Fowler

Abel Gallegos – 7.55am (1st) / 12.00pm (10th)
with Charles Schwartzel and Jason Day

Yuxin Lin 7.00am (10th) / 11.05am (1st)
with Sandy Lyle and Jimmy Walker

Lukas Michel – 7.22am (1st) / 11.27am (10th)
with Larry Mize and Andrew Landry

Andy Ogletree – 7.55am (10th) / 12.00pm (1st)
with Tiger Woods and Shane Lowry

James Sugrue – 12.11pm (10th) / 8.06am (1st)
with Jose Maria Olazabel and Andrew Putnam

Click here to view the – Masters 2020 Tee Times

2019 Masters – Amateur Performances

Viktor Hovland (Norway) won the low amateur Silver Cup competition at The Masters in 2019.

He was just the 7th non-American to win the Silver Cup and only the third European, following in the footsteps of Sergio Garcia (1998) and Matteo Manassero (2009).

He finished tied 32nd overall on 285 (-3), ten strokes behind winner Tiger Woods.

Hovland turned pro and has won on the PGA Tour in 2020. The only other player to win the Silver Cup and follow it up with a PGA Tour win since 2000 is Bryson DeChambeau.

Viktor Hovland (Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Takumi Kanaya (Japan) posted the best amateur round of the 2019 Masters in Round 3 with a 4-under 68.

For more information on last year’s amateur performances please take a look at – The Masters – 2019 Amateur Results

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

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

ME.

September 2020 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 30/09/2020 by Golf Bible

30th September 2020

Throughout the year I analyse the two main amateur golf rankings, the SPWAR and the WAGR, to help us assess the performances of Great Britain and Ireland’s leading players.

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

The latest update covering the September 2020 Quarter period has now been added.

England’s Joe LONG has won my Player of the Quarter Award. Joe has enjoyed a memorable Summer culminating in his Amateur Championship victory at Royal Birkdale G.C.

Joe Long (Photo: Richard Heathcote / The R&A / R&A via Getty Images)

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

ME.

The Home of Great British & Irish Amateur Golf