NCAA Division I Men’s Regionals – 2019 Preview & Results

Posted on 02/05/2019 by Golf Bible

15th May 2019

81 5-man teams and 45 individuals contested the six 54 hole Regional Tournaments played on 13th – 15th May.

The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each Regional advanced to the National Championships.

The 2019 National Team and Individual titles will be decided on 24th – 29th May at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas with The University of Arkansas hosting this year’s Championship.

There is more background on these NCCA Division I events at the bottom of this article.

______________________________________________

You will find a results summary below with a full list of the teams and individuals selected to participate in the 2019 six Regional events.

20 GB&I players started the Regional stage. All of them are shown below in bold type.

Following the completion of the Regionals Alex Fitzpatrick (Wake Forest), Harry Hall (UNLV), Dev Morley (Louisville) and John Murphy (Louisville) have all qualified for the National Championships.

University of Georgia Golf Course – ATHENS, Georgia
Hosted by the University of Georgia

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1. Georgia -8, 2. Duke -1, 3. Vanderbilt +1, 4. SMU +16, 5. Liberty +18

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: Billy Tom Sargent (Western Kentucky) beat Stephen Osborne (Nevada) on the third play off hole after they both finished on -3 T4.

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Vanderbilt (5)
Duke (6)
Georgia (12)
Liberty (20)
Alabama (31)
Tennessee (31) – Rhys Nevin-Wharton (ENG / JR) +4 T21
Campbell (32) [Big South Conference]
Kentucky (56)
Nevada (48)
SMU (44)
Memphis (80) [American Athletic Conference] – Brad Bawden (ENG / SR) -2 6th
University of North Carolina Wilmington (111) [Colonial Athletic Association]
Princeton (157) [The Ivy League]

Individuals:

Roland Massimino, Kansas State
Jacob Eklund, Kansas State
Eduardo Carrete, Jacksonville
Keller Harper, Furman
Jeremy Gandon, Kansas State
Billy Tom Sargent, Western Kentucky
Logan Sowell, College of Charleston
John Gough (ENG / JR), Charlotte +11 T46
Jordan Warnock, University of South Carolina Upstate
Will Halamandaris, Lafayette

University of Texas Golf Club – AUSTIN, Texas
Hosted by the University of Texas at Austin

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1. Texas -25, 2. TCU -5, 3. Clemson -1, 4. Pepperdine +6, 5. Southern California +8

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: Julian Perico (Arkansas) -3 T6

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Texas (7)
Southern California (10)
Pepperdine (16) [West Coast Conference]
Clemson (21)
TCU (29)
Arkansas (33) [Southeastern Conference]
Iowa (41)
Marquette (46) [Big East Conference] – Oliver Farrell (ENG / SR) +7 T32
San Jose State (66)
Saint Mary’s – California (59)
Sam Houston State (81) [Southland Conference]
University of Missouri-Kansas City (99) [Western Athletic Conference]
Prairie View A&M (240) [Southwestern Athletic Conference]
Army West Point (211) [Patriot League]

Individuals:

Blake Elliott, McNeese
Angus Flanagan (ENG / SO), Minnesota +4 T20
Cody Burrows, Oral Roberts
Jake Benson (ENG / SO), Rice +12 T47
Jeffrey Peters, Saint Peter’s

University of LOUISVILLE Golf Club – Simpsonville, Kentucky
Hosted by the University of Louisville

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1. Oklahoma State -14, 2. Auburn -10, 3. Baylor -7, 4. LOUISVILLE +7, 5. North Florida +8

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: Tripp Kinney (Iowa State) -7 Medalist

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Oklahoma State (1) [Big 12 Conference]
Auburn (15)
North Florida (17) [ASUN Conference]
Louisville (19) – Dev Morley (IRE / JR) +4 T29 and John Murphy (IRE / JR) -2 T12
Baylor (22)
Arkansas State (36) [Sun Belt Conference]
Iowa State (38)
West Virginia (50)
Arizona (49)
Mississippi State (60)
New Mexico (57) [Mountain West Conference]
Jacksonville State (116) [Ohio Valley Conference]
Southern Illinois (112) [Missouri Valley Conference]

Individuals:

Jordan Hahn, Wisconsin
Jamie Stewart (SCO / SO), Missouri +11 T55
Miguel Delgado, Notre Dame
Trent Wallace, Illinois State
Jimmy Hervol, UConn
Logan Lowe, George Washington
David Rauer, Illinois State
Garrett Wood, Xavier
Duncan McNeill (SCO / SR), Toledo -2 T12
George Kneiser, Green Bay

TPC Myrtle Beach – MYRTLE BEACH Beach, South Carolina
Hosted by Coastal Carolina University and Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1. Illinois -25, 2. Ohio State -20, 3. WAKE FOREST -15, 4. California -14, 5. UNLV -8

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIER: Edwin Yi (Oregon) -14 2nd

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Wake Forest (4) – Alex Fitzpatrick (ENG / FR) +3 34th
California (8)
Texas Tech (18) – Sandy Scott (SCO / JR) Ev T20
Illinois (23) [Big Ten Conference]
Florida State (25) – Jamie Li (ENG / JR) -11 3rd
UNLV (34) – Harry Hall (ENG / SR) -2 T14
Oregon (35)
Ohio State (52)
Northwestern (54) – Ryan Lumsden (SCO / SR) Ev T20 and Eric McIntosh (SCO / SO) +11 T63
Oregon State (62)
Cal State Fullerton (67) [Big West Conference]
Middle Tennessee (110) [Conference USA]
VCU (134) [Atlantic 10 Conference] – Kristian Tannum Donaldson (ENG / SO) +2 T31
Robert Morris (259) [Northeast Conference]

Individuals:

Jack Lang, Davidson
Zack Taylor, Coastal Carolina
Stuart Easton (SCO / JR), Western Kentucky +4 T35
Kyler Tate, University of Central Florida
Florian Schroedl, Fairleigh Dickinson

Palouse Ridge Golf Club – PULLMAN, Washington
Hosted by Washington State University

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1. Texas A&M -33, 2. Brigham Young -31, 3. Oklahoma -30, 4. Georgia Tech -22, 5. South Carolina -21 (who beat Colorado State in a play-off for 5th place)

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: Zach Smith (UC Santa Barbara) -13 2nd

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Oklahoma (9)
Georgia Tech (2) [Atlantic Coast Conference]
South Carolina (11)
Texas A&M (28)
UCLA (26)
Brigham Young (39)
Colorado State (42)
Florida (43)
Michigan State (63)
Purdue (47)
Kent State (86) [Mid-American Conference]
Northern Colorado (115) [Big Sky Conference]
Wright State (209) [Horizon League]
Iona College (245) [Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference] – Oisin Devereux (IRE / JR) +9 61st

Individuals:

Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis
Zach Smith, UC Santa Barbara
Daniel O’Loughlin (ENG / JR), Colorado +2 T47
Tim Widing, San Francisco
Jake Chanen, Grand Canyon

Stanford Golf Course – STANFORD, California
Hosted by Stanford University

GOLFSTAT RESULTS – TEAM and INDIVIDUAL

TEAM QUALIFIERS: 1. Stanford -23, T2. Arizona State -11, T2 North Carolina -11, 4. Georgia Southern -6, 5. LSU +2

INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: Kyler Dunkle (Utah) -6 T6

Teams (seeded in the following order):

Arizona State (3)
Stanford (14) [Pac-12 Conference]
LSU (13)
NC State (24)
North Carolina (24)
South Florida (37)
Kansas (40)
Virginia (45)
Ole Miss (51)
Georgia Southern (53)
UNC Greensboro (55) [Southern Conference]
Augusta University (124) [Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference]
Denver (131) [The Summit League]

Individuals:

Austin Squires, Cincinnati
Riley Elmes, Loyola Marymount University
James Nicholas, Yale
Kyler Dunkle, Utah
Teddy Zinsner, Yale
Guillaume Fanonnel, Louisiana-Monroe
Alex Lee, Fresno State
Jack Rhea, East Tennessee State
Shiso Go, East Tennessee State
Jake Vincent, Southern Utah

______________________________________________

The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Committee announced the teams and individuals they had selected to participate in the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships on 1st May.

Only teams with an overall winning record (greater than 50%) against other Division I colleges in the season were considered for selection. Leading Individuals from non-qualifying teams were also added to the overall field.

All of the teams were seeded and spread across the six Regional events to ensure each field is of equal standing.

Each Team is listed above in seed order. Therefore the earlier teams at each site could be considered to be the main favourites to win the Regional and ultimately to contest the National Championship in a few week’s time. 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.

The NCAA selections were largely based on the GolfStat U.S. College 2018/19 Men’s Division I Rankings which can be viewed here – Team and Individual

Looking at the Individual GolfStat Rankings on 1st May 2019 there were 11 Great British and Irish players in the Top 200. These are Sandy SCOTT (13), Oliver FARRELL (32), Harry HALL (81), Alex FITZPATRICK (91), John MURPHY (104), Jamie STEWART (108), Daniel O’LOUGHLIN (126), Brad BAWDEN (162), Angus FLANAGAN (176), Jamie LI (185) and John GOUGH (200).

Defending champions Oklahoma State remain the outstanding team in U.S. college golf and will again enter the post season as the team to beat.

______________________________________________

The 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships were held at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The hosting team OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY won the team title, defeating Alabama, 5-0-0 in the match play final.

Broc EVERETT of Augusta University won the individual title. He beat Brandon Mancheno of Auburn on the first play-off hole after both players had recorded a 281 (-7) total score during the 72 hole stroke play qualifying.

ME.

Frank Stranahan

Posted on 28/04/2019 by Golf Bible

28th April 2019

Frank Richard Stranahan is one of golf’s greatest amateurs and, alongside his friend Arnold Palmer, a player who crucially helped regenerate The Open Championship in the post World War II years.

He was a slightly controversial figure in his day with his love of fitness, questionable temperament and ‘spoilt rich kid’ attitude leading to a number of minor incidents which blighted his golfing legacy to a small degree.

Stranahan was born on 5^th August 1922 in Toledo, Ohio to Robert and Page Ellyson Stranahan. They had seven children in total. Robert and his brother Frank were the co- founders of the Champion Spark Plug Company. The Stranahan’s became multi-millionaires on the back of the growth in the automobile industry and Frank, named after his Uncle, was born into a life of luxury.

When young Frank started to take an interest in golf, a game his father already played to a high standard, he was enrolled at the Inverness Club in Toledo. Byron Nelson, one of the best players in the world and conveniently the club pro at Inverness between 1940-44 was one of his teachers.

Frank Stranahan Aged 16 (Photo: Toledo Blade)

He won the Ohio Amateur Championship in 1941 and played golf at the University of Miami before serving as a bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II (1943-45). Upon his return he focussed full time on being the best golfer he could be.

Given the financial advantages he enjoyed his amateur status was often called into question with his role as a Champion ‘salesman’ very much seen as a position of convenience. In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 1998 he said “I’m sure the players were jealous. They had every right to be. My dad was bankrolling me, and I could play every week without worrying.” His often blatant arrogance and reputation as a playboy in his youth no doubt didn’t endear him to his fellow competitors.

He won 51 amateur tournaments and six PGA Tour events. He played amateur golf between 1936 and 1954, competing in over 200 tournaments across three continents. He played in many pro events as an amateur winning four of his PGA Tour titles without picking up a cheque.

He first came to prominence at the 1947 Masters when he tied Byron Nelson for second, two shots behind the winner, Jimmy Demaret. The following year he ran into controversy at The Masters when he was barred by Clifford Roberts, then Chairman of Augusta National, from competing due to repeatedly playing more than one ball into the greens in practice. Stranahan always denied this. Curt Sampson, in his book ‘The Masters: Golf, Money and Power in Augusta, Georgia’ tells the story of how Stranahan was set up by Roberts who was upset that he had dated his blonde secretary the year before and how Bobby Jones refused to intervene on his behalf. Stranahan brought a ticket and stayed to watch the tournament without further incident. He was low amateur in 1946 (tied 20^th), 1947, 1950 (tied 14^th) and 1953 (tied 14^th) and played in a total of twelve Masters.

He had little success at the U.S. Open. His best finishers were tied 13^th in 1947 and tied 10^th in 1958.

Stranahan won the 1948 and 1950 Amateur Championships. He beat Charlie Stowe 5&4 at Royal St. George’s and compatriot Dick Chapman 8&6 at St. Andrews respectively. It was some turnaround as his previous visits to Great Britain hadn’t exactly gone according to plan. In the 1946 Amateur Championship he fired his caddie on the sixth hole for giving him a wrong line to the hole. Then in 1947, after his Scottish opponent holed a short putt for a four before conceding Stranahan his by tapping his ball into the hole, the American claimed the hole on the ground that he had only played three shots. He also reached the final in 1952 at Prestwick but was beaten 6&5 by fellow American E. Harvie Ward.

He has the best overall Amateur Championship record in the history of the event for those playing a minimum of 30 matches. Stranahan played in a total of 9 Championships and 50 matches. He won 43 of these and lost just 7, an impressive 86% win record.

Frank Stranahan With The Amateur Championship Trophy in 1950

Amongst his more notable amateur triumphs Stranahan won the Canadian Amateur Championship (1947,’48), the Mexican Amateur (1946,’48,’51), the Western Amateur (1946,’49,’51,’52), North and South Amateur (1946,’49,’52) and the All-American Amateur at Tam O’Shanter (1948,’49,’50,’51,’52,’53).

He also played on three victorious U.S. Walker Cup teams in 1947, 1949 and 1951, posting an overall individual record of W3-L2-H1, with a W2-L1 mark in Singles.

He most wanted to win the United States Amateur Championship. However, it always alluded him. The closest he came was in 1950 when he lost to Sam Urzetta on the 39^th hole at Minneapolis Golf Club; it remains the joint longest Final in the history of the event.

He turned pro in September 1954, aged 32, shortly after losing 3&1 to a 24-year-old Arnold Palmer in the U.S. Amateur’s Round of 16. The Championship at the Country Club of Detroit was his 11^th and final attempt to capture the title.

In a 10 year pro career his most notable win came at the 1958 Los Angeles Open. In his combined amateur-pro career he won six times, came runner-up seven times and posted 67 top-10s. Past his very best when he finally took the plunge most of Stranahan’s better performances in the pro game came as an amateur.

With finance and time never a problem Stranahan took instruction with many coaches over the years and as a result he developed a repution as a mechanical, technical player. His swing was far from natural and not at all attractive it was said.

Frank first got into body building and healthy living as an aspiring high school American Football player. When his attentions turned to golf he continued with his fitness programme becoming known as the ‘Toledo Strongman’. Arnold Palmer nicknamed him ‘Muscles’. The extent of his interest is clear when one learns he was a nationally ranked powerlifter in his weight class between 1945 to 1954. He travelled with weights and argued passionately for the benefits it brought his game at a time when most of his peers were still concerned that it would reduce their flexibility. Gary Player described Frank as his “fitness mentor, friend and inspiration”.

Frank Stranahan Competing In Over 70’s Body Building Competitions (Photo: Toledo Blade)

He swore by a vegetarian diet and never drank coffee or alcohol. He never smoked either which was also unusual for much of his lifetime.

After he retired from competitive play in 1964 he studied at Harvard University before earning a master’s degree in business from the prestigious Wharton School and pursuing a new career in investment banking with his own Stranahan Investments with offices in New York and Palm Beach, Florida, where he primarily lived from 1968 onwards. He lost much of his inherited fortune in the Black Monday stock market crash of October 1987.

Stranahan took up running in his late ‘40s and as with everything else in his life dedicated himself fully to his new interest. He ran 102 marathons, including Boston, Chicago and New York, and often chose to jog in Central Park and Florida in the early hours of the morning.

His private life was marred in sadness. Stranahan married Ann Williams in Chicago in July 1953 and under his tutelage she became a first rate amateur golfer too. She finished runner-up in the 1960 Canadian Women’s Amateur, competed nationally and won 25 local tournamants. However she died aged just 45 in April 1975 from cancer. They had three sons but two of them also died young; Frank Jr. died from bone cancer in August 1966 aged 11, having already had a leg amputated, and Jimmy in 1977 from a drug overdose at college in Houston,Texas when he was only 19. Stranahan’s youngest son Lance was his only survivor.

Frank And Ann Stranahan With Frank Jnr (Photo: Toledo Blade)

In his later years in Florida he chose to live modestly in minamilist fashion with next to no furniture and with all of his golfing mementoes removed from display. He simply spent his time running and lifting weights. In 1997 he won the over-70 division of the National Physique Committee Gold Cup Classic bodybuilding competition. On his 78th birthday he was videoed dead-lifting 265 pounds (which can still be viewed on You Tube).

Stranahan sadly started to suffer from dementia in his late 80’s and died after a brief illness on Sunday 23rd June 2013 in West Palm Beach, Florida aged 90.

ME.

The Masters – 2019 Amateur Results

Posted on 16/04/2019 by Golf Bible

14th April 2019

Viktor HOVLAND (NOR) completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Low Amateur Silver Cup competition at The Masters.

He finished tied 32nd on 285 (-3), just 10 strokes behind winner Tiger Woods.

In the 83rd playing of the tournament Viktor became 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).

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

Hovland, the Oklahoma State University Junior, recorded 1 eagle, 17 birdies and 16 bogeys in his 72 holes.

Viktor Hovland’s Hole-By-Hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Álvaro ORTIZ (MEX) ran him close though. He bogeyed his final hole, the 9th, in Round 4 with Hovland watching on from the clubhouse.

Devon BLING (USA) and Takumi KANAYA (JAP) completed their 72 holes on Sunday with a 73 and 78 respectively.

Amateur Round 4 Scores At The Masters

Due to weather warnings the final round tee times were brought forward. The amateur pairings for Round 4 were (BST times / *10th tee): –

11.30am * – Kyle Stanley, Viktor HOVLAND and Charley Hoffman
11.41am * – Kevin Kisner, Bryson DeChambeau and Takumi KANAYA
12.14pm * – Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Kevin Na and Alvaro ORTIZ
12.25pm * – Patrick Reed, Devon BLING and Keith Mitchell

Click here to view – The 2019 Masters Results

ME.

__________________________________________

13th April 2019

Takumi KANAYA (JAP) posted the best amateur round of the 2019 Masters. His 68 (-4) moved him up to second place in the Low Amateur competition, one back of Victor HOVLAND (NOR) who continued his consistent play at Augusta National with a 71 in Round 3.

Here is the Round 3 Amateur Leaderboard.

Amateur Round 3 Scores At The Masters

The amateur pairings for Round 3 were (BST times): –

1.25pm – Zach Johnson and Takumi KANAYA
1.45pm – Martin Kaymer and Devon BLING
3.35pm – Kevin Na and Alvaro ORTIZ
3.45pm – Viktor HOVLAND and Jimmy Walker

ME.

__________________________________________

12th April 2019

A total of 65 players from a starting field of 87 made the cut; four of the six amateurs were amongst this group. Not since 1999 have four progressed and you have to go back to 1978 to find a higher number.

At the end of Round 2 Victor HOVLAND (NOR) remained the Low Amateur with a 36 hole 143 (-1) total. An eagle on the 13th was the highlight of his second round.

Alvaro ORTIZ (MEX) matched the Norwegian World No. 1’s 71 on Day 2 to finish on Even par for the Tournament.

A three-putt bogey on the 16th by Adam Scott pushed the cut back to +3 and let in Devon BLING (USA) and Takumi KANAYA (JAP) on the number.

Mid-Amateur Kevin O’CONNELL (USA) bounced back from a disappointing opening round but his 71, which included an eagle and five birdies, and 148 (+4) total ended up being one shot too many. He finished tied 66th.

Amateur champion Jovan REBULA (RSA) crashed out of The Masters with four double bogeys on his back nine resulting a disappointing 79 in Round 2. He missed the cut by 5-shots, finishing tied 80th.

Here is the Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard.

Amateur Round 2 Scores At The Masters

ME.

___________________________________________

11th April 2019

Victor HOVLAND (NOR) led the Low Amateur competition at the end of Round 1 recording an even par round of 72.

Here is the Round 1 Amateur Leaderboard.

Amateur Round 1 Scores At The Masters

ME.

__________________________________________

9th April 2019

The amateur tee times for Rounds 1 and 2 were (BST times): –

1.52pm / 4.37pm – Mike Weir, Shane Lowery and Kevin O’CONNELL
2.14pm / 4.59pm – Danny Willett, Brandt Snedeker and Takumi KANAYA
3.31pm / 6.16pm – Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson and Viktor HOVLAND
4.37pm / 1.41pm – Trevor Immelman, Martin Kaymer and Devon BLING
5.10pm / 2.14pm – Bernhard Langer, Matt Wallace and Alvaro ORTIZ
5.43pm / 2.36pm – Vijay Singh, Billy Horschel and Jovan REBULA

ME.

__________________________________________

2019 Amateur Player Biographies

Since 2016 just six Amateurs have been able to qualify for The Masters. In 2019 they were: –

The Winner and Runner-Up of the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship – Viktor HOVLAND, 21 (NOR) and Devon BLING, 19 (USA). Viktor is a Junior at Oklahoma State, the current No. 1 ranked U.S. College team, and will become the first Norwegian to compete in The Masters. Californian Devon is a sophomore at UCLA. His mother, who tragically died in 2012, was born in London and his father in India.

The Winner of the 2018 Amateur Championship – Jovan REBULA, 21 (South Africa). The nephew of Ernie Els recently beat Hovland in the pre-Masters Georgia Cup match.

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.

(l-r) Viktor Hovland, Kevin O’Connell, Alvaro Ortiz, Fred Ridley, Devon Bling, Takumi Kanaya and Jovan Rebula – The 2019 Amateurs (Photo: The Masters)

The Winner of the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship (Over 25s) – Kevin O’CONNELL, 30 (USA). This exemption has been in place since 1989. A reinstated amateur O’Connell beat Brett Boner in the Final 4&3 at Charlotte C.C., North Carolina last September.

The Winner of the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (APAC) – Takumi KANAYA, 20 (Japan). The Masters co-founded this event in 2009. Kanaya, from Hiroshima, shot a final round 65 at Sentosa G.C. in Singapore to secure this exemption. He has played in the most professional events of all of the 2019 amateurs (22). He finished 2nd in the 2017 Japan Open and tied 17th in the Australian Open last December (where Hovland was tied 13th).

The Winner of the 2019 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) – Alvaro ORTIZ, 23 (Mexico). The Masters co-founded this event in 2015. Ortiz graduated from the University of Arkansas last summer and has put on hold plans to turn professional to take up this opportunity. He will become the first Mexican to qualify for The Masters since the late 1970’s.

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.

For more information on amateurs at The Masters you may like to take a look at – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

The Lytham Trophy – 2019 Preview, Reports & Results

Posted on 07/04/2019 by Golf Bible

5th May 2019 – Round 4

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

McMahon (22) produced a solid final round under pressure to secure the biggest title of his amateur career.

Josh McMahon’s Round 4 Scorecard (Photo: Lytham Trophy Scoring)

His round started with 13 straight pars, combining some birdie near misses with notable saves, none more so than on the 8th where he got up and down from well over the green. After having lost his way a little on 14 and 15, where he dropped three shots, he showed some composure to bounce back with a birdie on the short par 4 16th. With a par tucked away on the challenging dog leg 17th he then finished with a clutch 40 foot putt on the final green to record a 71 (+1). His total score of 288 (+8) setting a strong target for the eight remaining players following him in. A target that ultimately proved good enough.

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

With his win Josh rose 478 places in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking to 124th and has now given himself a great opportunity to make the Great Britain & Ireland 2019 Walker Cup team. The match at Royal Liverpool G.C coincidentally taking place just a few miles from his home.

Prior to McMahon’s grandstand finish Gerold FOLK (AUT) had posted a 289 (+9) total. The Austrian following his morning 72 with a best of the day 69, which also included a closing birdie. As the winds picked up there appeared a chance that his score may hold up despite 30 players teeing off after him on Day 3.

As the afternoon round proceeded it also looked for a long time as if Harry GODDARD (ENG) would be the winner. He showed no ill effects from his disappointing morning round with early birdies on the 1st, 5th and 7th. Having hit his approach close on the par 3 9th he had the chance to turn in 30 but his birdie putt just slipped by. It looked like a turning point after he went on to hit poor tee shots on the challenging 10th, 11th and 12th to quickly drop 4 shots. However, to his credit he steadied the ship parring the next five holes including a great save in the circumstances on the 17th where he holed a lengthy putt. Having then hit a long straight drive into the wind down 18 he looked to be in a strong position. Unfortunately he pushed his approach and despite playing an excellent bunker shot failed to convert a short three foot par putt effectively handing the title to the man from Wallasey G.C.

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

View the complete 2019 Results here – 2019 Lytham Trophy Results

5th May 2019 – Round 3

Play started at 7.00am on the final morning with the two leading players teeing off at 10.12am.

A round of 70, including 5 birdies, gave Bailey GILL (ENG) the 54 hole lead on 215 (+5).

Bailey Gill’s Round 4 Scorecard (Photo: Lytham Trophy Scoring)

The three leading players overnight, Harry GODDARD (ENG), Ben HUTCHINSON (ENG) and Callum FARR (ENG) all struggled in the morning round shooting 78, 77 and 83 respectively.

Ludvig ABERG (SWE) 71, Jayden SCHAPER (RSA) 72, Stephen ROGER (SCO) 73, Marc HAMMER (GER) 74 and Laurie OWEN (ENG) 75 found themselves well placed for an afternoon assault on 216 (+6), just one shot back of our new leader.

Goddard and Hutchinson were now on on 217 (+7) after Round 3 and were joined by Jack BROOKS (ENG), Euan MCINTOSH (SCO) and Joshua MCMAHON (ENG).

View the Draw for Rounds 3 and 4 here – 2019 Lytham Trophy Day 3 Tee Times

__________________________________________________

4th May 2019 – Round 2 Report

Scores were generally higher on Saturday with stronger winds seen throughout the day and seemingly tougher hole locations on many of the greens. The CSS of 77 was one shot higher than Friday’s first round.

Harry GODDARD (ENG), Ben HUTCHINSON (ENG) and Ludvig ABERG (SWE) all posted impressive 71’s (+1) given the testing conditions. There were eleven 72’s.

Goddard holds the lead on 139 (-1) and he is now the only player under par at the Lytham Trophy. His lead could have been higher too given his relatively disappointing back nine.

Harry Goddard’s Round 2 Scorecard (Photo: Lytham Trophy Scoring)

It was another steady day on the links for Yorkshire’s Ben Hutchinson. He has recorded just 5 bogeys in his first 36 holes and now finds himself tied 2nd with the Round 1 leader Callum FARR (ENG) who posted a 75 today.

Ben Hutchinson’s Round 2 Scorecard (Photo: Lytham Trophy Scoring)

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

ME.

__________________________________________________

3rd May 2019 – Round 1 Report

Callum FARR (ENG) shot a 65 (-5) to take the Round 1 lead in the Lytham Trophy. After a bogey on the 206 yard par 3 opener the Northampton man reeled off 6 birdies over his remaining holes.

Callum Farr’s Round 1 Scorecard (Photo: Lytham Trophy Scoring)

In an unfortunate aside one of his playing partners for the opening rounds was Taylor STOTE (ENG) who shot the highest score on Day 1; his 87 a full 22 shots more than our leader.

Harry GODDARD (ENG), out in the fourth group teeing off at 8.00am, set a strong early marker for the remainder of the field. His 68 (-2) held the clubhouse lead for over three hours.

Laurie OWEN (ENG), Stephen ROGER (SCO), Jim JOHNSTON (SCO), Ben HUTCHINSON (ENG) and James BILLINGHAM (ENG) were the only other players to shoot under par on the demanding Royal Lytham & St. Annes course. All five posted 69’s (-1).

Owen, Roger, Hutchinson and Billingham all teed off after 3.00pm and as is often the case by the sea an early or late tee time proved to be beneficial with the wind abating. Owen, who seems to have come from nowhere to record a number of high finishes this year, recorded 6 birdies in a rollercoaster of a round. The other four players were a little steadier, recording three or fours birdies each in their opening rounds.

The two highly ranked South Africans Jayden SCHAPER and Wilco NIENABER got off to good starts. Neither did any damage with opening rounds of 72 and 70.

Nienaber was joined by seven other players on 70 (Ev) and there were a further ten players who shot 71 (+1). Beyond Farr and Goddard the leaderboard is tightly packed.

Finally while perusing the hole-by-hole scores I saw Matthew CLARK‘s (SCO) card. His 80 (+10) contained a 12 on the par 3 9th. How one hole can ruin an otherwise reasonable day.

The Round 1 CSS was 76 highlighting just how good Callum Farr’s effort was.

ME.

__________________________________________________

2nd May 2019 (Updated)

The 2019 Lytham Trophy will be played on 3rd – 5th May at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England.

The first major event in the Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) men’s amateur golf season is always eagerly anticipated.

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

In 2018 the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR) placed it 18th in it’s list of worldwide amateur competitions based on field strength. It normally ranks 3rd in GB&I behind the Amateur Championship and the St. Andrews Links Trophy. Coming early in the season it is held back by missing out on European players studying at U.S. colleges.

Format and Tee Times

144 scratch golfers from 15 diffrent countries will tee off in what will be the 55th 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 – 2019 Lytham Trophy Tee Times

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

Players

Most of GB&I’s leading amateur golfers will be competing.

Here are ten players to watch out for (SPWAR rankings as at 2nd May): –

Jayden SCHAPER (RSA) – SPWAR 11th
Not quite in the same league as Nienaber but Schaper will arrive in confident mood after winning the 2019 South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship.

Wilco NIENABER (RSA) – SPWAR 15th
A prolific winner in recent years the 2019 South African Amateur champion must start as one of the favourites.

Conor PURCELL (IRE) – SPWAR 22nd
The 2019 Australian Amateur champion is playing consistently well and with plenty of links experience can be expected to feature highly again.

Caolan RAFFERTY (IRE) – SPWAR 36th
Caolan has finished tied 21st, tied 7th and tied 14th in the last three Lytham Trophies. It will therefore be no surprise to see the Dundalk man go well again in 2019, particularly after his recent win in the West of Ireland Open Championship.

Euan WALKER (SCO) – SPWAR 43rd
The 2019 African Amateur champion knows a top 10 finish at Lytham will go a long way to securing his place in the 2019 GB&I Walker Cup team.

Tom SLOMAN (ENG) – SPWAR 47th
A recent win in the Individual competition at the European Nations Team Championship in Sotogrande, Spain will have gone a long way to securing Tom’s place in this year’s GB&I Walker Cup team.

Joey SAVOIE (CAN) – SPWAR 56th
Canadian Savoie played well in Australia earlier this year and will be looking to secure a high finish at Lytham.

Tom PLUMB (ENG) – SPWAR 83rd
Plumb, recent winner of the Cape Province Open in South Africa, is the highest 2018 finisher returning this year. Another 5th place or better in 2019 would be very welcome for the Dorset man whose Walker Cup ambitions are increasing by the month.

Jake BURNAGE (ENG) – SPWAR 105th
Saunton’s Burnage finished 3rd at Lytham in 2017 and whilst he has been a bit inconsistent since he is certainly capable of another high finish.

Tom MCKIBBIN (N.I.) – SPWAR 339th
Tom will arrive on the Fylde coast full of confidence having won both the Peter McEvoy Trophy and Junior Invitational in the last few weeks. Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult won the latter in South Carolina before travelling back to England and winning The Lytham. Could Tom complete a hat-trick ?

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.

Like The Open Championship 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 often play a big part in scoring.

Weather Forecast

The weather forecast (as at Thursday 2nd May) looks dry, albeit cold, with only moderate breezes expected during the competition.

Friday 3rd May – Light Cloud / Wind 11 mph N / Temp. Min. 3°C, Max. 10°C.
Saturday 4th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 16 mph N / Temp. Min. 3°C, Max. 11°C.
Sunday 5th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 14 mph NW / Temp. Min. 6°C, Max. 10°C.

Prizes

The Winner receives a silver replica of the Lytham Trophy, both of which are shown below.

Lytham Trophies

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

The 2018 Lytham Trophy

Matthew JORDAN (ENG) won the 2018 Lytham Trophy by an impressive 9-shots after recording rounds of 67, 69, 70 and 66 – not one of over par – for a 272 total (-8).

Mitch WAITE (ENG) finished 2nd with a 281 (+1) total whilst Sam LOCKE (SCO) and David NYFJALL (SWE) finished tied 3rd with a 284 (+4) score. Tom PLUMB (ENG) was 5th, one shot further back, on 285 (+5).

49 players on +7 or better made the top 40 and ties cut in a competition unusually played in dry and sunny weather.

Click here to view the full 2018 Lytham Trophy results – Final Results

Matthew Jordan (Photo: Angie McGlue)

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 mark before or after. The next best scores being Daan HUIZING’s 273 in 2013 and Richard MCEVOY’s 276 in 2001.

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

The eight winners prior to Matthew JORDAN show just how international the amateur game has become. However, after a spell of overseas winners the last three 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)

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 (Photo: Golf Bible)

ME.

March 2019 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 04/04/2019 by Golf Bible

4th April 2019

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 March 2019 Quarter period has now been added.

I also select a Player of the Quarter.

For Quarter 1 2019 I have chosen Ireland’s Conor PURCELL. Conor won the Australian Amateur Championship in January and also produced some good results in South Africa afterwards.

Conor Purcell (Photo: Golf Australia)

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

ME.

The Peter McEvoy Trophy – 2019 Preview & Results

Posted on 28/03/2019 by Golf Bible

18th April 2019

Day 2

Tom MCKIBBIN (IRE) won the 39th Peter McEvoy Trophy after birdieing the second sudden death play-off hole.

A beautifully judged chip over the front right bunker on Copt Heath’s first hole rolled straight into the cup. The Ulsterman had driven into the right hand fairway bunkers off the tee and could only get the ball up to the green side area. Meanwhile his opponents, Aaron MARSHALL (IRE) and Melan DHAUBHADEL (ENG), had both hit the fairway and found the green in regulation on the 440 yard par 4. Unsurprisingly neither could recover from the body blow of a chip in at such a crucial time.

All three had pared the 18th, the first sudden death hole, missing makable birdie putts in the process.

Tom becomes the third Irish winner following in the recent footsteps of Gavin Moynihan (2012) and Mark Power (2016). I would certainly class it as the biggest win of his career to date.

Peter McEvoy with Tom McKibbin (Photo: GolfBible)

Aaron MARSHALL (IRE) and Melan DHAUBHADEL (ENG) started the day with a 6 shot lead over the chasing pack and would be paired together over the final 36 holes.

With the pins tucked away more on Day 2 the generally low scoring from yesterday was never likely to be repeated.

Aaron shot a 71 (Ev) in the morning Round 3 while Melan could only manage a 74 (+3).

Tom MCKIBBIN (IRE) 68, Jack BIGHAM (ENG) 68, Josh FALLOWS (ENG) 68, Luke O’NEIL (IRE) 69 and Max HOPKINS (ENG) 69 recorded the best morning rounds. McKibbin’s score moved him up to -5, 5 shots behind Marshall and 2 behind Dhaubhadel.

Marshall gave up his lead primarily on the front nine in the afternoon. Bogeys on 1 and 5 were compounded by a poor drive on the 9th followed by a three putt which led to a double bogey. The door was clearly ajar for the chasing pack on the back nine.

McKibbin was also 2-over after 7 holes of his final round. However an aggressive tee shot on the short 8 led to a birdie, another followed on the 10th before birdies on 15 and 17 saw him home in 69. At the time it felt as if his 277 (-7) total would prove to be one or two shy of the potential winning total.

However, the two leaders, now settled into their final round, couldn’t move back out in fornt. Marshall played the final nine holes in even par but a bogey on the dog leg 16th brought him back to -7. Dhaubhadel, a new name to me, made some early mistakes in his final round but played the back nine in -1 and fought to the very end.

When the cards were added up McKibbin, Marshall and Dhaubhadel had all finished on 277 (-7) and a sudden death play-off was required to determine our winner.

As you can see from the Top 20 Results below Luke O’NEILL 68 and Max HOPKINS 67 also continued their strong play into the afternoon to secure high finishes.

Results (Photo: Copt Heath G.C.)

Matthew Freeman, Max Hopkins, Tom McKibbin, Peter McEvoy, Luke O’Neill, Aaron Marshall and Melan Dhabhadel At The Prize Giving Ceremony (Photo: GolfBible)

Well done to Copt Heath G.C. too on another successful tournament. It was good to see some reasonable crowds following the players. The relatively modest 6,541 yard course once again proved to be a good test and delivered another impressive champion.

Melan Dhaubhadel Just Misses His Birdie Putt On The 72nd Hole (Photo: GolfBible)

Click here to view the – 2019 McEvoy Trophy Results

Click here to view the – McEvoy Trophy Rounds 3 & 4 Tee Times

ME.

________________________________________________

Day 1

Melan DHAUBHADEL (ENG) 68 64 and Aaron MARSHALL (IRE) 65 67 share the Day 1 lead at Copt Heath G.C. on 132 (-10).

This is a new record for the competition where previously the best opening 36 holes total was 133 (-9) recorded by Jake Amos (ENG) in 2005.

Both players took advantage of favourable conditions. Preferred Lies had generously been allowed and with sunny intervals and a modest breeze the order of the day low numbers were certainly available.

Melan’s best of the day 64 (-7) in Round 2 included 8 birdies.

Meanwhile Aaron’s 65 in Round 1 was unblemished with an eagle and four birdies recorded. Whilst he shot a 67 in the afternoon he may remember it better as it included a hole-in-one on the 3rd.

Harry LORD (ENG) is 3rd after two rounds of 69 (-4) with Max KENNEDY (IRE) 4th after a 71 and 68 (-3).

The Top 40 and Ties cut fell at 149 (+7) with 43 players set for the final 36 holes tomorrow.

The record low score for the overall 72 holes is 272 (-12).

ME.

________________________________________________

15th April 2019

The 39th Peter McEvoy Trophy will be contested on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th April at Copt Heath Golf Club in Solihull, England.

Competition Format

The McEvoy Trophy is a 72 hole scratch stroke play medal competition played over two consecutive days by boys aged under 18 (on 1st January 2019).

PM Trophy

The Peter McEvoy Trophy (Photo: GolfBible)

The format, limited daylight and the greater risk of poor weather in April means the field is restricted to 72 players.

All competitors play the first 36 holes on Day 1, playing in groups of three. The leading 40 players (and ties) then return for the final 36-holes on the following day, which is played in two-balls. A two tee start is used on both days.

In the event of a tie the result will be decided by a ‘sudden death’ play-off, utilising holes 18, 1 and 9.

The Winner receives a small replica salver and a voucher for £250. A total prize fund of around £1,000 is shared out amongst those players finishing in the Top 8 places (and ties).

2019 Entrants & Draw

This year the handicap entry ballot fell at +0.3 highlighting the quality of the field.

Click here to view the McEvoy Trophy Day 1 Start Sheet

Three members of the nine man GB&I Jacques Léglise trophy team that beat Europe last August in Finland have entered and headline the field; these are Archie DAVIES (WAL), Max HOPKINS (ENG) and Tom MCKIBBIN (IRE).

Joseph BYRNE, Max KENNEDY, Odhrán MAGUIRE, Aaron MARSHALL, Tom MCKIBBIN and Luke O’NEILL will all be travelling to the West Midlands as part of a strong looking Golf Union of Ireland squad. Kennedy (14th in 2018), Maguire (19th), Marshall (3rd) and O’Neill (42nd) are all returning after playing last year so should be better for the experience. However, it is perhaps McKibbin, the Holywood protege, that represents their best chance of finding a successor to the two previous Irish winners Gavin Moynihan (2012) and Mark Power (2016).

Matt FREEMAN, Josh HILL and Max HOPKINS are the three English boy internationals competing. Freeman has recorded top 10 finishes in the Henry Cooper Junior Masters and Carris Trophy over the last two years and will be hoping to improve on his 17th place in 2018. Hopkins, winner of the 2017 Telegraph Vitality Junior Golf Championship when he was just 14, continues to show huge promise. Finally Dubai-based Hill, now 15 and with the lowest handicap in the field (-4.8), is considered to be one of the most promising GB&I youngster’s. Having played on the MENA Pro Tour throughout the winter he should arrive well prepared and could well breakthrough in 2019.

2018 Welsh Golfer of the Year Archie DAVIES, who performed well for the full Welsh men’s team at last week’s European Nations Championship in Sotogrande, Spain must also start as one of the favourites. His win at the 2018 Irish U18 Boys Open Amateur Championship clearly demonstrates he has what it takes to compete a this level.

Shergo AL KURDI, born in England but representing Jordan, is an interesting entry. Like Josh Hill he has been playing in the Middle East during the winter and showed that he maybe ready to step up by co-winning the Duncan Putter at Southerndown G.C. last weekend. Charlie Strickland is the only player to complete the Putter / McEvoy double in April 2017.

Corhampton’s Jamie MARKWICK and Lindrick’s Callum MACFIE may also be worth keeping an eye on. Like Aaron Marshall they have some Copt Heath form to fall back on, finishing 10th and 13th last year respectively.

Unfortunately this year’s dates clash with the French International Boys’ U18 Amateur Championship which starts on 18th April and is being played two weeks later than last year. Enrique Dimayuga, Habebul Islam, George Leigh, Ben Pierleoni and Ben Schmidt are all playing at Les Aisses G.C.

Scottish Golf have disappointingly given the event a miss this year. The Scottish Boys’ Open Championship was played at West Kilbride last week (10-12 April) and they have the Battle Trophy and a Boys U16 Quadrangular match scheduled for the Easter bank holiday weekend (20-22 April) making it hard for them to accommodate it. Perhaps Cameron GALLAGHER or Andrew THORNTON, who have entered individually, can become the first Scottish winner.

Finally there are very few entries from the Midlands. Perhaps the closest is Jack SEVERN from Cleobury Mortimer who will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow club member Emily Price who won the English Girls’ U15 Open Amateur Championship at Copt Heath in July 2014.

Weather Forecast

After last year’s heavy rain I am pleased to report that the weather forecast (as at Monday 15th April) looks very promising for both competition days.

Wednesday 17th April – Light Cloud / Wind 7 mph E / Temp. Min. 8°C, Max. 16°C.
Thursday 18th April – Sunny Intervals / Wind 12 mph E / Temp. Min. 7°C, Max. 19°C.

2018 Results

Harrison ARNOLD won the 2018 Peter McEvoy Trophy at Copt Heath G.C. Reduced to 36 holes for the first time in its history due to heavy rain the Castle Royle player recorded rounds of 72 and 67 for a 139 (-3) total.

Harrison Arnold with the Peter McEvoy Trophy (Photo: GolfBible)

Josh TURNOCK (Prestbury G.C.) and Aaron MARSHALL (Lisburn G.C.) came 2nd and 3rd respectively on -2 with count back rules separating them. Overnight leader Marshall bogeyed two of his last three holes to reverse out of the title.

The Peter McEvoy Trophy – 2018 Final Results

Here is the Golfing World video of the 2018 Peter McEvoy Trophy including an interview with Harrison.

Copt Heath Golf Club

Copt Heath Golf Club is the permanent home of The Peter McEvoy Trophy.

Copt Heath, despite its name, is essentially a parkland course. The current course was designed and built in 1913 by Harry Colt, the famous architect, and is predominantly flat but well protected with around 95 deep bunkers.

Copt Heath Golf Club – 18th hole (Photo: GolfBible)

The course measures 6,541 yards and has a par of 71, made up of 2 par 5’s, 13 par 4’s and 3 par 3’s. The front nine is shorter at 3,216 yards (par 35) but is tighter. The more expansive back nine is played over 3,325 yards (par 36).

Golfing World did a profile piece on Copt Heath in 2016, featuring interviews with honorary members Peter McEvoy and Claire Dowling, which you may like to watch: –

Competition Background

Legendary British Amateur golfer Peter McEvoy OBE has been a member of Copt Heath for 54 years. If you would like to learn more about his career then click this link for my profile – Peter McEvoy.

Following Peter’s Amateur Championship victories in 1977 and 1978 Copt Heath made him an honorary life member. He was also invited to suggest a way in which the Club could commemorate his achievements. He chose a 72 hole boys competition to be held annually at Copt Heath.

PM Amateur Champion

Peter McEvoy – 1977 Amateur Champion at Ganton GC

Starting in 1981, The Peter McEvoy Trophy was originally held during August. In 1985, at the request of the English Golf Union, it was moved to April, where it has stayed ever since. This request was prompted by a wish for an early season national competition to assist the home nations with the selection of their teams ahead of the Boys Home Internationals and European Championships held later in the year.

As Peter McEvoy’s playing achievements and influence grew, culminating with him becoming a Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) men’s selector and Walker Cup captain, so has the prestige of the competition. Of course having a stellar past winner’s list also adds to the gravitas. The McEvoy remains one of the leading British junior golf events to this day.

Past Winners

The Peter McEvoy Trophy has an enviable list of former winners, reflecting both the quality of the annual entry but also the fair challenge presented by the course for players of this age.

A number of the players in the full list of past winners below have gone on to play in the Walker Cup and many more have enjoyed successful professional careers: –

1981 Rob Sallis (Wollaton Park)
1982 Jeremy Robinson (Woodhall Spa)
1983 Peter Baker (Lilleshall)
1984 Wayne Henry (Redbourn)
1985 A Morley (Belton Park)
1986 Cameron Mitchell (Copt Heath)
1987 Wayne Henry (Porters Park)
1988 Peter Sefton (Camberley Heath)
1989 David Bathgate (Sandiway)
1990 Paul Sherman (Ashford)
1991 Lee Westwood (Worksop)

PM Lee Westwood

Lee Westwood with the McEvoy Trophy in 1991 (Photo: Copt Heath GC)

1992 Brian Davis (East Herts)
1993 Steve Webster (Atherstone)
1994 Jamie Harris (Nevill)
1995 Carl Duke (Porters Park)
1996 Mark Pilkington (Nefyn & District)
1997 Philip Rowe (West Cornwall) – now Assistant Coach for UNLV Men’s Golf.
1998 Justin Rose (North Hants)

Justin Rose with the McEvoy Trophy (Photo: Copt Heath GC)

In 2013 Justin Rose became the first McEvoy Trophy winner to win a Major Championship, when he won the U.S. Open at Merion GC. He of course went on to also win Gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

1999 David Porter (Stoneham)
2000 Zane Scotland (Woodcote Park)
2001 Ben Harvey (Dudsbury)
2002 Matthew Richardson (Pinner Hill)
2003 Tommy Hunter (Ilford)
2004 John Parry (Harrogate)
2005 Tom Sherreard (The Ridge)
2006 Luke Goddard (Hendon)

Luke Goddard (Photo: Tom Ward)

2007 Matt Haines (Rochester & Cobham Park)
2008 Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale)

Stiggy Hodgson (Photo: Tom Ward)

2009 Max Smith (Newbury Racecourse)

Max Smith (Photo: Tom Ward)

2010 Rhys Pugh (Vale of Glamorgan)

Rhys Pugh (Photo: Tom Ward)

2011 Nathan Kimsey (Woodhall Spa)

Nathan Kimsey (Photo: Tom Ward)

2012 Gavin Moynihan (The Island)

Gavin Moynihan (Photo: GolfBible)

2013 Bradley Moore (Kedleston Park)

Bradley Moore (Photo: GolfBible)

2014 Haydn McCullen (Delamere Forest)

PM McEvoy Trophy

Haydn McCullen (Photo: GolfBible)

2015 Marco Penge (Golf at Goodwood)

Marco Penge PM 2015

Marco Penge (Photo: GolfBible)

2016 Mark Power (Kilkenny)

Mark Power McEvoy Trophy 2016

Mark Power (Photo: GolfBible)

2017 Charlie Strickland (Ham Manor)

Charlie Strickland with Peter McEvoy (Photo: GolfBible)

2018 Harrison Arnold (Castle Royle)

Peter McEvoy with Harrison Arnold (Photo: GolfBible)

Peter McEvoy Trophy Records

Most Wins
2 Wayne Henry (1984 Redbourn / 1987 Porters Bar)

Wayne Henry pictured with Seve Ballesteros at the 1984 Open at St. Andrews

Youngest Winners
Wayne Henry 15 years [exact birthday not known] (1984)
Bradley Moore 15 years, 7 months and 15 days (2013)
Mark Power 15 years, 10 months and 6 days (2015)

Lowest 72-hole winning score
272 (-12) – John Parry 2004 (68, 68, 68, 68)
272 (-12) – Nathan Kimsey 2011 (69, 67, 69, 67)
272 (-12) – Marco Penge 2015 (65, 71, 70, 66)

Highest 72-hole winning score
300 – Jamie Harris 1994 (73, 75, 75, 77)

Lowest Day 1 opening 36 holes score
132 – Melan Dhaubhadel 68 64 (-10)
132 – Aaron Marshall 65 67 (-10)
133 – Jake Amos 68 65 (-9)

Lowest 18 hole score
61 – Dermot McElroy 2011 (Course Record)

Best McEvoy Trophy Record
Bradley Moore – 4th (283 -1, 2012), 1st (287 +3, 2013), 2nd (281 -3, 2014), 2nd (280 -4, 2015).

Notable Former Competitors

In addition to the winners listed above many other notable amateur and now professional golfers have competed over the years.

These include (in alphabetical order): – David Boote, Jamie Bower, James Byrne, Stuart Cage, Paul Casey, Ashley Chesters, Lee Corfield, Mark Crossfield (@4golfonline), Paul Cutler, Jack Davidson, Joe Dean, Nick Dougherty, Luke Donald, Bradley Dredge, Scott Drummond, Paul Dunne, Simon Dyson, Greg Eason, Jamie Elson, Harry Ellis, Oliver Farr, Kenneth Ferrie, Oliver Fisher, Tommy Fleetwood, Mark Foster, Ewen Ferguson, Grant Forrest, Scott Gregory, Tyrrell Hatton, David Horsey, David Howell, Jack Hume, Simon Hurd, Andrew Johnston, Simon Khan, Nathan Kimsey, Tom Lewis, David Lynn, Nick Marsh, Jack McDonald, Dermot McElroy, Ross McGowan, Robert MacIntyre, John Morgan, James Morrison, Jimmy Mullen, Bradley Neil, Max Orrin, John Parry, Jim Payne, Eddie Pepperell, Van Phillips, Alfie Plant, Garrick Porteous, Iain Pyman, Robert Rock, Jamie Savage, Chris Selfridge, Jack Senior, Callum Shinkwin, Jack Singh Brar, Lee Slattery, Jordan Smith, Michael Stewart, Andy Sullivan, Graeme Storm, Connor Syme, Ben Taylor, Jonathan Thomson, Ashton Turner, Sam Walker, Anthony Wall, Danny Willett, Oliver Wilson, Tom Whitehouse and Chris Wood.

ME.

Men’s European Nations Championship – 2019 Preview & Results

Posted on 26/03/2019 by Golf Bible

13th April 2019

Defending champions ENGLAND (+14) retained the European Nations Championship in Spain. Their 878 total was 8 shots better than The Netherlands (+22).

Gareth Jenkins (Manager), Tom Plumb, Tom Sloman, Bailey Gill and Ben Jones
(Photos: @EnglandGolf)

IRELAND (+23) were third and WALES (+29), who recorded the lowest final day score (213), were an encouraging 4th. SCOTLAND (+37) had a poor final day and fell to 8th.

Click here to view the – 2019 ENC Men’s Team Results

Tom SLOMAN (ENG) 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 other faltered on the challenging Sotogrande course.

Tom Sloman (Photos: @Golfing4Life_)

Caolan RAFFERTY (IRE) +8 finished 4th, Euan WALKER (SCO) and Ben CHAMBERLAIN (WAL) +9 tied 5th and Tom PLUMB (ENG), Jake HAPGOOD (WAL), Bailey GILL (ENG) and Conor PURCELL (IRE) +10 tied 11th.

Young Archie DAVIES (WAL) became the first player to shoot in the 60’s during the Championship. His final day 69 (-3) included six birdies.

Click here to view the – 2019 ENC Men’s Individual Results

ME.

______________________________________________

8th April 2019

The Men’s European Nations Championship (ENC) starts on Wednesday 10th April at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Southern Spain.

RCG Sotogrande is the permanent home of the ENC and this will be the 13th playing of the event.

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

Field
This year 15 four-man teams (60) will play for a Team prize whilst a total of 69 players will contest the Individual competition. 9 players have been invited by RCG Sotogrande and the Spanish Golf Federation to complete the field.

This year the following players have been selected to represent the four competing home nations: –

England – Bailey GILL, Ben JONES, Tom PLUMB, Tom SLOMAN

Ireland – Mark POWER, Conor PURCELL, Caolan RAFFERTY, Rob BRAZILL*

*A late replacement for James SUGRUE who was injured in practice.

Scotland – Kieran CANTLEY, Jim JOHNSTON, Euan MCINTOSH, Euan WALKER

Wales – Ben CHAMBERLAIN, Archie DAVIES, Jake HAPGOOD, Matt ROBERTS

Of these just Ben Chamberlain, Jake Hapgood and Caolan Rafferty played in the event in 2018.

A Women’s ENC also takes place alongside the Men’s competition. Three women teams from England and Scotland are both competing.

Scores

Click here to view the – 2019 ENC Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2019 ENC Men’s Individual Scores

Click here to view the – 2019 ENC Men’s Team 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 fetching 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, 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. In 2017 the competition returned being played on the renovated course for the first time.

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 in the afternoon. This can cause problems given the numerous water hazards on the course.

Wednesday 10th – Sunny Max. 19°C / Min. 10°C; W 16mph
Thursday 11th – Sunny Max. 20°C / Min. 11°C; W 16mph
Friday 12th – Sunny Max. 21°C / Min. 11°C; W 11mph
Saturday 13th – Sunny Max. 23°C / Min. 12°C; SW 10mph

Past ENC Winners / 2018 Results

Team Competition

The home nations have an excellent record in the Men’s Team event.

2018 England 2018 ENC Team Results

The England Team, consisting of Todd Clements, David Hague, Matthew Jordan and Gian-Marco Petrozzi, won the Team competition by an impressive 20 shots with a 853 -11 total.

Of the other competing home nations Ireland finished second on 873 (+9) and Wales 11th on 910 +46. Scotland didn’t play in 2018.

England – l-r Gareth Jenkins (Manager), David Hague, Gian-Marco Petrozzi, Todd Clements, Graham Walker (Coach) and Matthew Jordan (Photo: Graham Walker)

2017 Wales 2017 ENC Team Results

Wales – l-r Josh Davies, David Boote, Jack Davidson and Owen Edwards (Photo: GUW)

2016 Ireland 2016 ENC Team Results

Ireland European Nations Cup 2016

Ireland – l-r Stuart Grehan, Alex Gleeson, Jack Hume and Dermot McElroy (Photo: GUI)

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

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).

Five shots back Ireland’s Alex Gleeson (76 74 69 69 / Ev), Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (72 75 72 69 / Ev) and Gian-Marco Petrozzi (69 71 76 72 / Ev) all tied for second place. Matthew Jordan (71 76 76 68 / +3) finished tied 5th and David Hague (79 73 74 68 / +6) 11th. Ireland’s Caolan Rafferty (72 79 74 71 / +8) was tied 12th and compatriot Jonathan Yates (77 74 72 75 / +10) tied 20th.

2017 Jack DAVIDSON (Wales) 2017 ENC Individual Results
Jack Davidson 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)

Rory McIlroy (Photo: RCG Sotogrande)

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)

Sergio Gracia (Photo: RCG Sotogrande)

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 Georgia Cup – 2019 Preview & Results

Posted on 23/03/2019 by Golf Bible

28th March 2019

Jovan Rebula beat Viktor Hovland in the 18 hole Georgia Cup match.

Jovan Rebula (Photo: The Golf Club of Georgia)

Here are the hole-by-hole scores: –

This is the seventh time in the last eight years that the Amateur champion has overcome the U.S. Amateur champion at The Golf Club of Georgia.

The overall match score now reads 13 – 9 in favour of the Amateur champions.

ME.

_________________________________________________

23rd March 2019

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

This year’s match, the 22nd, will be contested by Viktor Hovland (NOR) and Jovan Rebula (RSA).

It will be just the third time in it’s history that neither a U.S. or GB&I player has contested the match.

The two reigning Amateur champions are always in town in late March ahead of The Masters for which their respective wins gained them honorary invitations, albeit only one year competing (2019).

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

The match was established by The Golf Club of Georgia (GCOG) and was first contested in 1998. Scotland’s Craig Watson, the current Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup captain, was the Amateur Championship representative in the inaugural game. He lost to Matt Kutcher, obviously now a well known PGA Tour pro, 3 & 1.

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 2019 Georgia Cup is being played at 1.00pm (5.00pm GMT) on Thursday 28th March. The match is used as a charitable fundraiser with local facilities benefitting.

Looking at the two players: –

Viktor Hovland (21) comes from Oslo, Norway and plays college golf in the U.S. at Oklahoma State University. He won the 118th U.S. Amateur Championship by defeating Devon Bling 6&5 at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Current world rankings: SPWAR #1 / WAGR #2.

Viktor Hovland – 2018 US Amateur champion (Photo: USGA)

Jovan Rebula (20) is from George, South Africa and plays college golf for Auburn University in the U.S. He won the 123rd Amateur Championship by beating Robin Dawson 3&2 in the final at Royal Aberdeen G.C.
Current world rankings: SPWAR #33 / WAGR #41.

Jovan Rebula – 2018 Amateur champion (Photo: The R&A / Getty Images)

Following last year’s win for Harry Ellis (ENG) over Doc Redman (USA) the Amateur champions lead the United States champions 12 – 9. Ellis’ win made it six wins out of the last seven for the Amateur champion.

All of the previous results can be seen in the Appendix below.

This year Hovland must start as favourite but a competitive match can be expected with two of the leading amateurs in the world on show.

As always it will be interesting to see which player wins and gains a small confidence boost ahead of the main event – The 2019 Masters at Augusta National.

Scores

Follow the match here – 2019 Live Scores

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

Appendix

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) – 1Up
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

Harry Ellis Receives The Georgia Cup (Photo: Georgia State Golf Association)

ME.

The 2019 GB&I Men’s National Squads

Posted on 16/02/2019 by Golf Bible

16th February 2019

With the 2019 season now gathering momentum, as we work up towards September’s Walker Cup match, I thought it may be useful to collate the Men’s National Squads for each of the four home nations in one place.

You will find all of the players selected listed below along with their current Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR).

In addition I have also listed other leading players who for a variety of reasons have not been included in any national squads.

ENGLAND

England Golf announced their Squads on 13th February 2019.

Men’s Squad
Jake Burnage – Devon (47)
Bailey Gill – Yorkshire (177)
David Hague – Yorkshire (105)
Ben Jones – Northamptonshire (107)
Billy McKenzie – Hampshire (233)
Tom Plumb – Somerset (93)
Tom Sloman – Somerset (43)

Men’s A Squad
Jake Bolton – Wiltshire (403)
Sam Done – Lincolnshire (810)
Callum Farr – Northamptonshire (558)
Harry Goddard – Hertfordshire (666)
Ben Hutchinson – Yorkshire (246)
David Langley – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire (130)
Joe Long – Gloucestershire (267)

Other Elite Players
Barclay Brown – Yorkshire (416)
Oliver Farrell – Worcestershire / Marquette University, USA (281)
Alex Fitzpatrick – Yorkshire / Wake Forest University, USA (82)
Conor Gough (U18) – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire (340)
John Gough – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire / UNC Charlotte, USA (294)
Harry Hall – Cornwall / University of Las Vegas, USA (53)
Jamie Li – Somerset / Florida State University, USA (243)
Daniel O’Loughlin – Nottinghamshire / University of Colorado, USA (227)
Joe Pagdin (U18) – Florida, USA (286)
Laird Shepherd – Stirling University, Scotland (182)
Thomas Thurloway – Sussex / Jacksonville University, USA (309)
Robin Williams (U18) – Northamptonshire (238)

IRELAND

The Golf Union of Ireland (now Golf Ireland) announced their Squad on the 29th November 2018.

Men’s Senior Panel
Robert Brazill – Leinster (738)
Colm Campbell – Ulster (2,542)
Robert Cannon – Leinster (1,155)
Alex Gleeson – Leinster (176)
Eoin Leonard – Surrey, England / Yale University, USA (303)
Rowan Lester – Leinster (164)
Tiarnán McLarnon – Ulster (277)
Ronan Mullarney – Connacht (219)
John Murphy – Munster / University of Louisville, USA (86)
Peter O’Keeffe – Munster (387)
Mark Power – Leinster (265)
Conor Purcell – Leinster (23)
Caolan Rafferty – Leinster (99)
James Sugrue – Munster (379)

SCOTLAND

The 2018-19 players listed on the Scottish Golf website are as follows.

Men’s Squad
Callum Bruce – Midland College, USA (416)
Kieran Cantley (497)
Matthew Clark (647)
Stuart Easton (203)
Rory Franssen – University of Missouri, USA (262)
Darren Howie (570)
Jim Johnston (427)
Ryan Lumsden – Northwestern University, USA (70)
Stephen Roger (523)
Sandy Scott – Texas Tech University, USA (135)
Jamie Stewart – University of Missouri, USA (152)
Euan Walker (50)
James Wilson (297)
Jeff Wright (779)

Transitional Support (18-21)
Eric McIntosh – Northwestern University, USA (187)
John Paterson – University of Colorado, USA (864)

Other Elite Players
Calum Fyfe (288)
Connor McKinney – Western Australia (211)

WALES

The 2018-19 players listed on the Wales Golf website are as follows.

National Performance Programme
Archie Davies (1,116)
Jake Hapgood (373)

National Support Programme
Oly Brown (2,239)
George Bryant (1,723)
Ben Chamberlain (1,218)
Jacob Davies (1,363)
Aled Greville (3,861)
Kieron Harmon (2,040)
Luke Harries – Lincoln Memorial University, USA (1,548)
Matt Harris (2,252)
Tim Harry (4,207)
Paddy Mullins (1,502)
Matt Roberts (927)
Lewys Sanges (1,245)
Tom Williams (914)

Other Elite Players
Gaelen Trew (757)

ME.

December 2018 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 05/01/2019 by Golf Bible

5th January 2019

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.

This is a short note to subscribers to flag up that the latest update covering the December 2018 Quarter period has now been added.

I also select a Player of the Quarter.

For Quarter 4 2018 I have chosen England’s Jake BURNAGE. Jake finished 3rd in the South Beach international Amateur in Florida in early December.

There are few significant events between October and December so it normally takes something exceptional at the South Beach International Amateur, now one of amateur golf’s leading events, to justify the award being made. Jake has followed in the footsteps of Ben JONES (ENG) who finished 2nd in 2017 to pick up the award last year.

Jake Burnage (Photo: Burnage Family)

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

ME.

The Home of Great British & Irish Amateur Golf

ENGLAND

IRELAND

SCOTLAND

WALES