Ronnie White

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26th March 2017

Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) lost all four Walker Cup matches between 1947 and 1953 securing a disappointing total of 12 points in the process. It may therefore come as surprise to learn that one of our player’s achieved a record of P8 W6 L1 H1 during this same period.

That player was Ronnie White. His loss and a half both coming in foursomes matches played with Joe Carr. All four of his singles were won.

A name rarely mentioned by anyone nowadays White was arguably the best amateur golfer in the world in the initial post World War II period.

Ronnie White

Ronald James White was born on 9th April 1921 in Wallasey on The Wirral in England to James and Edith White (née Johnstone).

When Ronnie was 5 he started accompanying his Dad, a member of Southport & Ainsdale GC, to golf, quickly picking up the game and it’s etiquette. Inevitably it wasn’t long before he started playing himself.

Ronnie attended the Merchant Taylors’ school in Crosby and soon developed into one of the country’s leading Juniors. In 1936 he played in the Boys Amateur Championship held at Birkdale. the club he had joined aged 12 three years earlier. He lost 5&3 in the fourth round to William Innes of Lanark. Innes went on to lose the final 11&9 to the famous Irish player Jimmy Bruen.

White fared better in 1937 when he won the U18 Boys’ Carris Trophy, in those days played exclusively at Moor Park, with rounds of 72 and 75.

Fortunately for young Ronnie the Ryder Cup came to town in 1937 and he had the opportunity to see his hero Sam Snead up close. In an interview in 2001 he said “Snead was my role model. I was there for every moment of practice and competition, and was greatly impressed both by the way in which he and the other Americans played, and their style”.

His golf continued to improve and between 1936 and 1938 he was selected for the English Boys Team for their annual match against Scotland. He captained the team in 1938. He played six games winning four, halving one and losing the other.

In 1939 the English Amateur Championship was played at Birkdale and the 18 year old White reached the Quarter Finals before losing to Sydney Banks by 3&2.

Ronnie had just started a law degree at Liverpool University when Great Britain entered World War II. He volunteered for the Royal Air Force and was first stationed, somewhat fortuitously, at RAF Leuchars for his initial 3 months of training. This enabled him to carry on practicing his golf at nearby St. Andrews. His intelligence and leadership skills saw him selected for flying instructor training. He qualified as a pilot at the British Flying Training School in Texas and appears to have seen out the War well away from the front line.

Understandably very little competitive golf was played whilst the country was at War so just as White was coming into his peak years all of the major championships and events were cancelled (1940-45). The world was a different place after the war too with families devastated, food and petrol rationing in place and responsibilities altered. As Britain tried to rebuild itself as quickly as it could golf was certainly well down the list of most people’s priorities.

White was demobilised in 1946 and moved back to the Birkdale area of Southport where he would stay for the rest of his life. Now aged 25 he re-commenced his law studies and qualified as a solicitor in London in 1949.

White’s commitment to his family and the law meant he was a true amateur playing only a limited schedule, often as close to home as possible. However, he practiced regularly at Birkdale and was ambitious for himself – “the ladder of fame was empty” after the War and I was determined “to reach the top in amateur golf.”

After the 1946 season came to a close White set about remodeling his swing. “Experience had made me appreciate that if I were to achieve success my ambition must be consistency. The star players were all consistent”. He therefore set about gaining more knowledge, used photography and mirrors and practiced hard to create a ‘grooved’ swing. Whilst he never reached his unattainable aim of being as consistent as a golf ball testing machine he was to reap the benefits of this effort in the years that followed.

Unusually at the time he also aimed to spend at least an hour a day on his physical and mental fitness, normally early in the morning. He would run along the shoreline at Birkdale as well as skip and weight lift at home. “Tired legs are the death knell of a competitive golfer, because when the legs get tired concentration lapses follow, and I was always determined to avoid this, particularly towards the end of a championship. I felt as good at the end of a 36-hole match or 72 holes over a weekend as I did at the beginning” he reflected in later life. He sought to manage his nerves by regularly practicing his breathing and by strengthening his stomach muscles.

According to Leonard Crawley his mechanical approach enabled White to become “the most accurate hitter of a ball between tee and green since Henry Cotton” although he went on to say he was a “comparatively poor putter”.

Surprisingly during his career White only played in two Amateur Championships, in 1946 and 1949. He lost in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively in close matches. He was perhaps a victim of his own success. In those days the Amateur was often scheduled around the Walker Cup (trials and match – in 1947, 1951 and 1955) or the Home Internationals (1948 and 1952). With a family to support he was simply unable to take extended leave from his studies and later work as a solicitor and thus sacrificed his own individual competition entries. Of course White was criticized by frustrated onlookers at the time for consistently missing our major amateur Championship.

White did play in many other national events although many of these, certainly his victories, appear to have been in close proximity to home and work. In addition to his starring role in the Walker Cup it was his performance in these that secured his standing in the game.

He won the Lancashire Amateur championship (1948 Birkdale), the English Amateur (1949 Formby), the Golf Illustrated Gold Vase (1949 Birkdale) and the Brabazon Trophy (the English Open Stroke Play title) in both 1950 (by 8 shots after rounds of 75, 72, 75 and 72 at Birkdale) and 1951 (by 4 shots after rounds of 77, 69, 73 and 74 at Formby).

His 1951 Brabazon victory summed up his approach to golf. It was widely reported that both before and after each round White was seen rushing off to his office or to Wigan Magistrates’ Court.

White also had some success in the Daily Telegraph Amateur-Professional Foursomes Tournament. He won it in both 1947 with Charlie Ward at Formby and in 1949 with Reg Horne at Moortown. “With a partner like Ronnie White, you just can’t lose” said Horne at the prize giving ceremony.

He represented England in the Home Internationals of 1947-48-49-53-54 and in matches against France in 1947-48.

After the 1953 Walker Cup White largely stopped playing competitively not that he was overly active beforehand. He was therefore surprised to be called up by England in 1954 for the international matches at Porthcawl.

He performed well enough in Wales to merit a final selection for the 1955 Walker Cup match at St. Andrews. This proved controversial as White had declined an invitation to attend the pre-match trials. It was also a shame because he lost both matches and these failures took the edge of his superb overall Walker cup record. Playing first in both the foursomes and singles he came up against E. Harvie Ward in both, who had won the Amateur in 1952 and went on to win the US Amateur in both 1955 and 1956. Ward a full time amateur with a superb game simply had too much for White by then.  White never played an international match again.

White couldn’t resist a final outing when the Open Championship came to Birkdale in1961. Rounds of 71, 79, 80 and 76 were good enough for him to secure the low amateur Silver Medal in tied 38th place. He had previously only played in one other Open, at St. Andrews in 1946, where he finished tied 30th and fourth best amateur.

In March 1953, somewhat unusually for an amateur but reflecting his standing in the game, White published an instructional book entitled ‘Golf As I Play It’. Given the rules on amateur status the book caused something of a furore at the time. Unsurprisingly, given his legal background, it transpired that White had obtained the prior written approval of the Secretary of The R&A before embarking on the project. In this regard a note was included at the beginning stating “the author wishes to make it clear that he is not a teacher of golf.”

‘Ronnie White’s Golf As I Play It’ Book

One question I haven’t been able to answer concerns Ronnie’s club attachment. He joined Birkdale as a Junior, lived virtually opposite the course for most of his life and subsequently became an Honorary Member of this Club. Yet despite this all of his competition entries from 1947 onwards listed him as representing Royal Liverpool. Even his book states ‘by Ronnie White, Royal Liverpool GC and the 117 photos were all clearly taken at Hoylake too. Matters are made more confusing when one looks through Royal Liverpool’s club histories and find’s not a single reference to Ronnie White.

Ronnie won the R&A British Seniors for over 55’s in 1978 and 1979. In 1978, playing out of Caldy GC, at Formby White shot rounds of 76, 74 and 75 to win by 1-shot. He retained the Championship at Royal St. David’s, this time representing Royal Birkdale GC, after a play-off with HD Moseley and LL Shelley.

When asked, as all great amateurs are, if he regretted not turning professionally White said: “It crossed my mind on a few occasions but the risks were too great. Winning a professional event in the 1950s meant a few hundred pounds in your pocket, not the hundreds of thousands today. I had a family to take care of, and professional golf was too uncertain.”

He died in 2006 aged 85 to little fanfare in the golfing world. This is a shame because for a brief spell he was one of the best golfers in the world, a highly respected (true) amateur on both sides of The Atlantic. Given his approach to the game it was remarkable that he maintained his competitiveness for so long.

______________________________________________________________

APPENDIX 1 – SELECTED QUOTES ON RONNIE WHITE

Tom Scott on the 1949 Amateur Season: “The first national title, the English Amateur Championship (Formby April 25-30), went to R.J White, as we all expected it would. White played superlative golf and won the title with comparative ease by the margin of five and four. White’s victory was most comforting to all of us, for quite clearly he was at peak form, which meant he was the equal of any amateur in the world, British or American. Here was our No. 1 against the Americans and one who could be relied on to hold his own”.

“There are many who unhesitatingly describe him as the outstanding British amateur of golfing history, and some Americans call him the best unpaid striker of the golf ball since the incomparable Bob Jones.” – New Zealand Golf Illustrated , 5th January 1952

“Ronnie White is a genuine week-end golfer who intends to stay that way and considers it a pleasant accident that nature endowed him with the golfing ability of a world champion.” – New Zealand Golf Illustrated , 5th January 1952

“Many of the highest authorities in American golf today are of opinion that he is the soundest British amateur of the last thirty years. That, of course, is just a matter of opinion, but since he is blessed with the three greatest attributes of a golfer – style, physique and temperament – he is unquestionably a tremendous player”- Leonard Crawley, A History of Golf In Britain (1952).

Leonard Crawley in the Foreword to ‘Golf As I Play It’ (1953) said:

“He has become a famous player and even in America they talk of him as the best amateur in the world today. I think ‘they’ are right, since if ever there was a real amateur he is one. As I know him he is a kindly but hardheaded Lancashire man with certain obvious tracks to his mind from which no one can shake or divert him. He has as his first object a life to live with his family, as his second a living to earn for his family, and as his third, and only when time permits, his golf to play as his hobby.”

“A very keen golfer from the South of England who had never seen him in action recently asked me what type of player he was ? I replied ‘He has a classical but fully modern style. He is as a strong as a horse, and he fears no one.’”

Reflecting on golf in 1953 Pat Ward-Thomas said “Had it been necessary at that time to examine an amateur golfer’s character to the limit he would have been sent to play Ronnie White over 36 holes on his own course at Birkdale with much at stake. I still think that White was one of the finest amateurs ever to emerge in Britain, certainly as a striker of the ball. His swing was so solid and true that there was a sense of the inevitable about his shots. The ball flew from the clubface with an unerring flight that few professionals, apart from Cotton, and no amateur could consistently match, and what is more, in any conditions.”

Peter Alliss described Ronnie White as ”the most professional-looking amateur I have seen” – ‘Golf Heroes’ (2002)

APPENDIX 2 – RONNIE WHITE’S DETAILED PLAYING RECORD

WALKER CUP MATCHES

1947 St. Andrews – 16th and 17th May – GB&I 4 USA 8
F4. RJ White and C Stowe v. RD Chapman and FR Stranahan WON 4&3
S6. RJ White v. AF Kammer WON 4&3

“Charlie was the ideal partner for me to have, never a dull moment, always able to see the humour of life and yet a dogged competitor” recalled White in 2001.

Fred Kammer was a semi-finalist in the US Amateur of 1946.

1949 Winged Foot GC – 19th and 20th August – USA 10 GB&I 2
F1. JB Carr and RJ White v. W Turnesa and R Billows WON 3&2
S1. RJ White v. W Turnesa WON 4&3

Willie Turnesa was the 1938 and 1948 reigning US Amateur champion and runner-up in the Amateur championship; arguably the best player on either side.

Henry Longhurst said “(The team) managed to get just two points – and without Ronnie White, whose form in the warm, windless conditions of American summer golf was so consistent that his team-mates christened him ‘One Height White’ (because every shot he hit, whatever the club, was the same height), we should assuredly have come home without a point at all”.

“Everything about his game has the same professionally polished air – the safe and sound driving, the long iron shots that look as good as Cotton’s the immaculate short game, the confident putting. With half a dozen White’s we would have won that Walker Cup with the greatest ease”.

1951 Birkdale – 11th and 12th May – GB&I 3 USA 6
F1. RJ White and JB Carr v. FR Stranahan and W Campbell HALVED
S3. RJ White v. CR Coe WON 2&1

Watching the Foursomes match with a crowd estimated at 10,000, GB&I 3Up and playing well, Bernard Darwin reported: “Poor Joe Carr had a bout of missing short putts and the holes melted away.” Nevertheless it took a 10-footer by Campbell at the last green to deny the GB&I pair a full point.

In his singles White trailed 3 down after six holes against Charles Coe, but he rallied to win, 2 and 1.

In his post match report Darwin said: “Ronnie White’s record of five wins and one halved match in three Walker Cup matches is certainly one of the finest achievements of British amateur golf for many years. No wonder the Union has taken so much trouble – and given other people so much trouble – in order to give him the sole representative of a plus two handicap.”

1953 Kittansett – 4th and 5th September – USA 9 GB&I 3
F2. JB Carr and RJ White v. S Urzetta and K Ventura LOST 6&4
S6. R Chapman v. RJ White WON 1 HOLE

White still playing a restricted schedule gained selection in 1953 after reaching the English Amateur final in 1953, a match he surprisingly lost at Birkdale to teammate Gerald Micklem.

“When Carr and White are a little older it will dawn on them that young successful partnerships are apt to wear out” wrote Leonard Crawley in 1954 having watched them struggle on Day 1. The opposition was tough though; Sam Urzetta was the 1950 US Amateur champion and Ken Venturi went on to win the 1964 US Open.

On Day 2 according to Crawley “White lunched two down having taken 77 to go round (the first 18). At the 30th hole…he was 3 down with 6 to play. He finished 3-3-4-4-3-4 (to) beat his adversary on the last green. It was a tremendous performance”. Bobby Jones, by now quite ill and using his buggy, came to the match and chose to follow the White game. He later praised White for putting on a “great performance.”

1955 St. Andrews – 20th and 21st May – GB&I 2 USA 10
F1. JB Carr and RJ White v. EH Ward and DR Cherry LOST 1 HOLE
S1. RJ White v. EH Ward LOST 6&5

In the foursomes Carr and White were 1Up with three holes to play. On the 34th hole they three putted whilst Cherry chipped in from off the green. More poor play around the Road Hole green cost the GB&I pair before the last was halved. Both players were gutted and criticised heavily in the press. It was no surprise then that they both lost their Single matches heavily the following day.

HOME INTERNATIONAL MATCHES

1947 Royal Liverpool – 24th, 25th and 26th September – England won
Ireland
F1. RJ White and J Rothwell v. J Burke and C Ewing WON 2&1
S3. RJ White v. C Ewing LOST 2&1

Wales
F1. RJ White and J Rothwell v. SB Roberts and JV Moody WON 3&2
S3. RJ White v. AA Duncan LOST 4&3

Scotland
F2. RJ White and J Rothwell v. H McInally and JG Campbell WON 4&3
S3. RJ White v. AT Kyle WON 2&1

E. Harvie Ward went on to play in two further matches and finished with a 100% win record from his 6 games played.

1948 Muirfield – 22nd, 23rd and 24th September – England won
Scotland
F2. PB Lucas and RJ White v. JC Wilson and H McInally HALVED
S3. RJ White v. JC Wilson WON 3&2

Ireland
F2. PB Lucas and RJ White v. JB Carr and BJ Scannell LOST 1 DOWN
S3. RJ White v. W O’Sullivan WON 4&3

Wales
F2. PB Lucas and RJ White v. RM de Lloyd and JV Moody WON 6&4
S2. RJ White v. SB Roberts LOST 2&1

1949 Portmarnock – 16th, 17th and 18th May – England won
Wales
F1. RJ White and C Stowe v. SB Roberts and JL Morgan WON 4&3
S1. RJ White v. AA Duncan WON 5&3

Scotland
F1. RJ White and C Stowe v. AT Kyle and JM Dykes WON 2UP
S1. RJ White v. JC Wilson HALVED

Ireland
F1. RJ White and C Stowe v. J Bruen and SM McCready HALVED
S1. RJ White v. C Ewing WON 3&2

1952 Troon – 24th, 25th and 26th September – Scotland Won
Results unknown.

“England were without R.J. White the best golfer of his generation and regarded even in America as one of the finest amateurs in the world. His absence was deplorable” – Leonard Crawley, 1953 EGU Golf Annual

1953 Killarney – 10th, 11th and 12th June – Scotland won
Ireland
F1. RJ White and D Rawlinson v. BJ Scannell and J Glover WON
S2. RJ White v. WM O’Sullivan LOST

Scotland
F1. RJ White and D Rawlinson v. DA Blair and JR Cater LOST
S2. RJ White v. JC Wilson LOST

Wales
F1. RJ White and D Rawlinson v. JL Morgan and SB Roberts LOST
S2. RJ White v. JL Morgan WON

“For most of the week, White’s golf was very poor, and until he faced John Morgan in the Welsh match, he was but a shadow of the great player we know him to be” wrote Crawley.

1954 Porthcawl – Dates Unknown – England
Results unknown.

ENGLAND v. FRANCE MATCH
1947 Wentworth 21st July – England 8 France 1
F1. C Stowe and RJ White v. M Carlihan and J Leglise LOST 3&1
S3. RJ White v. J Leglise WON 3&1

1948 St. Cloud 5th and 6th June – England 5 France 3 (Halved 1)
F1. GH Micklem and RJ White v. M Carlihan and J Leglise HALVED
S2. RJ White v. M Carlihan WON 7&6

BOYS INTERNATIONAL MATCHES

1936 Birkdale – Scotland 8.5 England 3.5
F4. TS Foggett and RJ White v. DG O’Brien and WH Gibson WON 2 HOLES
S7. RJ White v. DG O’Brien WON 5&3

1937 Bruntsfield Links – Scotland 9.5 England 2.5
F1. P Hunt and RJ White v. RG Inglis and DB Fraser HALVED
S2. RJ White v. C Gray LOST 2 HOLES

1938 Moor Park – Scotland 7.5 England 4.5
F1. RJ White and T Hiley v. C Gray and W Smeaton WON 3&1
S1. RJ White v. C Gray WON 5&4

AMATEUR CHAMPTIONSHIP

1946 Birkdale – 4th Rd lost to Frank Stranahan by 1hole.

“The round between RJ White and FR Stranahan took three hours and forty minutes which is farcical and monstrous. Golf is not a funeral, although both can be sad things” – Bernard Darwin.

Stranhan has the best Amateur Championship record of any player winning 43 of his 50 matches between 1946-54. He won the Amateur in 1948 and 1950 and was runner up in 1952.

1949 Portmarnock – 5th Rd lost to Ernest Millward by 1 hole.

In the 2nd Rd White beat Dr. W Twedell 3&2 and in the 3rd Rd PB ‘Laddie’ Lucas on the 20th hole. Millward won the English Amateur Championship in 1952.

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

1946 St. Andrews – 76 79 84 77 (T30)
1961 Birkdale – 71 79 80 76 (T38) – Silver Medal winner for leading amateur.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2025, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

European Tour Q-School – 2016 Final Stage Results

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17th November 2016

England’s Nathan KIMSEY (-13) today won the Final Stage of the European Tour’s Qualifying School series at the PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, Spain.

Nathan is just the second player to come right through from First Stage to win Q-School outright. Some achievement particularly as he hadn’t enjoyed a great 2016. He played in 11 PGA EuroPro Tour events this year, making four cuts and earning just £1,407.50. He finished 105th in the Race to Desert Springs Order of Merit.

img_6929Nathan Kimsey – Winner of the European Tour’s 2016 Q-School (Photo: @ETQSchool)

156 golfers started out on this 108 hole golfing marathon last Saturday. 52 were from Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I), exactly 33.3% of the field.

Just 30 players achieved their primary objective – a Category 16 card on the European Tour for the 2017 season (which comes with a Category 5 Challenge Tour card too).  A -5 total score was required to finish in the Top 25 and ties this year.

It was great to see 16 of these qualifiers hailing from GB&I as you can see below.

QUALIFIERS – CAT. 16 EUROPEAN TOUR / CAT. 5 CHALLENGE TOUR
1.     Nathan KIMSEY (ENG) -13
T2.   Scott HENRY (SCO) -12
T5.   Steven TILEY (ENG) -10
T5.   Eddie PEPPERELL (ENG) -10
T9.   John PARRY (ENG) -9
T9.   Matthew NIXON (ENG) -9
T11. Paul MADDY (ENG) -8
T11. Tom LEWIS (ENG) -8
T16. Stuart MANLEY (WAL) -7
T16. Ashley CHESTERS (ENG) -7
T19. Laurie CANTER (ENG) -6
T19. Mark FOSTER (ENG) -6
T19. Max ORRIN (ENG) -6
T25. Jamie RUTHERFORD (ENG) -5
T25. Gary KING (ENG) -5
T25. Richard MCEVOY (ENG) -5

I think most people were pleased to see Eddie PEPPERELL (-10) and Tom LEWIS (-8) return to the elite circuit.  Both have showed a lot of promise in recent years and hopefully can now go onto to fulfil it.

John PARRY (ENG) gave himself almost the best birthday present possible – being one of the 30 on his 30th birthday.

I was particularly pleased to see Ashley CHESTERS and Max ORRIN progress.

Ashley took his time before turning pro and after winning two European Amateur titles and competing in the 2015 Walker Cup his strategy seems to have paid dividends. Just Paul Dunne and Chesters from our winning team at Lytham will have European Tour cards next year.

Orrin, who played in the 2013 Walker Cup alongside Matt Fitzpatrick, Nathan Kimsey and Jordan Smith, turned pro three years ago and today was the result of a lot of hard work and a steady progression through the tours for him.

72 players made the 72 hole cut, which fell at Even par, going on to play the final two rounds on the Stadium Course. Those who made the 72-hole cut but failed to finish in the Top 25 receive Category 21 membership of the European Tour and Category 9 membership of the Challenge Tour. From GB&I these included: –

MADE CUT – CAT. 21 EUROPEAN TOUR / CAT. 9 CHALLENGE TOUR
T31. James ALLAN (ENG) -4
T31. James HEATH (ENG) -4
T31. Robert COLES (ENG) -4
T37. Michael HOEY (N.IRE) -3
T37. Ross MCGOWAN (ENG) -3
T37. Aaron RAI (ENG) -3
T44. Ross KELLETT (SCO) -2
T44. Oliver WILSON (ENG) -2
T44. Gary HURLEY (IRE) -2
T49. Charlie FORD (ENG) -1
T53. Robert DINWIDDIE (ENG) +1
T53. Steve WEBSTER (ENG) +1
T58. Garrick PORTEOUS (ENG) +2
T58. David LAW (SCO) +2
T58. Bradley NEIL (SCO) +2
T65. Matt FORD (ENG) +3
T70. Simon KHAN (ENG) +5
T70. Ben STOW (ENG) +5

Michael HOEY and Gary HURLEY were Ireland’s nearest challengers but both came up short in the end. Hurley threatened to make the grade on his front 9 today but sadly couldn’t maintain his early final round momentum.

Nathan Kimsey earned €16,000 for winning the Q-School with all of the 72 players who made the cut receiving declining sums right down to €750 for the non-qualifiers who finished in spots 31 to 72.

Those who failed to make the cut receive Category 15 membership of the Challenge Tour. From GB&I these included: –

MISSED CUT – CAT. 15 CHALLENGE TOUR
T80.   Craig LEE (SCO) +2
T80.   Curtis GRIFFITHS (ENG) +2
T93.   Ben EVANS (ENG) +4
T93.   Rhys DAVIES (WAL) +4
T93.   Jack HARRISON (ENG) +4
T115. Billy HEMSTOCK (ENG) +6
T115. David DIXON (ENG) +6
T115. Steve SURRY (ENG) +6
T115. Ruaidhri MCGEE (IRE) +6
T124. Daniel GAVINS (ENG) +7
T124. Kevin PHELAN (IRE) +7
T129. Oliver FARR (WAL) +7
T138. Ryan EVANS (ENG) +10
T141. Charlie BULL (ENG) +11
T144. Richard FINCH (ENG) +12
T147. Grant FORREST (SCO) +15
WD.   Peter WHITEFORD (SCO) – 3 rounds
RTD.  Kenneth FERRIE (ENG) – 2 rounds

So to differing degrees, and of course depending on where they are on the professional golf journey, everyone was a winner simply by getting this far in the process.

It is worth noting that in all of these Categories each player is ranked according to their final Q-School finishing position. These rankings within each Category can be critical in determining actual participation in events on the respective Tours.

European Tour QS

The full European Tour Leaderboard and Results links are here:-

European Tour – Final Stage Q-School Leaderboard (with detailed scores)
European Tour – Final Stage Q-School Results (with prize money)

Appendix 1 – 2016 Qualifying School Articles

For further background information on the 2016 European Tour Q-School series please take a look at my previous articles: –

European Tour Q-School – 2016 Final Stage Preview (10/11/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 Second Stage Results (07/11/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 Second Stage Preview (14/10/16 & 03/11/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Results (07/10/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Preview (11/09/16)

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

European Tour Q-School – 2016 Final Stage Preview

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10th November 2016

The Final Stage of the European Tour’s Qualifying School series starts on Saturday 12th November at the PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona. It is the 9th consecutive year that this Spanish Club in the north east of the country has hosted the final Q-School competition.

Q-School Format

The Final Qualifying Stage is played over 108 holes on the Stadium and Tour Courses. The Stadium Course (7,333 yards, par 72) is much tougher than the shorter Tour Course (6,610 yards, par 70).

A field of 156 golfers start out by playing 72 holes; two rounds on each of the above courses. The leading 70 players (and ties) then play a final 36-holes on the Stadium Course to determine the final positions.

Prizes

At the conclusion of play on Thursday 17th November the leading 25 players (and ties) will earn cards on both the European Tour (Category 16) and the Challenge Tour (Category 5) for the 2017 season. Additionally within these Categories each player is ranked according to their final finishing position.

Those players who make the 72-hole cut but fail to finish in the Top 25 are eligible for Category 21 membership of the European Tour and Category 9 membership of the Challenge Tour. Those who fail to make the cut are eligible for Category 15 membership of the Challenge Tour.

Whilst of secondary importance there is also a €150,000 prize fund for the Final Qualifying Stage. The winner will receive €16,000. Successful Card receiving players will earn declining sums down to 25th place (or tied for 25th) where €1,860 will be awarded. Players who finish outside the Top 25 but who make the 72-hole cut will each earn €750.

2016 Final Qualifying Stage – Field and Tee Times

71 qualifiers from last week’s four Second Stage events have been joined by 85 exempt players to make up the field of 156 players.

The players that automatically qualify for Final Stage are: –
1. Players already eligible for Category 17 or 18 membership of the European Tour in 2017 (i.e. those finishing in positions 112-145 in the 2016 Race To Dubai);
2. Players finishing in positions 16-45 in the 2016 Challenge Tour Rankings;
3. Winners of a European Tour Order of Merit (OoM) event after 1st January 2007;
4. The winner of the 2016 Qualifying School;
5. The winner of the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2015;
6. European Tour Members in 41st – 75th positions in the Tour’s Career Money List as at 31st August 2016; and
7. The leading three entrants as at 31st August 2016 up to 15th place on The Asian Tour, The Japan Golf Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia (2015 OoM) and The Sunshine Tour (2015 OoM).

The 2016 Q-School field looks to be one of the strongest ever assembled. Y.E. Yang the 2009 US PGA Champion and 35 other European Tour winners, including 6-time winner Alvaro Quiros, are all competing.

Click here to view the 2016 Final Qualifying Stage Round 1 & 2 Tee Times

With no amateurs making the Final Stage this year I will be following the progress of the 52 Great British & Irish (GB&I) professionals who will be competing; exactly 33.3% of the field. Of particular interest to me will be some of the newer pros: –

James ALLAN (ENG)
Ashley CHESTERS (ENG)
Ryan EVANS (ENG)
Grant FORREST (SCO)
Gary HURLEY (ENG)
Nathan KIMSEY (ENG)
Tom LEWIS (ENG)
Bradley NEIL (SCO)
Max ORRIN (ENG)
Eddie PEPPERELL (ENG)
Kevin PHELAN (IRE)
Garrick PORTEOUS (ENG)
Ben STOW (ENG)

2016 Final Qualifying Stage – Leaderboard

Click here to view the 2016 Final Qualifying School Leaderboard

European Tour QS

Appendix 1 – 2016 Qualifying School Articles

For further background information on the 2016 European Tour Q-School series please take a look at my other recent articles: –

European Tour Q-School – 2016 Second Stage Results (07/11/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 Second Stage Preview (14/10/16 & 03/11/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Results (07/10/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Preview (11/09/16)

Appendix 2 – 2015 Final Qualifying Stage Results

It is always interesting to look back to see what will broadly be required to progress this year.

Last year 27 players earned European Tour cards. The minimum score required to achieve this was -7 (421). The winning score was -18 (410) which was achieved by Ulrich VAN DEN BERG (RSA), Adrian OTAEGUI (ESP) and Daniel IM (USA). Van Den Berg (40) won the event on a count back. He was the oldest ever winner of the Q-School and was the oldest 2015 qualifier.

Marcus KINHULT (SWE) -10 T13 became the first amateur to graduate since Moritz LAMBERT in 2012. At 19 he was also the youngest 2015 qualifier.

12 GB&I players progressed – 10 from England, 1 from Ireland and 1 from Wales. Interestingly the average age of the 12 GB&I qualifiers was 30. Here they are: –

T4    Ross MCGOWAN (ENG) 69 69 64 73 64 74 (-15)
6th   Matthew SOUTHGATE (ENG) 72 66 68 70 68 70 (-14)
T7    Daniel GAVINS (ENG) 71 65 66 68 75 71 (-12)
T9    David DIXON (ENG) 72 68 64 71 74 68 (-11)
T9    Richard MCEVOY (ENG) 66 74 69 71 68 69 (-11)
T13  Stuart MANLEY (WAL) 66 74 69 74 69 66 (-10)
T13  James ROBINSON (ENG) 72 69 64 71 72 70 (-10)
T13  Paul DUNNE (IRE) 71 68 70 68 69 72 (-10)
T19  Ryan EVANS (ENG) 67 72 70 73 69 68 (-9)
T19  Laurie CANTER (ENG) 67 69 68 74 68 73 (-9)
T22  Richard FINCH (ENG) 69 66 70 73 71 71 (-8)
T24  Chris HANSON (ENG) 70 63 66 71 73 78 (-7)

A total of 78 players made the cut on -1 (283) or better. The following GB&I players made the cut but finished outside the all important Top 25: –

T28  Gary KING (ENG) 64 72 64 74 74 74 (-6)
T32  David LAW (SCO) 67 72 68 72 72 72 (-5)
T32  Kenneth FERRIE (ENG) 70 69 64 77 74 69 (-5)
T40  Joshua WHITE (ENG) 68 74 73 67 69 73 (-4)
T40  Mark FOSTER (ENG) 71 68 67 73 73 72 (-4)
T40  Peter WHITEFORD (SCO) 74 70 67 68 75 70 (-4)
T47  Paul SHIELDS (SCO) 67 70 68 77 70 73 (-3)
T54  Josh LOUGHREY (ENG) 72 72 69 69 68 76 (-2)
T54  Damien MCGRANE (IRE) 71 68 66 71 72 78 (-2)
T60  Simon THORNTON (IRE) 71 67 73 71 74 71 (-1)
T67  Kevin PHELAN (IRE) 70 72 66 73 75 72 (E)
T67  Paul HOWARD (ENG) 73 67 68 75 76 69 (E)
T69  Charlie FORD (ENG) 71 71 73 67 72 75 (+1)
T69  Matthew NIXON (ENG) 72 76 68 67 72 74 (+1)

Click here to review the full 2015 Final Qualifying Stage Results  

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

European Tour Q-School – 2016 Second Stage Results

Posted on by

7th November 2016

The European Tour’s Second Qualifying Stage came to an exciting conclusion earlier today in Spain.

From the 322 players competing at the four qualifying courses just 71 secured spots at the Final Qualifying Stage.

No amateur entrants have made it through to the Final Qualifying Stage. David BOOTE (WAL) coming closest – he missed out in a play-off at Las Colinas.

The bad news for today’s qualifiers is they will now be joined by 85 ‘stronger’ players who are all exempt into the Final Stage.

The marathon continues next Saturday 12th November at PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, Spain. There are still 108 holes of nerve wracking golf to be played at the Stadium and Tour Courses. After all that golf the top 25 and ties will be awarded a well deserved 2017 European Tour card.

Meanwhile here is my report on the Second Stage results: –

CAMPO DE GOLF EL SALER – 7,057 yards, Par 72 – 81 entries
Click here for the – El Saler Results

The medalist at El Saler was Fabian MARTY (FRA) with a -14 72-hole score.

Just three Great British and Irish (GB&I) players qualified from El Saler where 17 spots were allocated. These were Daniel GAVINS (ENG) -12 3rd, Curtis GRIFFITHS (ENG) -9 6th and Ashley CHESTERS (ENG) -8 T7 (67, 73, 73, 67).

Chesters who turned Pro following the 2015 Walker Cup impressively shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to come through the field and secure his place at the Final Qualifying Stage.

German Christopher CARSTENSEN, who turned Pro ahead of this Second Stage event, performed admirably too. His -6 total saw him finish T10 and assured he would be on the bus to PGA Catalunya.

Notable players to miss out were Chester’s Walker Cup teammates Cormac SHARVIN (IRE) -3 T18 (68, 73, 73, 71), Ewen FERGUSON (SCO) -2 T24 (74, 69, 74, 69) and Jack MCDONALD (SCO) +8 T64 (78, 75, 75, 68).

Scottish amateur Liam JOHNSTON also fell short after rounds of 70, 78, 70 and 76 saw him finish T57 on +6. The only other amateur competing at El Saler, Nicholas SMITS (NED), finished T68 on +12.

Looking at some of the new Pros from across Europe, Robin SCIOT-SIEGRIST (FRA) qualified alongside Chesters in T7 place but highly rated pair Marcus KINHULT (SWE) and Adrian MERONK (PLD) both missed out with -1 T30 finishes. Kinhult earned a European Tour card last year alongside fellow amateur Paul DUNNE (IRE). Whilst Dunne retained his card the younger Kinhult has generally struggled, perhaps lacking the experience and maturity to cope with the demands of Pro life. He is of course too good not to make it back to the big time soon.

As El Saler provided just 17 qualifiers, whereas the other three venues had 18 spots, the alternates will come from this site.

LAS COLINAS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB – 6,974 yards, Par 71 – 80 entries
Click here for the – Las Colinas Results

The medalist at Las Colinas was Oscar LENGDEN (SWE) with a -15 total.

Las Colinas proved to be a successful hunting ground for GB&I players. Stuart MANLEY (WAL) -13 2nd, Grant FORREST (SCO) -8 5th, Gary HURLEY (IRE) -6 7th, Bradley NEIL (SCO) -5 T9, Kevin PHELAN (IRE) -5 T9, Peter WHITEFORD (SCO) T13 and James ALLAN (ENG) -2 T17 were all amongst the successful 18 qualifiers.

Grant Forrest (67, 68, 74, 67) and Gary Hurley (69, 64, 75, 70), 2015 Walker Cup players, as well as 2014 Amateur Champion Bradley Neil were the obvious standouts for me here.

Amateur David BOOTE (WAL) and Matthew NIXON (ENG) will feel hard done by. Both finished on -2 T17 but missed out in the 5-man play-off which saw Allan progress with Italy’s Andrea MAESTRONI.

2015 English Amateur champion Joe DEAN (ENG) was left rueing a poor Sunday round 3. His +4 score, after rounds of 68, 69, 79 and 72, saw him finish T39.

There was no joy for the amateurs in the Las Colinas field. Gregoire SCHOEB (FRA) paid for two poor weekend rounds finishing on +2 T34. Matias CALDERON (Chile) +8 T50, Cameron SHAW (ENG) +18 67th and Mauro ANDERI (GER) +21 69th were unfortunately well off the pace.

European Tour QS

LUMINE GOLF & BEACH CLUB – 6,909 yards, Par 71 – 81 entries
Click here for the – Lumine Results

The medalist at Lumine was David LAW (SCO) with a -12 score at the Tarragona course.

Lumine proved to be another good qualifying venue for GB&I players. Joining Law were Robert COLES (ENG) -11 2nd, Ross KELLETT (SCO) -10 T3, Billy HEMSTOCK (ENG) -10 T3, Mark FOSTER (ENG) -7 T9, Nathan KIMSEY (ENG) -7 T9, Steve SURRY (ENG) -6 T15 and Charlie BULL (ENG) -6 T15.

Steve Surry and Charlie Bull both negotiated an 8 man play off for the final 4 Lumine spots. Unfortunately Ruaidhri MCGEE (IRE) and new Spanish pro Ivan CANTERO GUTIERREZ were unable to join them. French pair Jérôme LANDO CASANOVA and Olivier ROZNER picked up the two other available places. 18 players progressed from Lumine in total.

Daniel YOUNG (SCO) (72, 72, 72, 69) +1 T48 and Ashton TURNER (ENG) (68, 71, 72, 77) +4 T59 were amongst the notable GB&I players to fall at the second qualifying hurdle.

Amateur’s Max SCHMITT (GER) finished on +1 T48 after rounds of 70, 70, 74 and 71 whilst England’s Ben AMOR was only able to deliver his best golf in the third round as he finished on +6 64th (74, 77, 66, 73).

Paul HOWARD (ENG) (71, 72, 73) and Jamie SAVAGE (SCO) (73, 69, 70) both retired after the third round with injuries.

PANORAMICA GOLF & SPORT RESORT – 7,030 yards, Par 72 – 80 entries
Click here for the – Panoramica Results

Medalist at Panoramica was Paul MADDY (ENG) with a -19 total. Despite this being the easiest of the four courses Paul’s rounds of 68, 69, 67 and 65 were hugely impressive and saw him sprinting through the finish line.

The other GB&I players to join him, amongst the 18 qualifiers here, were Laurie CANTER (ENG) -17 2nd, Charlie FORD (ENG) -15 3rd, Jamie RUTHERFORD (ENG) -12 T4 and finally Jack HARRISON (ENG) -8 T17.

Harrison came through a 4 for 2 play-off which unfortunately saw William HAROLD (ENG) -8 T17 miss out.

English trio Thomas SHADBOLT (67, 70, 72, 72), Stiggy HODGSON (67, 70, 71, 73) and Jamie DICK (71, 67, 71, 72) who all finished on -7 T21 will all be wishing they could play their final rounds again.

Welshman Richard JAMES will also be wondering what happened. He couldn’t have made a much better start with rounds of 69 and 66 but sadly fell away with a finishing 76 and 78.

English amateur Adam CHAPMAN (+3) finished T51. Two 76’s in rounds 2 and 4 effectively killing off any chances he had after an opening 69.

Will ENEFER (ENG), who turned pro before the event, finished on +12 68th after rounds of 74, 73, 77 and 76. The Shropshire youngster will now have to continue his golfing education on the development tours.

Irish 2015 Walker Cup player Jack HUME (IRE) withdrew with a neck injury after opening rounds of 75 and 77.

Two Europeans who turned pro before competing at Panoramica, Thomas PERROT (FRA) and Lars VAN MEIJEL (NED), both just missed out finishing together on -6 T28 alongside England’s Billy SPOONER.

For further background information on the 2016 European Tour Q-School please take a look at my previous posts: –
European Tour Q-School – 2016 Second Stage Preview (14/10/16 & 03/11/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Results (07/10/16)
European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Preview (11/09/16)

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

European Tour Q-School – 2016 Second Stage Preview

Posted on by

14th October 2016 (Updated 3rd November 2016)

The European Tour’s Second Qualifying Stage starts tomorrow at four venues in Spain and will be completed on Monday 7th November 2016.

The total Second Stage entry has now been settled at 322 players, with each of them allocated to one of the four courses.

The field includes all of the players that qualified from the eight First Stage events. Here’s my summary of the Amateur and GB&I qualifiers – European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Results

They are now joined by those players exempt from the First Stage. These include: –

  1. The leading 5 entrants as at 31st August 2016 to a limit of 15th place in the World Amateur Golf Ranking provided that they had applied to enter the First Stage by 31st August 2016.  
  2. European Tour Members in Categories 1-21 as at 31st August 2016.
  3. 2016 Challenge Tour Members in Ranking positions 1-90 as at 31st August 2016.
  4. 2016 Challenge Tour Members in positions 46-90 in the Final 2016 Rankings.
  5. Winners of the Qualifying School in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
  6. Winners of the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
  7. Winners of a PGA European Tour Order of Merit event prior to 1st January 2007.
  8. European Tour Members in positions 76-100 in the ET Career Money List on 31st August 2016.
  9. The No. 1 ranked player on The PGA EuroPro Tour, Pro Golf Tour, The Nordic League and ALPS Tour in their final Orders of Merit, unless already exempt under 11. below.
  10. The leading 4th-10th placed entrants as at 31st August to a limit of 25th place in the Order of Merits of The Asian Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, The Japan Golf Tour and The Sunshine Tour, provided that they had applied to enter the First Stage by 31st August 2016.
  11. The leading 6 entrants as at 31st August 2016 to a limit of 10th place in the Order of Merits of The PGA EuroPro Tour, Pro Golf Tour, The Nordic League and ALPS Tour, provided that they had applied to enter the First Stage by 31st August 2016.

17 players from each venue will progress to the Final Stage, which will be played at the PGA Catalunya Resort between 12th-17th November. Play-offs will take place to ensure that just 17 players progress from each site.

European Tour QS

A complete list of the amateur entries (AM), some new professionals (NP) as well as all the other GB&I players competing at Q-School’s Second Stage is provided below, along with links to the European Tour’s draw and leaderboard pages: –

CAMPO DE GOLF EL SALER – 7,057 yards, Par 72
Click here for the – El Saler Start Sheet
Click here for the  – El Saler Live Scores

Included within the 81 entries at El Saler are 28 from GB&I (35%).

James ABLETT (ENG)
Niklas ADANK AM (GER)
Alex BELT (ENG)
Wallace BOOTH (SCO)
Christian BRAEUNIG NP (GER) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Chris CARSTENSEN NP (GER) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Ashley CHESTERS (ENG)
Lee CLARKE (ENG)
Luke CORNFORD (ENG)
Dave COUPLAND (ENG)
Mark DAWE (ENG)
Ewen FERGUSON NP (SCO)
Daniel GAVINS (ENG)
Curtis GRIFFITHS (ENG)
Sam HUTSBY (ENG)
Liam JOHNSTON AM (SCO)
Niall KEARNEY (IRE)
Marcus KINHULT (SWE)
Josh LOUGHREY (ENG)
Nick MARSH (ENG)
James MAW (ENG)
Jack MCDONALD NP (ENG)
Adrian MERONK NP (PLD)
Paul NEWMAN (ENG)
Greg PAYNE (ENG)
Chris ROBB (SCO)
James ROBINSON (ENG)
Robin SCIOT-SIEGRIST NP (FRA)
Zane SCOTLAND (ENG)
Chris SELFRIDGE (IRE)
Cormac SHARVIN NP (IRE)
Nicholas SMITS AM (NED)
Joshua WHITE (ENG)
James WILKINSON (ENG)
Martin WOODBRIDGE (ENG)

LAS COLINAS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB – 6,974 yards, Par 71
Click here for the full – Las Colinas Start Sheet
Click here for the – Las Colinas Live Scores

Included within the 80 entries at Las Colinas are 27 from GB&I (34%).

James ALLAN (ENG)
Mauro ANDERI AM (GER)
David BOOTE AM (WAL)
Matias CALDERON AM (Chile)
Jonathan CALDWELL (IRE)
Jack COLEGATE (ENG)
Lee CORFIELD (ENG)
Ali DALGLIESH (ENG)
Joe DEAN NP (ENG)
Scott DRUMMOND (SCO)
Craig FARRELLY (ENG)
Paul FERRIER (SCO)
Grant FORREST NP (SCO)
Stephen GRANT (IRE)
Paul HENDRIKSEN (ENG)
Gary HURLEY NP (IRE)
Daniel KAY (SCO)
Chris LLOYD (ENG)
Stuart MANLEY (WAL)
Bradley NEIL (SCO)
Matthew NIXON (ENG)
Kevin PHELAN (IRE)
Adam RUNCIE (WAL)
Gregoire SCHOEB AM (FRA) 
Cameron SHAW AM (ENG)
Peter TARVER-JONES (ENG)
Peter WHITEFORD (SCO)
Dale WHITNELL (ENG)
Charlie WILSON (ENG)
Guy WOODMAN (ENG)

LUMINE GOLF & BEACH CLUB(Lakes Course) – 6,909 yards, Par 71
Click here for the full – Lumine Start Sheet
Click here for the – Lumine Live Scores

Included within the 81 entries at Lumine are 28 from GB&I (35%).

Ben AMOR AM (ENG) 
Matthew BALDWIN (ENG)
Jason BARNES (ENG)
Steven BROWN (ENG)
Charlie BULL (ENG)
Ivan CANTERO (ESP) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Robert COLES (ENG)
Sam CONNOR (ENG)
Rhys ENOCH (WAL)
Henry FEATHERSTONE (ENG)
Mark FOSTER (ENG)
Jordan GIBB (ENG)
Billy HEMSTOCK (ENG)
Paul HOWARD (ENG)
David R JAMES (ENG)
Ross KELLETT (SCO)
Sam KILOH (SCO)
Nathan KIMSEY (ENG)
Gudmundur KRISJANSSON AM (ILD)
David LAW (SCO)
Declan LOFTUS (IRE)
Nicolas MAHEUT NP (FRA) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Ruaidhri MCGEE (IRE)
Van PHILLIPS (ENG)
Tim RICE (IRE)
Jamie SAVAGE NP (SCO)
Max SCHMITT AM (GER)
Henry SMART (ENG)
Steve SURRY (ENG)
Ashton TURNER NP (ENG)
Nicolai VON DELLINGSHATUSEN NP (GER) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Matt WALLACE (ENG)
Daniel YOUNG NP (SCO)

PANORAMICA GOLF & SPORT RESORT – 7,030 yards, Par 72
Click here for the full – Panoramica Start Sheet
Click here for the – Panoramica Live Scores

Included within the 80 entries at Panoramica are 28 from GB&I (35%).

Laurie CANTER (ENG)
Brian CASEY (IRE)
Adam CHAPMAN AM (ENG)
Jamie DICK (ENG)
Chris DOAK (SCO)
Jack DOHERTY (SCO)
Will ENEFER NP (ENG) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Chris EVANS (ENG)
Charlie FORD (ENG)
Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG)
Jack HARRISON (ENG)
William HARROLD (ENG)
Thomas HIGSON (SCO)
Stiggy HODGSON (ENG)
Jack HUME NP (IRE)
Marco ITEN NP (SUI) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Richard JAMES (WAL)
Luke JOY (ENG)
Mark LASKEY (WAL)
Oliver LINDELL NP (FIN)
Paul MADDY (ENG)
Andrew MCARTHUR (SCO)
Nick MCCARTHY (ENG)
George MULLINS (ENG)
Tom MURRAY (ENG)
Thomas PERROT NP (FRA) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Jamie RUTHERFORD (ENG)
Thomas SHADBOLT (ENG)
Paul SHIELDS (SCO)
Billy SPOONER (ENG)
Lars VAN MEIJEL NP (NED) – TURNED PRO AHEAD OF 2ND STAGE
Matthew WEBB (ENG)

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Rodney Foster

Posted on by

13th October 2016

Rodney Foster is one of England’s and for that matter Great Britain’s best ever amateur golfers. After years of international representation this career amateur became a much respected and well liked ambassador for the game of golf.

Here is ‘an everything you need to know ‘list to record his more notable achievements in the amateur game.

1. He was born in Shipley on 13th October 1941. A lifelong Yorkshireman he was educated at Bradford Grammar School, before embarking on a career in insurance locally and living in the area to this day. He plays most of his golf at Ilkley nowadays.

2. His mother and father were both members of The Bradford Golf Club, his father being Captain in 1956. It was therefore inevitable that Rodney and his brother George would take up the game and quickly become proficient at it – both became scratch players, representing The Bradford club during their careers. It was at Bradford that Rodney developed his upright swing for which he was known.

3. He won the Yorkshire Amateur Championship five times, in 1963, ’64, ’65, ’67 and ’70. Locally he is also known for his dominance of the Bradford Open, which he won a record 10 times between 1960 and 1982.

4. He was capped for both England Boys (1958) and Youths (1959).

5. Rodney became a full Men’s International in 1963 and played for England annually in the Home Internationals between 1963 and 1971 (save for 1965). His elite playing career coming to end slightly prematurely in 1973 after he was involved in a serious car accident.

6. Rodney represented England in the European Amateur Team Championship in 1963, ’65, ’67, ’69, ’71 and ’73. England won this event three times with him in their team, in 1963, ’69 and ’71.

7. He won many other major amateur titles, most notably the Berkshire Trophy (1964) and the Lytham Trophy (1967 and 1968).

8. In 1964, probably his best playing year, he lost the final of the English Amateur Championship to Dr. David Marsh by 1 hole at Hollinwell.

9. He reached the semi-finals of The Amateur Championship in both 1962 (Hoylake) and 1965 (Porthcawl), losing firstly to Richard Davies from the USA by 3&2 and then to Michael Bonallack by 1 hole on his way to the title. He played in 20 Amateurs between 1962-82, winning 37 and losing 20 of his 57 matches.

img_4188Rodney Foster (Photo: R&A / 1979 Walker Cup Programme)

10. He tied with Michael Bonallack for the English Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship (Brabazon Trophy) in 1969 at Walton Heath (no play-off in those days) before successfully defending the title in 1970 at Little Aston.

11. He was a member of the winning GB&I Eisenhower Trophy team in 1964. He played with Michael Bonallack, Michael Lunt and Ronnie Shade in Olgiata, near Rome. He also represented Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) in 1970 in this competition.

12. He played in five consecutive Walker Cup‘s for GB&I, 1965, ’67, ’69, ’71 and ’73. However, as was the case with most golfers of this era, his playing record was disappointing – he played 17 games winning 2, losing 13 and halving 2.

13. He also represented Great Britain in the St. Andrews Trophy match against Europe in 1964, ’66, ’68 and ’70. GB won all four of these matches.

14. He was non-playing captain of England in 1976, ’77 and ’78, England winning the Home Internationals’ Raymond Trophy in his last two years.  He went on to become captain of the GB&I Walker Cup team in 1979 (Muirfield) and 1981 (Cypress Point). Both matches were lost, the former 8.5-15.5 and the latter 15.5-9.  In the middle year, 1980, he captained the St. Andrews Trophy Team which beat Europe 19.5-10.5 at Royal St. George’s.

15. Rodney also played for Great Britain in 1967 (Canada) and 1971 (New Zealand) in the now defunct Commonwealth Tournament, competing against teams from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

16. He set many course records during his career including those at The Bradford (66), Leeds (64), Prestbury (66) and Troon 70.

17. He has honorary membership of many Yorkshire clubs in recognition of his service to the county and international playing achievements. These include The Bradford, East Bierley, Halifax, Ilkley, Keighley, Shipley, West Bowling and Woodsome Hall.

18. Finally, as one would expect he is also a member of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

19. In December 2025 a biography, ‘Golf’s Golden Era – The Story of Rodney Foster’ by Robin Snook & Trevor Wilson was published. A copy can be acquired from the authors here.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2025, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Ronnie Shade MBE

Posted on by

15th October 2016

Ronnie Shade is one of Great Britain & Ireland’s best amateur golfers of all-time and probably Scotland’s very best. Indeed for a while in the mid-1960’s he was considered the best amateur in the world.

Ronald David Bell Mitchell Shade MBE was born on 15th October 1938 in Edinburgh.

He grew up playing golf at Duddingston Golf Club on the east side of the city where is father John was the club pro. He attended the nearby Portobello Secondary School.

Coached exclusively by his father he developed a somewhat mechanical swing but one that he could repeat and rely upon. He was known for keeping his head down well through impact.

“Before each shot, Ronnie goes through a series of seemingly odd contortions. These are his father’s idea. He believes that the muscles have to be ‘reminded’ of their role before each shot. Young Shade can be observed standing away from the ball posing in the top of the backswing position and flicking his hips. This is to ‘remind’ his hips to move first. His most unusual pose is the follow through which he performs and holds three three times before each stroke”  – World Sports Magazine, 1962. 

He quickly showed promise on the links winning the Edinburgh Boy’s Championship in 1954-55-56.

He represented Scotland in the Boys’ International Match in 1954-55-56, captaining the side in his final year.

He took his junior victories onto the national stage in 1954 firstly winning the British Youth’s Under 18 Open Championship by 3-shots at Dumfries and County GC. In 1956 he secured the Scottish Boys’ Amateur Championship beating AJ Hanley at North Berwick 7&6 in the final.

His best finish in the Boys’ Amateur Championship came in 1956 when he reached the semi-finals before losing 4&3 to CW Cole.

He was first selected for Scotland’s Men’s team in 1957, playing one match in The Amateur Internationals (now the Home internationals) against Ireland. He played in the Internationals in 1960-61-62-63-64-65-66-67-68 competing against all the home nations.

He is best known north of the border for winning five consecutive Scottish Amateur Championships between 1963-1967.

1963 – beat N Henderson 4&2 at Troon.
1964 – beat J McBeath 8&7 at Nairn.
1965 – beat GB Cosh 4&2 St. Andrews.
1966 – beat CJL Strachan 9&8 at Western Gailes.
1967 – beat AB Murphy 5&4 at Carnoustie.

When he lost in the fourth round of the 1968 Championship it brought to an end a staggering run of 43 successive match wins, 35 of them coming over 18 holes. His record could have been even better too as he also lost the 1962 final to SWT Murray 2&1 at Muirfield.

img_4165

Ronnie Shade (Photo: The Golfer’s Handbook 1964)

In 1968 Shade won the second Scottish Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, held at Prestwick, with a 282 total score.

He won the the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship (for the Brabazon Trophy) three times, in 1961-63-67.

In 1966 he lost the final of The Amateur Championship to South African Bobby Cole. Shade played in 8 Amateur’s between 1961 and 1968 winning 26 of his 34 games Whilst his 76.5% win percentage is nothing to be ashamed of Shade must have been disappointed that he couldn’t have performed better in our most prestigious event.

1961  Turnberry               –  5th rd loss to J Walker 2&1
1962  Royal Liverpool     – 2nd rd loss to GJ Butler 20th hole
1963  St Andrews            – 5th rd loss to Dr. ER Updegraff 3&2
1964  Ganton                   – 2nd rd loss to PF Brady 1 hole
1965  Royal Porthcawl    – 4th rd loss to W Hyndman III 2&1
1966  Carnoustie            – Runner up losing to RE Cole 3&2
1967  Formby                  – 5th rd loss to RB Dickson 2&1
1968  Troon                     – 6th rd loss to RL Glading 1 hole.

He represented Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) four times in the Walker Cup, playing in 1961-63-65-67. Ronnie Shade played  14 games winning 6, losing 6 and halving 2. In this era this represents a very creditable record.

1961  Seattle                      – USA 11 – 1 GB&I     P2  W0  L2  Ho
1963  Turnberry                 – GB&I 8 – 12 USA     P4  W2  L1  H1
1965  Baltimore                 – USA 11 – 11 GB&I   P4  W3  L1  H0
1967  Royal St. George’s  – GB&I 7 – 13 USA     P4  W1  L2  H1

Shade was selected for the 1962-64-66-68 GB&I teams for the Eisenhower Trophy. During the 1962 event he set a new course record at Kawana in Japan (66), in 1964 GB&I won the Trophy in Mexico (Shade played with Michael Bonallack, Rodney Foster and Michael Lunt) and in 1966 he was the leading individual player (283) with GB&I coming second (this time with Peter Oosterhuis and Gordon Cosh joining up with him and Bonallack).

In 1966 he won the Silver Medal for the low amateur at The Open Championship, finishing tied 16th. His only major championship appearances came in The Open which he played 14 times during his career.

The third Carling World Championship was held at Birkdale in 1966. Shade won the low amateur honours at this mixed pro and amateur event.


Ronnie Shade (Photo: The Golfer’s Handbook 1967)

In recognition of his outstanding 1966 he was awarded The Association of Golf Writers Trophy.

Ronnie was often referred to by his fellow players as “Right Down the Bloody Middle” – based on his initials – due to his consistent driving, which formed the bedrock of his play.

“No one I have ever seen, even to this day, hit the ball as straight as Ronnie did. He was an extraordinary player.” – Bernard Gallacher, The Scotsman, 2009. 

He was awarded an MBE in 1967 for services to golf whilst he was still an amateur and aged just 28.

Ronnie turned pro in late 1968 aged 30 and whilst he didn’t quite make it the move was not without some success. He won both the 1969 Carroll’s International and Ben Sayers Tournament in his rookie season. A smooth transition was not unexpected as Shade had a reputation for meticulous preparation in the amateur game which no doubt stood him in good stead. He finished 20th in the 1969 PGA Order of merit with prize money of £2,689. Fellow Lothians man Bernard Gallacher won the Order that year with £6,793. He got to 14th in the rankings in 1970 and finished in the top 60 every year until the mid-1970’s.

His only other pro wins came at the Scottish Professional Championship (1970) and Mufulira Open in Zambia (1975).

He represented Scotland at the World Cup three times, in 1970-71-72, and in the Double Diamond Internationals five times, in 1971-72-73-74-75.

Shade remained a strong match play exponent in the pro ranks, finishing runner-up at the British PGA Matchplay Championship in 1970 as well as reaching the semi-finals on two other occasions.

Ronnie Shade in 1973 (Photo: Fionnbar Callanan)

In 2005 in a Sunday Herald article by Golf Correspondent Nick Rodger Ronnie Shade was ranked 17th in a list of the Greatest Scottish Golfers.

After a long battle with cancer Ronnie Shade sadly died on 10th September 1986, just over 30 years ago, aged only 47. By this time he had been reinstated as an amateur golfer.

I have now written three profiles of Scottish golfers, Barclay Howard and Freddie Tait being the other two, and all of them have died well before their time.

His failure to lift The Amateur Championship leaves him just short of the greats of the GB&I amateur game in my eyes but his record remains one of the best and as such he deserves to be recognised and remembered.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2025, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The PGA European Tour’s December 2015 Accounts

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5th October 2016

The PGA European Tour (‘the Tour’) have recently submitted their 31st December 2015 Consolidated Audited Accounts to Companies House.

These always make interesting reading, even more so this year, where a lot more non-financial information has been provided.

The Tour’s group of companies primarily looks after the interests of its members; professional golfers competing on the European Tour, the European Challenge Tour and the European Senior Tour which are all run by the business.

Chairman David Williams was appointed on 1st January 2014 so these accounts cover his second year in charge. Keith Pelley replaced George O’Grady CBE as Chief Executive Officer on 3rd August 2015 so these were still early days for the new man at the helm.

The PGA European Tour businesses are dependent upon a continuing global interest in golf, television rights contracts, sponsorship contracts and the successful running of a number of key tournaments.

European Tour Logo

Flicking through the accounts, covering the 12 month period to 31st December 2015, the following caught my eye: –

1. A well publicised “new and revitalised” strategy has been adopted under Keith Pelley’s leadership. In his Chairman’s Report, written in June 2016, David Williams says “There is significant investment taking place in both upgrading our management capability and in our infrastructure.”  Pelley himself says in his CEO Report “we are currently augmenting our commercial operation, have undertaken a complete overhaul and restructuring of our digital operation, have instigated a legal department and established a players relations department which will continue to expand over the coming months to drive our Players’ First Philosophy.

2. The Strategic Report was quick to point out that “the year following a home Ryder Cup is typically financially challenging.” As most people know The Ryder Cup is critical to the ongoing welfare of the European Tour.

Subsidiary company Ryder Cup Europe LLP is responsible for the organisation of the Ryder Cup matches that take place in Europe. It is a partnership between the PGA European Tour (60%), the PGA (20%) and the PGAs of Europe (20%). The match is run in conjunction with the PGA of America and other subsidiaries appear to benefit from away matches to a degree.

3. Due to the massive impact of the Ryder Cup the Tour budgets over a four year cycle, taking in home and away Ryder Cups, with income understandably being much greater when the match is contested in Europe. The Tour makes profits (or occasionally modest losses) in Ryder Cup years and absorbs losses in alternate years when the match isn’t played but additional ongoing costs relating to the match have to be absorbed.

2014 marked the end of the last budgeting cycle with a new one commencing on 1st January 2015. So these accounts cover Year 1 of the current business budget / plan.

The Tour is currently forecasting losses for both 2016 and 2017 due to the additional business infrastructure investments being made. With the Ryder Cup being staged in Paris in 2018 a large profit is expected which it is hoped will offset all of the losses incurred in the first three years of the current plan.

4. The Tour’s Key Performance Indicators have been broadened and now include Profit Before Tax, Prize Funds, Playing Opportunities, Top-Ranked Player Participation, Average Annual Strength of Field Rating and Stakeholder Satisfaction.

5. Five key guiding philosophies are stated in the Strategic Report: –

a) Player First – to ensure that player’s want to compete on the European Tour.

b) Partner First – prize money drives player participation so sponsors need to be shown tangible value from their involvement.

c) A Global Business – the organisation needs to better reflect it’s international reach.

d) Consumer-Focussed – fan engagement is critical to driving sponsor involvement and player participation.

e) Disciplined In Our Business – focus on efficiency to maximise returns to members.

6. Sir Michael Bonallack OBE resigned as a non-executive / shadow director on 31st December 2015.

7. Turnover was £153,633,366 (2014: £231,382,079). This 34% decrease was primarily due to the 2014 numbers benefiting from the Ryder Cup match at Gleneagles.

8. A Net Loss Before Taxation of £7,154,041 was reported (2014: £17,586,362 Profit). This compares poorly with the record 2014 profit but reflects the reduced income and higher costs due to the ongoing strategic investments.

9. Cash balances at the year end were £13,953,368 (2014: £18,580,769. During the year the tour received Interest of £231,431 (2014: £148,443) on its surplus funds.

10. Total Members’ funds (Total Net Worth) decreased to £16,849,596 (2014 Restated: £25,173,188).

11. The Tour’s Intangible Assets include the title rights to the British Masters and the Scottish Open.

12. On average the Tour employed 205 (2014: 201 / 2013: 167) staff and 11 consultants (2014: 12) during the year. Net Staff Costs in 2015 were £14,955,545 (2014: £14,323,167). Net Staff Costs for 2015 include costs of £1,428,642 (2014: £2,642,221) relating to Ryder Cup Europe LLP (see 3) above).

13. The highest paid Director, which I believe would still have been George O’Grady, received remuneration (and bonuses) of £610,717 in 2015 (2014: £681,868, George O’Grady).

14. Some corporate restructuring has taken place as PGA European Tour Properties Ltd and Ryder Cup Europe Official Hospitality 2014 Limited are both no longer trading. The Tour therefore had at the year end four trading subsidiaries and four joint venture investments.

15. The Tour has to manage a number of trading risks. These are primarily: –

a) Foreign currency risks as it trades across many continents and countries. In 2015 a Net Foreign Exchange Gain of £53,555 was charged to the accounts (2014: Loss £127,597). Forward currency contracts are used when natural hedges are not fully available (i.e. when currency receipts broadly match payments)

b) Credit risks where the tour relies on promoters, sponsors and other customers fulfilling contracts that may have been entered into long before events take place. Payment track records and credit references are undertaken. At the end of the 2015 trading year the Group had Trade Debtors of £10,394,322 (2014: £17,596,253) so these are not inconsiderable sums. A bad debt provision of £460,760 (2014: 0) was required during the year.

16. The Tour made charitable donations, mainly to bodies engaged in the development of golf, of £775,513 in 2015 (2014: £710,952).

17. The Tour banks with Barclays and is audited by accountants Grant Thornton.

A disappointing material loss in isolation in 2015 but allowing for the Ryder Cup and the strategic investments being made it is clear that the European Tour remains in overall good financial health. Strong reserves and cash balances support the Tour through the troughs of it’s four year trading cycle.

It will be interesting to see how Keith Pelley executes the new strategy and the extent of the losses that will be reported in 2016 and 2017. Clearly it will be imperative that the 2018 Ryder Cup is a success so that it enables the Tour to fully recover the losses in 2015-17 and gives everyone hope that it can thrive as we move into the 2020’s.

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Results

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7th October 2016

The European Tour’s First Qualifying Stage has finished today with the completion of the two Section D competitions. The six other qualifiers were played over the previous three weeks with a total of 767 players competing.

71 Great British and Irish (GB&I) players have successfully negotiated this first step including five of our amateurs. In total 204 players qualified including 18 amateurs.

Well done to all 18 amateurs but specifically the GB&I ones, namely David BOOTE (WAL), Adam CHAPMAN (ENG), Will ENEFER (ENG), Liam JOHNSTON (SCO) and Cameron SHAW (ENG).

The four Second Qualifying Stage competitions will be played on 4-7 November 2016 in Spain. The courses are once again Panoramica Golf & Sport Resort in Castellan, Lumine Golf & Beach Club in Tarragona, Las Colinas Golf & Country Club in Alicante and Campo de Golf El Saler in Valencia. The draws for these events are scheduled to be made on 14th October 2016.

Here is a complete list of all the GB&I and Amateur qualifiers from the First Stage: –

Section D Results Update

FRILFORD HEATH, ENGLAND (6-9 October)
Click here for the – Frilford Heath Q-School Results

25 players qualified for the Frilford Heath event including: –

T1. Daniel KAY (SCO) -9
T3. Ashton TURNER (ENG) -8
T3. Luke CORNFORD (ENG) -8
T5. Joe DEAN (ENG) -7
T5. Niall KEARNEY (IRE) -7
T5. Jonathan CALDWELL (IRE) -7
9. Chris EVANS (ENG) -6
T10. Jamie RUTHERFORD (ENG) -5
T10. David BOOTE AM (WAL) -5
T12. Lee CLARKE (ENG) -4
T12. Dale WHITNELL (ENG) -4
T16. Nick MARSH (ENG) -3
T16. Billy SPOONER (ENG) -3
T18. Zane SCOTLAND (ENG) -2
T21. Adam CHAPMAN AM (ENG) -1
T21. Nathan KIMSEY (ENG) -1
T23. James WILKINSON (ENG) Ev
T23. Gudmundur KRISJANSSON AM (ISL) Ev

BOGOGNO, ITALY (4-7 October)
Click here for the – Bogogno Q-School Results

29 players qualified for the Bogogno event including: –

1.Marco ITEN AM (SUI) -17
2. Lars VAN MEIJEL AM (NED) -14
7. James ALLEN (ENG) -10
T8. Max SCMITT AM (GER) -7
T15. Luke JOY (ENG) -5
T20. Lee CORFIELD (ENG) -2
T25. Chris DOAK (SCO) -1

_____________________________________________

30th September 2016

Section C Results Update

RIBAGOLFE, PORTUGAL (27-30 September)
Click here for the – Ribagolfe Q-School Results

24 players qualified from the Ribagolfe event including: –

1. Henry SMART (ENG) -12
T5. Thomas SHADBOLT (ENG) -6
T8. Henry FEATHERSTONE (ENG) -5
T12. Thomas PERROT AM (FRA) -4
T20. Paul NEWMAN (ENG) -2
T22. Declan LOFTUS (IRE) -1

HARDELOT, FRANCE (27-30 September)

Click here for the – Hardelot Q-School Results

26 players qualified from the Hardelot event including: –

T1. Nicolas MAHEUT AM (FRA)
T6. Nick McCarthy (ENG) -4
T6. Peter TARVER-JONES (ENG) -4
T8. Gregoire SCHOEB AM (FRA) -3
T10. Mauro ANDERI AM (GER) -2
T10. Wallace BOOTH (SCO) -2
T10. Jack HARRISON (ENG) -2
T15. James ABLETT (ENG) -1
T15. James MAW (ENG) -1
T17. Charlie BULL (ENG) Ev
T17. Paul HENDRIKSEN (ENG) Ev
T17. Tim RICE (IRL) Ev

______________________________________________

European Tour QS

23rd September 2016

Section B Results Update

COLLINGTREE PARK, ENGLAND (20-23 September)
Click here for the – Collingtree Park Q-School Results

27 players qualified from the Collingtree Park event including:-

1. Simon GRIFFITHS (ENG) -14
2. Dave COUPLAND (ENG) -12
3. Alex BELT (ENG) -11
T4. Brian CASEY (IRE) -10
T4. Martin WOODBRIDGE (ENG) -10
T7. Ali DALGLIESH (ENG) -9
T7. Steve SURRY (ENG) -9
T13. Ashley CHESTERS (ENG) -8
T13. Will ENEFER AM (ENG) -8
T13. George MULLINS (ENG) -8
17. Charlie WILSON (ENG) -7
T18. Ben AMOR (ENG) -6
T18. Mark DAWE (ENG) -6
T21. Jamie DICK (ENG) -5
T21. David R. JAMES (ENG) -5
T21. Nicholas SMITS AM (NED) -5

EBREICHSDORF, AUSTRIA (20-23 September)
Click here for the – Ebreichsdorf Q-School Results

26 players qualified from the Ebreichsdorf event including: –

1. Bradley NEIL (SCO) -18
T12. Robin SCIOT-SIEGRIST (FRA) -12
T14. Christian BRAEUNIG AM (GER) -11
T21. Jordan GIBB (ENG) -9

_______________________________________________

16th September 2016

Section A Results Update

THE ROXBURGHE, SCOTLAND (13-16 September)
Click here for the – Roxburghe Q-School Results

22 players qualified from the Roxburghe event including: –

1. Chris LLOYD (ENG) -15
3. Jack DOHERTY (SCO) -11
T4. Sam CONNOR (ENG) -9
T4. Liam JOHNSTON AM (SCO) -9
7. Ewen FERGUSON (SCO) -8
8. Matthew WEBB (ENG) -7
T9. Paul FERRIER (SCO) -6
T9. Cormac SHARVIN (IRE) -6
11. Daniel YOUNG (SCO) -5
T12. Sam KILLOH (SCO) -4
T15. Thomas HIGSON (SCO) -3
T15. Jamie SAVAGE (SCO) -3
T15. Cameron SHAW AM (ENG) -3
T18. Jack COLEGATE (ENG) -1
T18. Jack MCDONALD (SCO) -1
T18. Chris ROBB (SCO) -1
T18. Adam RUNCIE (WAL) -1

FLEESENSEE, GERMANY (13-16 September)
Click here for the – Fleesensee Q-School Results

25 players qualified from the Fleesensee event including: –

5. Christopher CARSTENSEN AM (GER) -11
12. Niklas ADANK AM (GER) -6
T13. Craig FARRELLY (ENG) -5
17. Stephen GRANT (IRE) -4
19. Nicolai VON DELLINGSHATUSEN AM (GER) -3

For more information on the European Tour Q-School and it’s amateur entries please take a look at my earlier article – European Tour Q-School – 2016 First Stage Preview

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

2016 World Amateur Team Championship – Results

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25th September 2016

AUSTRALIA won the 2016 World Amateur Team Championship by a huge 19-shots.

Equalling the 72 hole scoring record (534 / -38) their team of Cameron DAVIS, Harrison ENDYCOTT and Curtis LUCK took control of the event on Day 2 and never looked back. It was the fourth time Australia had won the Eisenhower Trophy, following victories in 1958, 1966 and 1996.

Australia – Harrison Endycott, Cameron Davis, Curtis Luck, Matt Cutler – with the Eisenhower Trophy (Photo: Golf Australia)

ENGLAND (-19) collected the silver medal with AUSTRIA and IRELAND (-18) sharing bronze. Alfie PLANT holed a 9-foot birdie putt on the last to secure second place for England. The Irish team appeared to have second sown up but a double bogey from Jack HUME (68) and a bogey from Stuart GREHAN (72), in their two counting rounds, ended up costing them dear.

It is the first time that both ENGLAND and IRELAND have medalled since the home nations started competing individually rather than under the Great Britain & Ireland banner.

SCOTLAND (-11) will be disappointed with their 11th place finish, given the team they put out and particularly after their strong start on Day 1 when they finished in the lead on -10.

I would have thought WALES would be pleased with their T16 result. David BOOTE (-9) as expected was the bedrock of the team but Owen EDWARDS and Joshua DAVIES both contributed two rounds to the overall team score.

Team Results
1.       AUSTRALIA     -38
2.       ENGLAND       -19
T3.     IRELAND         -18
11.     SCOTLAND     -11
T16.   WALES             -8

T6.     USA                 -15

The full 2016 WATC Eisenhower Trophy team results can be accessed here: –
Eisenhower Trophy Team Results

AUSTRALIA’s Cameron DAVIS (269 / -17) recorded the Championship’s lowest individual score. His compatriot Curtis LUCK (271 / -15) finished second, helped in no small part by a 63 (-9) in Friday’s third round.

Cameron DAVIS, as the winner of the low individual, earnt a start at the US PGA Tour’s OHL Classic which is played at the same El Camaleon Course at Mayakoba upon which Australia won on Saturday.

England’s Alfie PLANT (-12) was GB&I’s leading player at the Championship. David BOOTE (-9), Jack HUME (-7) and Paul MCBRIDE (-5) all played very well too, finishing in the Top 20 Individual standings.

Individual Results
T3.      Alfie PLANT (ENG)              -12
9.        David BOOTE (WAL)            -9
T11.    Jack HUME (IRE)                  -7
T20.    Paul MCBRIDE (IRE)            -5
T27.    Robert MCINTYRE (SCO)    -3
T38.    Connor SYME (SCO)            Ev
T38.    Grant FORREST (SCO)        Ev
T38.    Scott GREGORY (ENG)       Ev
T48.    Stuart GREHAN (IRE)         +2
T53.    Jamie BOWER (ENG)         +3
T71.    Owen EDWARDS (WAL)     +5
T100.  Joshua DAVIES (WAL)       +11

The 2016 WATC Eisenhower Trophy individual results can be accessed here: –
Eisenhower Trophy Individual Results

For more information on the World Amateur Team Championship please read my earlier article – 2016 World Amateur Team Championship – Preview

For the record I predicted AUSTRALIA would win, I said the home nations would all do well and that the United States would not finish in the Top 3. I was let down by FRANCE and ITALY though !

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.