Vincent Lombardi, was born in New York on 11th June 1913. He is arguably the greatest American Football coach of all time.
He made his name with the Green Bay Packers who dominated the National Football League in the 1960s. His focus on hard work, simplicity and execution coupled with his ability to teach, motivate and inspire players has made him a legendary figure in the world of sport. It is his name that adorns the Super Bowl trophy awarded to the champion football team each year.
Vince Lombardi
To celebrate the anniversary of his birthday here are 20 of his most thought provoking and inspiring quotes: –
1. “Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.” – Vince Lombardi
2. “Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It’s something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.” – Vince Lombardi
3. “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour.” – Vince Lombardi
4. “….work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” – Vince Lombardi
5. “Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible. Most important, you must pay the price to stay there.” – Vince Lombardi
6. “The only place where Work comes before Success is in the dictionary….there is no substitute for work.” – Vince Lombardi
7. “I’ve never known a man worth his salt who, in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn’t appreciate the grind, the discipline. “ – Vince Lombardi
8. “Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It’s a state of mind – you could call it character in action.” – Vince Lombardi
9. “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” – Vince Lombardi
10. “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi
11. “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of the goal.” – Vince Lombardi
12. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.” – Vince Lombardi
13. “If you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.” – Vince Lombardi
14. “No leader, however great, can long continue unless he wins battles. The battle decides all.” – Vince Lombardi
15. “….I firmly believe that any man’s finest hours – his greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear – is that moment when he has worked his heart out in good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.” – Vince Lombardi
16. “Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.” – Vince Lombardi
17. “Don’t succumb to excuses. Go back to the job of making the corrections and forming the habits that will make your goal possible.” – Vince Lombardi
18. “Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser.” – Vince Lombardi
19. “The objective is to win: fairly, squarely, decently, win by the rules, but still win.” – Vince Lombardi
20. “Second place is meaningless. You can’t always be first, but you have to believe that you should have been – that you were never beaten – that time just ran out on you.” – Vince Lombard
UPDATE – Italy’s Frederico Zucchetti (-2) won the 2015 Links Trophy with compatriot Filippo Campigli (-1) second. The competition was reduced to 54-holes after strong winds saw Saturday’s Rd. 2 cancelled on the Jubilee Course.
144 golfers from 22 different countries will tee off tomorrow in the 27th St. Andrews Links Trophy, a Championship which has quickly established itself as one of the ‘Majors’ in men’s amateur golf. Played over three days the competition will finish this Sunday, 7th June.
A list of all the past winners can be found in an Appendix at the end of this article. The most famous is Justin Rose who won the Links Trophy in 1997. Only Craig Watson (1992 and 1998) and Barclay Howard (1994 and 1996) have won the title twice. Interestingly given the cosmopolitan nature of the field the trophy has only been won by players from outside Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) twice – Australia’s Stuart Bovier in 1990 and Daan Huizing from The Netherlands in 2012. Huizing, who had won the Lytham Trophy by 11 shots just a few weeks earlier, set a scoring record of -23 (65 New, 64, 68 and 67 all Old) and won by an astonishing 14 shots.
Competition Format
The Links Trophy is a 72 hole stroke play competition normally played over a combination of the Old and New Courses on the first weekend in June. Due to ongoing preparations for The Open the Jubilee is unusually being used for two rounds in 2015.
Entry, which cost £60 this year and closed at the end of April, was open to golfers whose handicap did not exceed scratch (0.4). After various National Golf Union nominations the ‘ballot’ is determined by World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) rather than handicap as is more often the case. This year, when the entries were finalised and ignoring nominations, the lowest qualifying player stood at 563rd in the WAGR list.
Days 1 and 2 will see a total of 36 holes contested on the Jubilee, a 6,742 yard par 72 course (white tees) that many believe to be the toughest across the whole Links.
Following a top 40 and ties cut the remaining players will contest a final day 36 holes on the Old, which plays 6,721 yards, again to a par of 72 (white tees).
With The Open being held at St. Andrews in 6 weeks time most of the stands and signage will be in place which will no doubt add to the event’s atmosphere this year.
The winner will be the player who returns the lowest 72 hole score. In the event of a tie a sudden death play-off will be held over holes 1 and 18. Ties for other places are decided by the lowest score for the last 18 holes or the last 9 or 6 or 3 or 2 or 1 hole if necessary.
The field is impressive with many world renowned amateur players competing. Teams come in force from the Commonwealth and with the US College season all but done virtually all of the top GB&I players will be on show. You don’t normally travel from Australia or South Africa to an event in Scotland unless you have a bit of game ! Players of particular note this year, at least in terms of their high Scratch Players World Amateur ranking * (SPWAR – shown in brackets alongside nationality), are: –
Ryan Ruffels (AUS / 19) – Australian Boys champion in 2014 and 2015. Cormac Sharvin (IRE / 21) – Recently placed at Lytham as well as the Irish and Scottish Amateurs. Gary Hurley (IRE / 22) – finalist at the Spanish Amateur and 2015 Palmer Cup team member. Romain Langasque (FRA / 26) – recent winner of the Southern Cross Invitational and Mouchy Cup. Mario Galliano (ESP / 29) – early season winner of the Beleares Cup and European Nations event. Lucas Herbert (AUS / 30) – finished 4th, setting a new CR, at last week’s Scottish Amateur. Ashley Chesters (ENG / 32) – 2013 and 2014 European Amateur champion. 2nd in Welsh Amateur. Nick Marsh (ENG / 35) – Top 10s in the West of England, Welsh and Scottish Amateurs in 2015. Cameron Davis (AUS / 36) – 2015 Australian Amateur champion. Grant Forrest (SCO / 44) – defending champion with solid 2015 US College form. Ewen Ferguson (SCO / 47) – two wins in Scotland in 2015 and recent Top 5 at Irish & Scottish Ams. Gavin Moynihan (IRE / 48) – 2013 Walker Cup player with welcome win at the Irish Amateur in May. Ben Eccles (AUS / 57) – Top 10s in most of the big 2015 Australian amateur events. Teaghan Gauche (RSA / 65) – Northern Open champion with a good home season behind him. Jack Hume (IRE / 69) – greatearly season form overseas, albeit form has dipped a little back home. Craig Ross (SCO / 73) – winner on the 2014 EuroPro Tour and is a consistent performer. Jason Smith (RSA / 78) – South African SP champion in 2014 with sound 2015 form. Mattias Eggenberger (SUI / 79) – Good experience in GB&I whilst a student at Stirling University. Taylor MacDonald (AUS / 81) – 2014 Federal Amateur Open champion and 4th at Riversdale Cup. Daniel Young (SCO / 82) – 2015 South African Amateur finalist and winner of the Battle Trophy.
Other players whose recent form also places them in the favourites bracket are: –
Dermot McElroy (IRE / 90) – West of Ireland champion, with top 10s at Lytham and in the Irish. James Allan (ENG / 110) – winner of the Hampshire Salver, West of England and Lagonda. Jimmy Mullen (ENG / 114) – good 2015 form culminating in a win at the Welsh Amateur. Antonio Murdaca (AUS / 125) – 2015 Asia Pacific Amateur and South Australia Amateur champion. Marco Penge (ENG / 126) – winner of the junior McEvoy Trophy and Scottish Amateur in 2015. Ashton Turner (ENG / 144) – Darwin Salver winner. Top 10s – Duncan Putter, Lytham and Scottish.
* The SPWAR quoted were accurate as at 3rd June 2015.
You may also find it interesting to look through some betting odds for the St. Andrews Links Trophy – here’s the SkyBET assessment of the field.
Weather Forecast (@Thurs 4th June, 8.00am)
Fri 5th May – Overcast. Wind 16 mph. Max. 17°C / Min 8°C.
Sat 6th May – Partly Cloudy. Wind 28 mph. Max. 14°C / Min 7°C.
Sun 7th May – Partly Cloudy. Wind 21 mph. Temp. Max. 15°C / Min 6°C.
Prizes
The winner receives The St Andrews Links Trophy and this year a cheque for £500. The runner-up and third place finisher also receive commemorative medals. Reducing cash prizes are awarded to the top 10 finishers in all. In addition to the main prizes The Ian Forbes Memorial Cup is awarded for the best aggregate score on the first two days of the event – this year played solely on the Jubilee.
Appendix – Past Winners
As one would expect for a competition held at the home of golf the list of past winner’s is impressive:-
2014 Grant Forrest (SCO) 278 (after play-off)
2013 Neil Raymond (ENG) 282
2012 Daan Huizing (NED) 264 (lowest 72 hole score)
2011 Tom Lewis (ENG) 279
2010 Matthew Southgate (ENG) 275
2009 Alan Dunbar (N.I.) 285
2008 Keir McNicoll (SCO) 283
2007 Llewellyn Matthews (WAL) 273
2006 Oliver Fisher (ENG) 280
2005 Lloyd Saltman (SCO) 275
2004 Jamie McLeary (SCO) 284
2003 Richard Finch (ENG) 276
2002 Simon MacKenzie (SCO) 289
2001 Steven O’Hara (SCO) 281
2000 Matthew King (ENG) 140 (36 holes only)
1999 David Patrick (SCO) 152 (36 holes only)
1998 Craig Watson (SCO) 276
1997 Justin Rose (ENG) 284
1996 Barclay Howard (SCO) 282
1995 Graham Rankin (SCO) 276
1994 Barclay Howard (SCO) 294
1993 Garry Hay (SCO) 280
1992 Craig Watson (SCO) 281
1991 Ricky Willison (ENG) 289
1990 Stuart Bovier (AUS) 280
1989 Russell Claydon (ENG) 284
UPDATE – The 11 qualifiers from the Walton Heath IQS were Alexander Levy (-11), Shiv Kapur (-10), John Parry (-9), Alex Noren (-8), Lucas Bjerregaard (-7), Jason Palmer (-7), Marcel Siem (-6). After a play-off they were joined by Marcus Fraser, Garth Mulroy, Thomas Aiken and Tjaart Van Der Walt (-5). Wales’ Oliver Farr missed out (albeit he subsequently gained entry when an extra space was released by the USGA).
South Korea’s Byeong-Hun An, making his Wentworth debut this week, has today qualified for the U.S. Open by winning the BMW P.G.A. Championship with a record low score of -21.
The 115th U.S. Open Championship will be played between 18th and 21st June 2015 at Chambers Bay, a public course in Washington State.
My previous post on Local Qualifying contained background information on the number of entries received in 2015 and the 111 18-hole Local Qualifying competitions that have already been played in the United States earlier in May.
Nine players from Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) successfully negotiated this Local Qualifying, namely James Heath (ENG), Steven Smith (SCO), Samuel Osborne (ENG), Thomas Curtis (ENG), Charles Bull (ENG), Daniel Keddie (A) (ENG), John Igoe (IRE), Jonathan Hewett (A) (ENG) and James Kerr (IRE).
Next up is the 36-hole Sectional Qualifying stage. This starts tomorrow morning with two International events; one at Walton Heath GC in England and the other at Kinojo GC in Japan. These final stage fields are made up of players who have progressed, or are exempt from, Local Qualifying. Again the number of qualifying spots into the U.S. Open Championship will be determined by the quality and quantity of the final fields at each location.
Walton Heath has hosted an International Qualifier since 2005, the first year the United States Golf Association introduced them. The field is always strong as the prize is great and the scheduling means it is played immediately after the BMW PGA Championship which takes place at nearby Wentworth.
Byeong-Hun An had entered but will now have Monday off. However, Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry, Mark Warren, Matteo Manassero, Robert Karlsson, Nicholas Colsaerts, Andy Sullivan, Marcel Siem, Robert Rock, Richie Ramsay, Tyrrell Hatton, Francesco Molinari and Alexander Levy are all currently expected to be on show tomorrow. James Heath also looks like he has returned to these shores to compete in his second qualifier.
As recently as 2009 Lucas Glover won the U.S. Open having started out in Sectional Qualifying. Prior to that Jerry Pate (1976), Steve Jones (1996) and Michael Campbell (2005) all achieved the same feat. Of course Michael Campbell played at Walton Heath in that very first International Qualifier before famously going on to win at Pinehurst.
I wonder if the 2015 U.S. Open champion will be teeing it up tomorrow at the famous Surrey heathland club ?
For completeness a further ten Sectional Qualifiers are also scheduled to be held across the United States on 8th June. These are being played at: –
– Big Canyon CC & Newport Beach CC, Newport Beach, California
– The Bear’s Club, Jupiter, Florida
– Hawks Ridge GC, Ball Ground, Georgia
– Woodmont CC (North Course), Rockville, Maryland
– Old Oaks CC & Century CC, Purchase, New York
– Brookside G&CC & Lakes G&CC, Columbus, Ohio
– Springfield CC, Springfield, Ohio
– Germantown CC & Ridgeway CC, Memphis, Tennessee
– Northwood Club, Dallas, Texas
– Tumble Creek Club, Cle Elum, Washington.
Once finished the final field for the 2015 U.S. Open will be completed save for one final check on the Official World Golf Rankings on 15th June – the Top 60 on this date being assured of a starting spot. We can then look forward to the Championship proper.
The 115th U.S. Open Championship will be played between 18th and 21st June 2015 at Chambers Bay, a public course in Washington State.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) received 9,882 entries for this year’s U.S. Open. Any golfer with a handicap of less than 1.4 could apply. Entries were accepted from golfers in all 50 states of the United States and from 63 foreign countries. This is the second highest entry ever beaten only by the 10,127 received for the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst.
At the start of May, just 49 players, including 11 past champions, were currently fully exempt into the final 156-player field. The number of full exemptions will rise with the inclusion of the top 60 in the Official World Golf Rankings as at 25th May and 15th June. The winners of The Players Championship (the already exempt Rickie Fowler) and the European Tour BMW PGA Championship (currently in course) also earn exemptions.
The rest of the U.S. Open field will be made up of players who have had to pre-qualify, starting their Championship in Local Qualifying or for the higher ranked Sectional Qualifying.
Local Qualifying has already been completed. It was played over 18 holes at 111 sites in the United States taking place between 4th and 21st May. The number of players who progressed to Sectional Qualifying from each Local Qualifier was determined by the size of the field at each site.
It may be a long road to the Championship from here but it is not necessarily a fruitless one. In 2014, 24 competitors made it into the field at Pinehurst No. 2 having started out in Local Qualifying. Better still Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) both won the Championship having first played in Local (and then Sectional) Qualifying.
With little fanfare nine players from Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) have progressed through Local Qualifying in the last few weeks. The full list of qualifiers can be seen here – 2015 U.S. Open Local Qualifying Results – but I have listed the successful GB&I players individually below: –
May 11, 2015 Amelia Island, Fla.Amelia National Golf & Country Club James Heath – ENGLAND 68
May 11, 2015 Lake Mary, Fla.Timacuan Golf & Country Club Steven Smith – SCOTLAND 67
May 11, 2015 Sarasota, Fla.TPC Prestancia (Stadium Course) Samuel Osborne – ENGLAND 69
May 13, 2015 Orlando, Fla.Shingle Creek Golf Club Thomas Curtis – ENGLAND 69
May 13, 2015 Williamsport, PaWilliamsport Country Club Charles Bull – ENGLAND 71
May 13, 2015 Knoxville, Tenn.Holston Hills Country Club Daniel Keddie (Amateur) – ENGLAND 68
May 14, 2015 Farmingdale, N.Y.Bethpage State Park (Red Course) John Igoe – REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 65
May 18, 2015 Flossmoor, Ill. Flossmoor Country Club Jonathan Hewett (Amateur) – ENGLAND 68 James Kerr – REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 69
Sectional Qualifying starts tomorrow, Monday 25th May, at Walton Heath GC in England and Kinojo GC in Japan with two 36-hole International events. More about this next stage shortly, which includes 10 further events in the United States on 8th June. Good luck to the nine players listed above in Sectional Qualifying – it would be great to see some of them playing at Chambers Bay next month.
The 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championships started on Thursday at courses across the United States. The six 54-hole Regional tournaments (Stage 1) have now been completed.
13 college teams and 10 top performing individuals (not on those teams) competed in the Regionals at Chapel Hill, Lubbock and San Diego. Meanwhile 14 teams and 5 individuals (not on those teams) played at Bremerton, New Haven and Noblesville.
The low 5 teams and the low individual (not on those teams) from each Regional have now advanced to the Championship Final. 156 players will play in the Final which is being played at the end of this month in Florida.
Just 5 of the 22 GB&I players competing in the Regionals have progressed to the Final – PaulDunne (UAB), ThomasRowland (Charlotte), David Boote (Stanford), Ryan Fricker (South Florida) and Benjamin Taylor (LSU). The Final is to be played at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, the home course of South Florida, between 29th May and 3rd June.
The results for the GB&I players competing at the NCAA Division I Men’s Regionals are shown below: –
Gold Mountain Golf Club – Bremerton, Washington Teams (14):
T7 Paul Dunne – University of Alabama at Birmingham – 67, 71, 72 (-6)
T28 Jamie Clare – Virginia Commonwealth University – 75, 73, 69 (+1)
Team positions – UAB (-21) 1st and VCU (+6) T9.
Individual leader – Kyle Mueller, Michigan (-9).
University of North Carolina Finley Golf Course – Chapel Hill, North Carolina Teams (13):
T4 Thomas Rowland – Charlotte – 71, 72, 67 (-6)
T13 Robert MacIntyre – McNeese State University – 70, 72, 72 (-2)
T32 David Boote – Stanford University – 75, 68, 75 (+2)
T41 Paul McBride – Wake Forest – 73, 75, 72 (+4) Individuals (10):
T23 Ryan Cornfield – University of South Carolina Upstate – 73, 70, 74 (+1)
T49 Ben Wheeler – Coastal Carolina University – 74, 75, 72 (+5)
Team positions – Charlotte (-19) 1st, Stanford (-14) 2nd, McNeese State (+3) 7th and Wake Forest (+10) 10th.
Individual leader – J.T. Poston, Western Carolina (-7, after play-off).
The Rawls Course – Lubbock, Texas Teams (13):
T33 J.J. Grey – Georgia State University – 67, 71, 77 (+2)
T39 Eamonn Bradley – Southeastern Louisiana State University – 72, 71, 73 (+3)
T66 Lawrence Allan – Southeastern Louisiana State University – 74, 77, 74 (+12)
T71 Cameron Shaw – University of California, Berkeley – 77, 76, 77 (+17) Individuals (10):
T50 Tomasz Anderson – Jacksonville State University – 75, 71, 72 (+5)
Team positions – California (-4) 7th, Southeastern Louisiana (+4) 9th and Georgia State (+19) 12th.
Individual leader – Robin Sciot-Siegrist, Louisville (-5, after play-off).
The Course at Yale – New Haven, Connecticut Teams (14):
T11 Ryan Fricker – University of South Florida – 71, 70, 67 (-2)
T17 Benjamin Taylor – Louisiana State University – 73, 73, 65 (+1) Individuals (5):
T11 George Williams – Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus – 73, 70, 65 (-2)
Team positions – South Florida (-14) 1st and LSU (+9) 5th.
Individual leader – Tolver Dozier, Troy (-4, after play-off).
The Sagamore Club – Noblesville, Indiana Teams (14):
T46 Daniel Park – Alabama State University – 77, 75, 75 (+11) Individuals (5):
10th Chris Selfridge – University of Toledo – 73, 71, 71 (-1)
Team positions – Alabama State (+47) 13th.
Individual leader – David Oraee, Colorado (-7).
The Farms Golf Club – Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, California Teams (13):
13th Pavan Sagoo – St. Mary’s College of California – 72, 74, 70 (E)
T21 Daniel Sutton – University of Idaho – 71, 72, 76 (+3)
T36 Grant Forrest – University of San Diego – 74, 72, 77 (+7)
T40 Rhys Pugh – East Tennessee State University – 81, 73, 70 (+8)
Team positions – East Tennessee (+12) 7th, St. Mary’s CA (+18) 8th and San Diego (+25) T10 and Idaho (+25) T10.
Individual leader – Gudmundur Kristjansson, East Tennesssee State (-3).
Further Information:
Access to the full Regional lives scores / results can be found here – Golfstat
Rd. 1 NCAA DI GB&I Regional Scores can be found here – Rd. 1 Scores
Rd. 2 NCAA D1 GB&I Regional Scores can be found here – Rd. 2 Scores
An Introduction to US College can be found here – US College Golf
The 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championships started on Thursday across the United States. 36-holes have now been played in the six 54-hole Regional tournaments (Stage 1) with the final round to be played later today.
13 college teams and 10 top performing individuals (not on those teams) are competing in the Regionals at Chapel Hill, Lubbock and San Diego. Meanwhile 14 teams and 5 individuals (not on those teams) are playing at Bremerton, New Haven and Noblesville.
The low 5 teams and the low individual not on those teams from each Regional will advance to the Championship Final. 180 players at the Regionals will therefore be whittled down to a field of 156 for the Final which is being played at the end of this month in Florida.
Here’s how Great Britain and Ireland’s 22 players have got on on Day 2: –
Gold Mountain Golf Club – Bremerton, Washington Teams (14):
T2 Paul Dunne – University of Alabama at Birmingham – 67, 71 (-6)
T36 Jamie Clare – Virginia Commonwealth University – 75, 73 (+4)
Team positions – UAB (-11) 2nd and VCU (+16) 11th.
Individual leader – Cheng-Tsung Pan, Washington (-8).
University of North Carolina Finley Golf Course – Chapel Hill, North Carolina Teams (13):
T11 Robert MacIntyre – McNeese State University – 70, 72 (-2)
T15 Thomas Rowland – Charlotte – 71, 72 (-1)
T15 David Boote – Stanford University – 75, 68 (-1)
T48 Paul McBride – Wake Forest – 73, 75 (+4) Individuals (10):
T14 Ryan Cornfield – University of South Carolina Upstate – 73, 70 (-1)
T54 Ben Wheeler – Coastal Carolina University – 74, 75 (+5)
Team positions – Stanford (-11) 1st, North Carolina (-1) T6, McNeese State (+4) 9th and Wake Forest (+6) 10th.
Individual leader – J.T. Boston, Western Carolina (-8).
The Rawls Course – Lubbock, Texas Teams (13):
T6 J.J. Grey – Georgia State University – 67, 71 (-4)
T34 Eamonn Bradley – Southeastern Louisiana State University – 72, 71 (+1)
T67 Lawrence Allan – Southeastern Louisiana State University – 74, 77 (+9)
T70 Cameron Shaw – University of California, Berkeley – 77, 76 (+11) Individuals (10):
T51 Tomasz Anderson – Jacksonville State University – 75, 71 (+4)
Team positions – Southeastern Louisiana (-4) 5th, California (-2) 8th and Georgia State (+3) 10th.
Individual leader – K.K. Limbhasut, California (-8).
The Course at Yale – New Haven, Connecticut Teams (14):
T12 Ryan Fricker – University of South Florida – 71, 70 (+1)
T36 Benjamin Taylor – Louisiana State University – 73, 73 (+6) Individuals (5):
T21 George Williams – Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus – 73, 70 (+3)
Team positions – South Florida (-3) 1st and LSU (+21) 10th.
Individual leader – Jordan Niebrugge, Oklahoma State (-6).
The Sagamore Club – Noblesville, Indiana Teams (14):
T43 Daniel Park – Alabama State University – 77, 75 (+8) Individuals (5):
9th Chris Selfridge – University of Toledo – 73, 71 (E)
Team positions – Alabama State (+44) 13th.
Individual leader – Jonathan Garrick, UCLA (-7).
The Farms Golf Club – Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, California Teams (13):
T11 Daniel Sutton – University of Idaho – 71, 72 (-1)
T19 Grant Forrest – University of San Diego – 74, 72 (+2)
T19 Pavan Sagoo – St. Mary’s College of California – 72, 74 (+2)
T58 Rhys Pugh – East Tennessee State University – 81, 73 (+10)
Team positions – East Tennessee (+7) 4th, Idaho (+12) 7th, San Diego (+16) 9th and St. Mary’s CA (+7) 10th.
Individual leader – Jon Rahm, Arizona State (-7).
Further Information:
Access to the full Regional lives scores / results can be found here – Golfstat
Rd. 1 NCAA DI GB&I Regional Scores can be found here – Rd. 1 Scores
An Introduction to US College can be found here – US College Golf
The 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championships started yesterday in the United States of America (USA).
To start with six 54-hole Regional tournaments are taking place between 14th-16th May. 13 college teams and 10 top performing individuals not on those teams are competing at Chapel Hill, Lubbock and San Diego. At the other three Regionals, being held in Bremerton, New Haven and Noblesville, 14 teams and 5 individuals not on those teams are playing.
The low 5 teams and the low individual not on those teams from each Regional will advance to the Championship Final. This year the Final will be played at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida between 29th May and 3rd June. The Final is probably the third biggest event on the amateur golf calendar after the US Amateur and Amateur Championship. It is also now shown live on the Golf Channel in the USA.
Teams consist of 5 players with the best 4 scores counting towards the overall team score. Therefore a player can progress even if they haven’t contributed so long as their team is in the top 5. The risk of course is they may be deselected for the Finals ! Likewise if a team does poorly but a player scores well they can progress as an individual. Players who start as individuals simply have it all to do themselves.
I have identified 22 Great British and Irish (GB&I) players that have teed off in the Regionals – some within a Team and some as Individuals. I have listed them and their round 1 scores below: –
Gold Mountain Golf Club – Bremerton, Washington Teams (14):
T2 Paul Dunne – University of Alabama at Birmingham – 67 (-5)
T40 Jamie Clare – Virginia Commonwealth University – 75 (+3)
University of North Carolina Finley Golf Course – Chapel Hill, North Carolina Teams (13):
T13 Robert MacIntyre – McNeese State University – 70 (-2)
T20 Thomas Rowland – Charlotte – 71 (-1)
T31 Paul McBride – Wake Forest – 73 (+1)
T50 David Boote – Stanford University – 75 (+3) Individuals (5):
T30 Ryan Cornfield – University of South Carolina Upstate – 73 (+1)
T43 Ben Wheeler – Coastal Carolina University – 74 (+2)
The Rawls Course – Lubbock, Texas Teams (13):
T7 J.J. Grey – Georgia State University – 67 (-4)
T42 Eamonn Bradley – Southeastern Louisiana State University – 72 (+1)
T61 Lawrence Allan – Southeastern Louisiana State University – 74 (+3)
T71 Cameron Shaw – University of California, Berkeley – 77 (+6) Individuals (10):
T64 Tomasz Anderson – Jacksonville State University – 75 (+4)
The Course at Yale – New Haven, Connecticut Teams (14):
T12 Ryan Fricker– University of South Florida – 71 (+1)
T30 Benjamin Taylor – Louisiana State University – 73 (+3) Individuals (5):
T30 George Williams – Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus – 73 (+3)
The Sagamore Club – Noblesville, Indiana Teams (14):
T46 Daniel Park – Alabama State University – 77 (+5) Individuals (5):
T18 Chris Selfridge – University of Toledo – 73 (+1)
The Farms Golf Club – Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, California Teams (13):
T6 Daniel Sutton – University of Idaho – 71 (-1)
T8 Pavan Sagoo – St. Mary’s College of California – 72 (E)
T21 Grant Forrest – University of San Diego – 74 (+2)
T66 Rhys Pugh – East Tennessee State University – 81 (+9)
Access to the full regional lives scores / results can be found here – Golfstat
Background / Notes:
Further background information on the US College system can be found here – US College Golf
In 2014 Alabama won the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship beating Oklahoma State, 4-1 in the match play final. It was the second consecutive year the Crimson Tide had won the national title. Cameron Wilson of Stanford was the individual stroke play medalist which preceded the match play stage.
144 elite amateur golfers from 17 different countries will tee off tomorrow in the 51st Lytham Trophy, one of the most prestigious competitions in the men’s amateur golfing calendar.
Nowadays players compete in events across the globe, often starting their seasons in December and January. Despite this there still remains the feeling that the Lytham Trophy – at least in Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) – is the real curtain raiser to the Men’s season. The event where things start to get serious.
The 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.
This year the event takes on added importance – not only is it a Walker Cup year but September’s match against the USA is also being contested at the home of the Lytham Trophy, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, the famous Lancashire links in England. The Lytham Trophy has always been an important factor in determining the GB&I team but this year the results will surely carry even more weight with Captain Nigel Edwards and the Selection Committee.
The Lytham Trophy
Some information on this famous competition and it’s past winners is provided in an Appendix below.
The Lytham Trophy – 1st to 3rd May 2015
Entry, which costs £80, was open to golfers whose handicap does not exceed scratch (0.4) albeit the ballot again fell in negative territory. 144 players will contest the Trophy.
To see who they all are check out the 2015 start sheet for Rounds 1 and 2 by clicking – Lytham Trophy Start Sheet.
The first two rounds will be played on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd May. A Top 40 and Ties cut will then see a reduced field playing the final 36 on Sunday 3rd May.
In the event of a tie after 72 holes a 3-hole play-off, contested on holes 1, 2 and 18, will be played. Should the remaining players still be tied a sudden death play-off will take place over the same holes.
The Leading Players in 2015(Nationality / Current SPWAR)
As always the field is packed with great players. Here’s a summary of the leading ones: –
Gary Hurley (IRE / 13) – finalist at the Spanish Amateur and 2015 Palmer Cup team member. Bradley Neil (SCO / 16) – 2014 Amateur Champion. Romain Langasque (FRA / 23) – recent winner of the Mouchy Cup and Southern Cross Invitational. Ashley Chesters (ENG / 29) – 2013 and 2014 European Amateur champion. Nick Marsh (ENG / 31) – strong 2014 and 2015 record with a 2nd in the West of England last week. Marcus Kinhult (SWE / 36) – winner of the Sage Valley Junior Invitational last week. Jack Hume (IRE / 42) – strong 2014 and 2015 record; 2nd place at Lytham in 2013. Daniel Young (SCO / 53) – has already won the South African Amateur and Battle Trophy in 2015. Gavin Moynihan (IRE / 54) – 2013 Walker Cup player but perhaps lacking form in 2015. Craig Ross (SCO / 59) – winner on the 2014 EuroPro Tour and has performed well for some time. Ewen Ferguson (SCO / 72) – outstanding start to 2015 with two wins in Scotland already. Dermot McElroy (IRE / 102) – recent West of Ireland win and strong Lytham record bodes well. Mattias Eggenberger (SUI / 104) – Good form and experience in GB&I with Stirling University.
It will also be interesting to see how some of the Juniors get on. Marco Penge (256), recent winner of the McEvoy Trophy, and Bradley Moore (370), perhaps the two best GB&I youngsters, have both chosen to compete at Lytham rather than play in the nearby Fairhaven Trophies. Penge of course won the Fairhaven Boys Trophy in both 2013 and 2014.
You may also find it interesting to look through the betting odds for the Lytham Trophy which can be found on Paddy Power’s website.
Weather Forecast(@Thurs 30th, 7.00pm)
Fri 1st May – Partly Cloudy. Wind 9 mph. Max. 12°C / Min 2°C. Sat 2nd May – Cloudy / Light Rain. Wind 18 mph. Max. 12°C / Min 7°C. Sun 3rd May – Partly Cloudy. Wind 13 mph. Temp. Max. 16°C / Min 7°C.
Appendix – History and Past Winners
The competition was first played in 1965 after the Club identified a need for another top class amateur competition and one that was 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 a unique trophy (which does not leave the Club) with a smaller replica issued annually to that year’s 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.
Thriston Lawrence (RSA) – Winner of the 2014 Lytham Trophy
Of the older winners the most notable are: –
M.F. Bonallack – 1965(s), 1972
R. Foster – 1967, 1968
G.C. Marks – 1970(s)
C.W. Green – 1970(s), 1974
M.G. King – 1973
P. McEvoy – 1978
I.C. Hutcheon – 1980
R.M. Chapman – 1981
J. Hawksworth – 1984
P. Broadhurst – 1988
G. Evans – 1990, 1991
G. Rankin – 1997
In 2004 21 year old James Heath won with a record score of 266 (-18), recording rounds of 67, 68, 66, and 65. 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. Garth McGimpsey, the then Walker Cup captain, described Heath’s performance as ‘the best amateur golf I’ve ever seen’.
In 1999 the Lytham Trophy was won by Tino Schuster, the first time a non-GB&I player had been successful. The last five winners show just how international the amateur game has become as well as the increasing attraction of the Lytham Trophy beyond these shores: –
P. Cutler – 2010 (Irish)
J. Senior – 2011 (English)
D. Huizing – 2012 (Dutch)
A. Eckhardt – 2013 (Finnish)
T. Lawrence – 2014 (South African)
All of the Past winners and their scores can be found here on the Royal Lytham website.
The Peter McEvoy Trophy is a 72-hole stroke play competition for boys played annually at Copt Heath Golf Club in Solihull, England.
Copt Heath Golf Club
Background
Peter McEvoy OBE has been a member of Copt Heath for nearly 50 years and is a famous British amateur golfer. My profile of his career can be read by clicking this link – Peter McEvoy.
Peter McEvoy – 1977 Amateur Champion at Ganton GC
Following Peter’s Amateur Championship victories in 1977 and 1978 Copt Heath invited him to suggest a way in which the Club could commemorate his achievements. He suggested a 72 hole competition for Under 18 junior boy golfers, to be held annually at Copt Heath.
Starting in 1981, The Peter McEvoy Trophy was originally held during the August summer holidays. In 1985, at the request of the English Golf Union (now England Golf), it was moved to April, where it has stayed ever since. This request was prompted by a need for an early season national competition to assist them with the selection of their team ahead of various Home Nation matches and European Championships held later in the year.
The Peter McEvoy Trophy (Photo: GolfBible)
As Peter McEvoy’s playing achievements and influence grew, culminating with him becoming a Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) selector and Walker Cup captain, so has the prestige of the competition. The McEvoy is now the curtain raiser to the boy’s golf season and is unquestionably one of the “must enter” major competitions in the junior golf calendar. The best junior players from across GB&I, and occasionally elsewhere in Europe, are now guaranteed to be seen at Copt Heath every year.
Competition Format
Entries are welcomed from all boys aged under 18 at 00.00 hours on 1st January of the year the competition is being played. The Entry Fee was set at £40.00 in 2015.
The McEvoy Trophy is contested over 72 holes of scratch stroke play golf played over two consecutive days.
The competition is recognised as a World Amateur Golf Ranking event. In recent years it has been given a strength indicator of ‘E’. The winner receives around 10 Points Average to their total where other finishers in the Top 25 receiving a declining number of points too.
The format, limited daylight and frequently poor weather in April means the field is sensibly restricted to 72 players. A ballot based on handicap is applied to the entrants in what is always an oversubscribed event. The cut-off handicap continues to reduce annually, being +1.7 in 2001 but 0.0 in 2015. This of course illustrates the improvement in the players now coming through in GB&I, many of whom have handicaps of between -2 and -4.
The competition has always been played at Copt Heath Golf Club. Copt Heath, despite its name, is essentially a parkland course. The current course was designed and built in 1913 by Harry Colt, the famous course architect, and is predominantly flat but well protected with around 95 bunkers. A number of bunkers have been upgraded in recent years under the advice of Dutch architect, Frank Pont.
Copt Heath Golf Club – par 3 13th hole
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).
All competitors play the first 36 holes on Day 1, playing in group’s 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 is now decided by a sudden death play-off, utilising holes 18, 1 and 9.
The 35th Peter McEvoy Trophy, 15-16th April 2015
Over 120 entries were received for the 2015 McEvoy Trophy. As stated above the 72 successful competitors all have handicaps of 0.0 or better.
The draw for Day 1 and the first 36-holes of the competition can be viewed by clicking this link – 15th April 2015 Start Sheet.
The McEvoy Trophy is a very well run competition. A welcome addition being Live Scoring – updated after each nine on Day 1 and more frequently for the leaders on Day 2 – which has successfully been introduced in recent years.
Internationals Ben Chamberlain (Padeswood & Buckley, -1.4), Calum Fyfe (Cawder, -3.6), Harry Hall (West Cornwall, -3.1), Tim Harry (Vale of Glamorgan, -2.6), Matty Lamb (Hexham, -2.5), Jamie Li (Bath, -2.4), Kevin Le Blanc (The Island, -1.7), Bradley Moore (Kedleston Park, -2.8), Murray Naismith (Dalmahoy, -1.9), Marco Penge (Golf at Goodwood, -3.4) and Will Porter (Carnoustie, -0.4 who won the Scottish Boys Championship last Saturday) are all expected to challenge for the coveted title this year.
Past Winners
The Peter McEvoy Trophy has an enviable list of former winners, reflecting both the quality of the entry but also the fair challenge presented by the course. Two Winner Boards adorn the entrance hall to the club.
The Peter McEvoy Trophy Winner Boards at Copt Heath Golf Club (Photo: GolfBible)
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).
A number of those listed below have gone on to play in Walker Cup teams and many more have enjoyed successful professional careers.
1981 RJ Sallis (Wollaton Park)
1982 JGS Robinson (Woodhall Spa)
1983 PA Baker (Lilleshall)
1984 W Henry (Redbourn)
1985 A Morley (Belton Park)
1986 CA Mitchell (Copt Heath)
1987 W Henry (Porters Park)
1988 P Sefton (Camberley Heath)
1989 DA Bathgate (Sandiway)
1990 PA Sherman (Ashford)
1991 LJ Westwood (Worksop)
Lee Westwood receives the McEvoy Trophy in 1991 (Photo: Copt Heath GC)
1992 B Davis (East Herts)
1993 S Webster (Atherstone)
1994 J Harris (Nevill)
1995 C Duke (Porters Park)
1996 MJ Pilkington (Nefyn & District)
1997 PJ Rowe (West Cornwall)
1998 J Rose (North Hants)
Justin Rose receives the McEvoy Trophy in 1998 (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.]
1999 DJ Porter (Stoneham)
2000 Z Scotland (Woodcote Park)
2001 B Harvey (Dudsbury)
2002 M Richardson (Pinner Hill)
2003 T Hunter (Ilford)
2004 JA Parry (Harrogate)
2005 T Sherreard (The Ridge)
2006 L Goddard (Hendon)
2007 M Haines (Rochester & Cobham Park)
2008 E Hodgson (Sunningdale)
2009 M Smith (Newbury Racecourse)
2010 R Pugh (Vale of Glamorgan)
2011 N Kimsey (Woodhall Spa)
2012 G Moynihan (The Island)
2013 B Moore (Kedleston Park)
2014 H McCullen (Delamere Forest)
Haydn McCullen with Peter McEvoy in 2014 (Photo: GolfBible)
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 Winner
Bradley Moore – 15 years, 7 months and 15 days (2013).
Best Record
Bradley Moore (Keddleston Park) – 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 golfers have competed over the years. these include: – Stuart Cage, Paul Casey, Ashley Chesters (A), Lee Corfield, Nick Dougherty, Luke Donald, Bradley Dredge, Scott Drummond, Paul Dunne (A), Simon Dyson, Greg Eason, Jamie Elson, Oliver Farr, Kenneth Ferrie, Oliver Fisher, Tommy Fleetwood, Mark Foster, Ewen Ferguson (A), Tyrrell Hatton, David Horsey, David Howell, Jack Hume (A), Simon Khan, Tom Lewis, David Lynn, Nick Marsh (A), Ross McGowan, Bradley Neil (A), Max Orrin, John Parry, Eddie Pepperell, Garrick Porteous, Robert Rock, Lee Slattery, Graeme Storm, Sam Walker, Anthony Wall, Oliver Wilson, Tom Whitehouse and Chris Wood.
UPDATE – Gunn Yang today beat Bradley Neil 3&2 in the 2015 Georgia Cup. Well done Gunn !
Gunn Yang – Winner of The 2015 Georgia Cup
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31st March 2015
The Georgia Cup is a charity challenge match played the week before The Masters between the reigning United States (US) Amateur Champion and British Amateur Champion.
Garrick Porteous – 2013 Amateur Champion & Winner of The 2014 Georgia Cup
It was established by The Golf Club of Georgia in 1998 and is played on either their Lakeside (L) or Creekside (C) Courses in Alpharetta, GA.
The 2015 and 18th match will tee-off today at 1.00pm local time on the Lakeside Course and will be played between South Korea’s Gunn Yang and Scotland’s Bradley Neil, respectively the 2014 US and British Amateur Champions.
Gunn Yang – 2014 US Amateur Champion
Both contestants always move on to nearby Augusta to prepare for and take up their Masters invitations after the match.
Bradley Neil – 2014 Amateur Champion
The British Amateur Champions lead their US counterparts 9 – 8 in the series, helped in no small part by victories in the last three matches.
The previous results are shown below (with the Amateur titles won shown in brackets)
Golf Bible 
