The Masters – 2024 Amateur Preview & Results

Posted on 09/04/2024 by Golf Bible

14th April 2024

Results

22 year old NEAL SHIPLEY (USA) won the low amateur Silver Cup at The 88th Masters Invitational at Augusta National G.C.

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Neal Shipley (Photo: The Masters)

His rounds of 71-76-80-71 and total score of 300 +12 saw him finish in tied 53rd place.

NEAL SHIPLEY (USA) – 300 +12 Tied 53rd

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Neal Shipley’s 72 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

The Ohio State graduate student and Pittsburg native had the additional privilege of being paired with Tiger WOODS (USA) in the final round. Woods, struggling for fitness, shot a disappointing 76 to follow up his 82 on Saturday.

Speaking after his round Shipley said “Playing with Tiger on Sunday at The Masters, I think I would have to win one of these to top this week. It has definitely been a dream week but I am looking forward to being out here soon, hopefully. He is such a normal guy and really cool, and he was great to me all day.”

Scottie SCHEFFLER (USA) won the tournament by 4-shots with a 277 -11 score, collecting $3.6m in prize money. Ludvig ÅBERG (SWE) -7, playing in his first major, finished 2nd with Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG), Max HOMA (USA) and Collin MORIKOWA (USA) all tied 3rd on -4. It was Scheffler’s second Masters win following on from his triumph in 2022.

The 36-hole cut fell at 150 (+6) with 60 players progressing to the weekend. This was the first year that the cut has fallen at +5 or higher since 2017 highlighting how tough Augusta played on the opening two days.

There was a 2.5 hour weather delay on Day 1 of The Masters following overnight rain. As a result 27 of the 89 players in the field were required to complete their first rounds on Friday morning.

Neal SHIPLEY (USA), on +3, was the only amateur to make the cut with rounds of 71 and 76.

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Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

Here are the individual scorecards of the four other amateurs that failed to make the cut: –

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT (RSA) – 152 +8 Tied 71st MC

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Christo Lamprecht’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

STEWART HAGESTAD (USA) – 152 +8 Tied 71st MC

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Stewart Hagestad’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

SANTIAGO de la FUENTE (MEX) – 154 +10 Tied 77th MC

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Santiago de la Fuente’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Jasper STUBBS (AUS) – 156 +12 Tied 82nd MC

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Jasper Stubbs’ 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to view the – 2024 Masters Final Results

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9th April 2024

The 88th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between Thursday 11th and Sunday 14th April.

A field of 89 players will be competing, one more than last year.

Five amateurs will be playing, two less than in 2023.

The primary goal for each amateur is to make the 36 hole cut and if they achieve that to then go on and win the low amateur Silver Cup.

I will be updating this article with amateur scoring information and reports as the tournament unfolds.

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The 2024 Masters Journal

2024 Amateur Player Biographies

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

This year’s intake will see the total number of amateurs to have played in The Masters rise to 459.

The five amateurs competing at The Masters in 2024 are: –

SANTIAGO de la FUENTE (MEX), 22 – winner of the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship
Santiago is from Ocotlan in Mexico but will be well acclimatised as he is in his third year at the University of Houston in Texas. In 2023 he represented the International Team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and represented his home country in the Eisenhower Trophy.
WAGR #26 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 4/1

STEWART HAGESTAD (USA), 33 on 10th April – winner of the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship
From Newport Beach, California Stewart won the U.S. Mid-Amateur title for the third time last year. He has also played on four successful Walker Cup teams. Third Appearance at Augusta. In 2017 he finished tied 36th to pick up the low amateur prize.
WAGR #12 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 3/1

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT (RSA), 23 – winner of the 2023 Amateur Championship
The Amateur champion from George made a splash in last year’s Open Championship with an opening round of 66 (-5) and ultimately won the Silver Medal. In 2023 he represented the International Team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and represented his home country in the Eisenhower Trophy. Masters debut.
WAGR #1 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 6/4

NEAL SHIPLEY (USA), 23 – runner-up at the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship
Now a graduate student at Ohio State University having graduated from James Madison University in 2022. He is an experienced amateur with a number of high finishes to his name. Lost to Nick Dunlap in the U.S. Amateur Championship final last year. Masters debut.
WAGR #37 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 17/4

Jasper STUBBS (AUS), 22 – winner of the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
Earned his place by winning the Asia-Pacific in a play-off against Wenyi Deng at Royal Melbourne G.C. Masters debut.
WAGR #339 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 13/2

U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

Nick Dunlap, the 2023 U.S. Amateur champion, and Fred Biondi (BRA), the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Individual champion both turned pro to forego their amateur exemptions. Dunlap is of course in the field as his decision was prompted by a win at the American Express event on the PGA Tour in January.

2024 Amateur Tee Times (GMT +5hrs)

Round 1

Group 2 – 8.12am EDT / 1.12pm BST – José-María Olazábel (ESP), Taylor Moore (USA) & Santiago de la FUENTE (MEX)

Group 4 – 8.36am EDT / 1.36m BST – Chart Schwartzel (RSA), Luke List (USA) & Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA)

Group 6 – 9.00am EDT / 2.00pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA), Corey Connors (CAN) & Jasper STUBBS (AUS)

Group 18 – 11.30am EDT / 4.30pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN), Ryo Hisatsune (JAP) & Neal SHIPLEY (USA)

Group 20 – 11.54am EDT / 4.54pm BST – Fred Couples (USA), Adam Hadwin (CAN) & Stewart HAGESTAD (USA)

Round 2

Group 3 – 8.24am EDT / 1.24pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN), Ryo Hisatsune (JAP) & Neal SHIPLEY (USA)

Group 5 – 8.48am EDT / 1.48pm BST – Fred Couples (USA), Adam Hadwin (CAN) & Stewart HAGESTAD (USA)

Group 17 – 11.18am EDT / 4.18pm BST – José-María Olazábel (ESP), Taylor Moore (USA) & Santiago de la FUENTE (MEX)

Group 19 – 11.42am EDT / 4.42pm BST – Chart Schwartzel (RSA), Luke List (USA) & Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA)

Group 21 – 12.12pm EDT / 5.12pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA), Corey Connors (CAN) & Jasper STUBBS (AUS)

By tradition the reigning U.S. Amateur champion is always paired with the reigning Masters champion. Accordingly Nick Dunlap has been paired with Jon Rahm this year (with Justin Rose making up the three ball).

Click here to view all of the – Masters 2024 Tee Times

Amateur Perks

Only amateur competitors are permitted to stay in the Crow’s Nest accommodation in the clubhouse. Most of them normally spend at least one night there during Masters week.

The Amateur Dinner, hosted by chairman Fred Ridley and normally attended by around between 50-100 guests, was held in The Founders Room on the evening of Monday 8th April. The Captain of The R&A, President of the USGA, a former amateur participant and an amateur contestant from this year normally speak.

Perhaps somewhat harshly Nick Dunlap, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, was not invited.

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Jasper Stubbs, Santiago de la Fuente, Neal Shipley, Fred Ridley, Stewart Hagestad and Chrsito Lamprecht (Photo: Chris Turvey / Augusta National G.C.)

2023 Masters – Amateur Performances

The 2022 U.S. Amateur champion Sam BENNETT (USA) finished tied 16th with a 286 (-2) total. As the only amateur to make the cut he also secured the low amateur Silver Cup.

Sam, who was 23 at the time, was the first amateur to finish inside the top 20 since 2005 (Ryan Moore, tied 13th) and the first in 30 years to card a bogey-free round (Round 1) at The Masters.

However, after tiring over the weekend he missed out on a Top 12 finish which would have earned him an exemption into next year’s tournament. It is worth remembering that after two opening 68’s he entered the weekend on -8 and in sole 3rd place.

Sam Bennett’s Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

The six other amateurs competing in 2023 all missed the cut.

Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

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

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March 2024 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 09/04/2024 by Golf Bible

9th April 2024

Throughout the year I analyse the main golf rankings to help us assess the performances of Great Britain and Ireland’s (GB&I) leading players as well as the status of events they compete in.

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

The latest update covering the March 2024 Quarter period has now been added.

I have selected Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) as my Player of the Quarter after he performed superbly in South Africa in January and February.

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Gregor Graham (Photo: Golf RSA)

Here is a summary of Gregor’s Quarter 1 performances highlighted by his win in the South African Amateur Championship.

Gauteng North Open (PN 170.7142) – 2nd
South African Stroke Play Championship (PN 259.4548) – 8th
South African Amateur Championship (PN 290.6836) – 1st
Golf RSA International Amateur (PN 284.6546) – 3rd
Spanish International Amateur (PN 513.9808) – 7th

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

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The Georgia Cup – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 07/04/2024 by Golf Bible

7th April 2024

Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA), the reigning Amateur champion, has beaten Nick DUNLAP (USA), the U.S. Amateur champion, by 1 Hole to win the 27th Georgia Cup match.

The giant South African eagled the par 5 18th hole on the Golf Club of Georgia’s Lakeside Course with a 14 foot putt to take the title.

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Christo Lamprecht and Nick Dunlap (Photo: The GC of Georgia)

Lamprecht was the third South African to play in the match following in the footsteps of Jovan Rebula (2019) and Aldrich Potgieter (2023), who both won their matches too.

The Amateur champions now lead the U.S. Amateur champions 15-11 in the series which was first played in 1998. The 2020 match was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a postponement in the playing of The Masters until November.

Background

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

The two Amateur champions play the match as a precursor to competing in The Masters which both of their respective wins earned them an invitation to.

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

Venue

The match was established by The Golf Club of Georgia (GCOG).

Located in Alpharetta the GCOG has two Arthur Hills-designed courses, the Lakeside (L) and the Creekside (C). Both have hosted the Georgia Cup match in the past but since 2006 the Lakeside has taken precedence.

The 2024 Georgia Cup was played on Sunday 7th April. The match is used as a charitable fundraiser with The Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides support to the families of fallen and disabled military personnel, the main benficiary.

Players

Nick DUNLAP (USA) is a 20-year old from Huntsville, Alabama with a stellar amateur record. He won the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, followed it up by securing the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship and also represented USA in last year’s Walker Cup match. Dunlap received a sponsor’s exemption to compete in the American Express tournament in January 2024 and proceeded to win at PGA West, becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. With his playing rights secured he left the University of Alabama and moved over to the paid ranks. He will be the second player after Colt Knost (2008) to play in The Georgia Cup match having turned professional.

Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA), a 6ft. 8″ 23 year old from the Western Cape, is a two time Junior President’s Cup team member and winner of the 2017 South African Amateur Championship. He won the 128th Amateur Championship at Hillside before earning the low amateur Silver Medal at the subsequent Open Championship at Royal Liverpool G.C. As a senior on the Georgia Tech Men’s Golf Team he calls The Golf Club of Georgia his home club so will have a degree of home course advantage. He is the current World Amateur #1 according to the WAGR.

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Previous Matches and Results

The Amateur champions now lead the U.S. Amateur champions 15-11 in the series. The Amateur champion has overcome the U.S. Amateur champion in seven of the last ten matches played.

All of the previous results are shown below (with the Amateur titles won shown in brackets): –
1998 (L) – Matt Kuchar (US) def. Craig Watson (British) – 3 & 1
1999 (L) – Sergio Garcia (British) def. Hank Kuehne (US) – 5 & 4
2000 (L) – David Gossett (US) def. Graeme Storm (British) – 3 & 2
2001 (C) – Mikko Ilonen (British) def. Jeff Quinney (US) – 6 & 4
2002 (C) – Michael Hoey (British) def. Bubba Dickerson (US) – 4 & 2
2003 (L) – Ricky Barnes (US) def. Alejandro Larrazabal (British) – 4 & 2
2004 (C) – Gary Wolstenholme (British) def. Nick Flanagan (US) – 4 & 2
2005 (C) – Ryan Moore (US) def. Stuart Wilson (British) – 2 & 1
2006 (L) – Brian McElhinney (British) def. Edoardo Molinari (US) – 3 & 2
2007 (L) – Richie Ramsay (US) def. Julien Guerrier (British) – 2 & 1
2008 (L) – Colt Knost (US) def. Drew Weaver (British) – 2 & 1
2009 (L) – Danny Lee (US) def. Reinier Saxton (British) – 2&1
2010 (L) – Matteo Manassero (British) def. Byeong-hun An (US) – 5&4
2011 (L) – Peter Uihlein (US) def. Jin Jeong (British) – 4&2
2012 (L) – Brydon Macpherson (British) def. Kelly Kraft (US) – 2&1
2013 (L) – Alan Dunbar (British) def. Steven Fox (US) – 1 Hole
2014 (L) – Garrick Porteus (British) def. Matthew Fitzpatrick (US) – 3&2
2015 (L) – Gunn Yang (US) def. Bradley Neil (British) – 3&2
2016 (L) – Romain Langsaque (British) def. Bryson DeChambeau (US) – 4&3
2017 (L) – Scott Gregory (British) def. Curtis Luck (US) – 19th hole
2018 (L) – Harry Ellis (British) def. Doc Redman (US) – 6&5
2019 (L) – Jovan Rebula (British) def. Viktor Hovland (US) – 1 Hole
2020 (L) – Cancelled*
2021 (L) – Tyler Strafaci (US) def. Joe Long (British) – 2 Holes
2022 (L) – James Piot (US) def. Laird Shepherd (British) – 1 Hole
2023 (L) – Aldrich Potgieter (British) def. Sam Bennett (US) – 5&4
2024 (L) – Christo Lamprecht (British) def. Nick Dunlap (US) – 1 Hole

*The 2020 match between Andy Ogletree (USA) and James Sugrue (IRL) was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a postponement in the playing of The Masters until November.

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December 2023 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 10/01/2024 by Golf Bible

10th January 2024

Throughout the year I analyse the main golf rankings to help us assess the performances of Great Britain and Ireland’s (GB&I) leading players as well as the status of events they compete in.

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

The latest update covering the December 2023 Quarter period has now been added.

I have selected Joshua BERRY (ENG) as my Player of the Quarter after he earned his DP World Tour card for the 2024 season by successfully negotiating the three stages of it’s Q-School last Autumn.

Caddie George Hanson With Joshua Berry (Photo: Joshua Berry)

Over 1,000 players entered the DP World Tour’s Q-School with 33 players finishing in the top 25 and ties to secure their place on Tour in 2024.

18 year old Josh was the only amateur amongst this group and the second youngest player ever to make the grade. The Yorkshireman turned pro immediately and made his debut on 23rd November at the Joburg Open in South Africa.

Here is a summary of Joshua’s Q-School performances: –

19-22 Sept 2023: First Stage Donnington Grove (ENG) 72 holes – T13 (-6)
2-5 Nov 2023: Second Stage Fontanals (ESP) 72 holes – 2nd (-12)
10-15 Nov 2023: Final Stage Infinitum (ESP) 108 holes – T16 (-15)

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

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Jones Cup Invitational – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 03/01/2024 by Golf Bible

Sunday 7th January 2024 – Round 3

Jacob MODLESKI (USA) won the 20th Jones Cup Invitational at Ocean Forest G.C. with a 215 (-1) total.

A 69 (-3) in the final round, which included a five birdie final nine holes of 32, meant he was the only player to finish the 54-holes under par and was good enough to give him a 1-shot victory.

Ranked 404th in WAGR the Notre Dame freshman was a surprise winner of this prestigious title. Indeed at the start of the week he wasn’t even in the field, only gaining his place on Thursday.

Modleski earned an exemption to play in this year’s RSM Classic at Sea Island G.C. with his win.

Jacob Modleski (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational)

Caleb SURRATT (USA) and Jackson KOIVAN (USA) finished tied 2nd on Even par. USA Walker Cup player Surratt finished his tournament with a best of the week 67 (-5). Having also finished runner-up last year a bogey 5 on the 16th will hurt as he looks back on his round. Koivan, who is a freshman at Auburn, once again showed his huge promise with his second 71 on Sunday.

Blades BROWN (USA), who ultimately finished tied 5th, looked like he may make a run at the title before a triple-bogey on the par 3 17th and a bogey on the home hole sent him tumbling down the leaderboard.

The average score in Round 3 was 77.3, the tougher final day pin positions on the undulating greens strengthening the course.

Results (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

It was another generally disappointing Jones Cup for the GB&I contingent who were competing.

Jack BIGHAM (ENG) +8 finished tied 18th albeit, having dropped 5-shots in his closing three holes on his way to a final round 78, his play over the tournament certainly deserved better.

James ASHFIELD (WAL), who was paired with Caleb Surratt and World No. 1 Gordon Sargent on Sunday, also shot 78 to finish tied 27th on +11.

Callum SCOTT (SCO) +13 battled back well from his disastrous opening round with two closing 73’s to finish tied 33rd.

GB&I-Only Results (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2024 Jones Cup Invitational Results

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Saturday 6th January 2024 – Round 2

An even par 72 was good enough to lift World #19 Luke CLANTON (USA) into the lead at the Jones Cup Invitational with a 143 (-1) total.

16 year old protégé Brown BLADES (USA) and Thomas PONDER (USA) are his nearest challengers heading into tomorrow’s final round after they posted a 72 and 71 respectively to finish up on 144 (Ev).

Norway’s Herman SEKNE shot the best round of the day and the tournament so far with a 69 (-3). The Purdue senior should have been even lower after he double-bogeyed the 18th to take the gloss off a good day’s work.

The average score in Round 2 was 75.7 (+3.7), a full 2-shots lower than on Friday. Overnight rain led to a 30 minute delay in play but at least softened the very firm greens a little.

Round 2 Scores (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

Jack BIGHAM (ENG) +2, a Florida State teammate of Clanton, shot a 71, one of eight under par rounds today, to move into the top 10.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) +5 is now tied 18th after a 73 whilst his compatriot Jonathan BALE +9 fell back to tied 37th after a 77 in Round 2.

Josh HILL (ENG), who spent much of last year injured, is +11 after his own 77 but still in the top 50.

Calum SCOTT (SCO) bounced back well from his disappointing opening round with a 73 and now sits alongside Luke POULTER (ENG) in tied 55th on +12.

Round 2 GB&I-Only Scores (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

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Friday 5th January 2024 – Round 1

Nick GABRELCIK (USA), who started his round on the 10th hole, took the early lead at the 2024 Jones Cup Invitational with a 2-under 70. He shot three birdies around a windy Ocean Forest course which sits alongside the Atlantic ocean.

Tommy MORRISON (USA) and Luke CLANTON (USA) -1 tied 2nd were the only other players to break par on a high scoring opening day.

The defending champion David FORD (USA) is well placed after an even par 72.

The average score on Day 1 was 77.9 (+5.9), highlighting the severity of the test.

Round 1 Scores (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

Jack BIGHAM (ENG) +3 tied 19th was the leading GB&I player. Jack’s round included four birdies but four bogeys and a triple on the difficult par 4 13th impacted his progress.

Welshmen James ASHFIELD and mid-amateur Jonathan BALE +4 tied 25th also enjoyed reasonable starts to this elite event. Ashfield’s round included three birdies whilst Bale managed one in a steadier effort.

Calum SCOTT‘s (SCO) round was ruined by a 9 on the par 3 15th.

Round 1 GB&I-Only Scores (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius)

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3rd January 2024 – Preview

The 20th Jones Cup Invitational will be played between 5th-7th January 2024 at Ocean Forest G.C. on the northern tip of Sea Island in Georgia.

Historically a top 10 ranked amateur tournament it has always attracted a strong field.

The winner of the Jones Cup Invitational, subject to them remaining an amateur, traditionally receives an exemption into the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic played at Sea Island in November.

The Jones Cup Invitational was first played in January 2001 as a prelude to that year’s Walker Cup match which was being staged at Ocean Forest in the following August.

The Sea Island resort is a big supporter of amateur golf with the Jones Cup Junior Invitational, Jones Cup Senior Invitational and Sea Island Women’s Amateur also played at the nearby Seaside Course since 2009, 2012 and 2021 respectively.

Format

The Jones Cup Invitational is a 54 hole individual stroke play competition played over three days.

Given the small field there is no cut.

The winner receives the silver Jones Cup and the Layne Williams Medal which was awarded for the first time in 2022. Layne Williams was a rules official for the Georgia State Golf Association.

Players

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

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

77 players contested an 18 hole qualifier on Sea Island’s Retreat Course on 11th December with Henry GUAN (USA) -7, Sihan SANDHU (USA) -4 and Harrison DAVIS (USA) -3 all added to the field. Jon HOPKINS (ENG) -3 missed out on the final qualifying spot after a 4-for-1 sudden death play-off. Click here to view the – 2024 Jones Cup Invitational Qualifier Results

Tyler WATTS (USA), the winner of the Jones Cup Junior Invitational which was played a few weeks ago on 18th-19th December also earned an exemption. Click here to view the – 2023 Jones Cup Junior Invitational Results

8 golfers from Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) are competing this year and I am sure a few more would have liked to have played if they could. They are (in alphabetical order with their current WAGRs): –

James ASHFIELD (WAL) #65
Jonathan BALE (WAL) #717
Jack BIGHAM (ENG) #77
Archie DAVIES (WAL) #220 – Reserve, added to the field 03/01/24
Josh HILL (ENG) #648
Max KENNEDY (IRL) #73
Luke POULTER (ENG) #416
Calum SCOTT (SCO) #33

In addition to Scott, Ashfield, Kennedy and Bigham there are 37 other players in the WAGR Top 100 who are competing (in rank order): –

Gordon SARGENT (USA) #1
David FORD (USA) #4
Nick GABRELCIK (USA) #8
Caleb SURRAT (USA) #11
Austin GREASER (USA) #12
Luke CLANTON (USA) #19
Michael BRENNAN (USA) #20
Maxwell MOLDOVAN (USA) #22
Jackson KOIVUN (USA) #23
Drew GOODMAN (USA) #26
Matthew RIEDEL (USA) #29
Jackson VAN PARIS (USA) #31
Mats EGE (NOR) #34
Maxwell FORD (USA) #35
Brian STARK (USA) #37
Brendan VALDES (USA) #38
Tobias JONSSON (SWE) #39
Cole ANDERSON (USA) #43
Ian GILLIGAN (USA) #44
Bryce LEWIS (USA) #47
Jackson BUCHANAN (USA) #48
Caden FIORONI (USA) #49
Bartley FORRESTER (USA) #50
Albert HANSSON (SWE) #52
Canon CLAYCOMB (USA) #57
Brett ROBERTS (USA) #62
Neal SHIPLEY (USA) #64
Wells WILLIAMS (USA) #68
Miles RUSSELL (USA) #69
Peter FOUNTAIN (USA) #74 – Withdrew 03/01/24
Jake HOLBROOK (USA) #85
Nathan PETRONZIO (USA) #86
Thomas PONDER (USA) #91
Mac MCCLEAR (USA) #92
Sebastian MOSS (USA) #93
Jack LUNDIN (USA) #94
Algot KLEEN (SWE) #97

Course

Ocean Forest is a challenging course with an exposed seaside links feel. Holes run alongside both the Hampton River and the Atlantic Ocean with marshes and the sea abutting a number of the fairways and greens. The remaining holes are cut through a pine forest.

Natural sand dunes are evident albeit the defining feature is the small undulating greens.

The course plays to 7,308 yards with a standard par of 72. If the wind blows here scores can be unusually high.

The Club was founded in 1995 by Bill Jones III. His family’s Sea Island Company having owned the land since the 1920’s.

Jones invited architect Rees Jones to design a championship course on the site with work commencing in September 1993. Some renovation work was subsequently done by Rees Jones in 2007. Beau Welling Design worked on the course in 2023 refreshing most of the tees, greens and bunkers as well as adding a number of new sandy waste areas.

President George H. Bush, Bill Jones III, former U.S. attorney general Griffin Bell, David Love III and Rees Jones played the opening round in Spring 1995.

The course was awarded the 2001 Walker Cup shortly after opening. At just 6 years old it remains the youngest club to be afforded this honour. Peter McEvoy led GB&I to a convincing 15-9 victory.

Weather Forecast (as at 3rd January)

Generally sunny weather is expected this week albeit the wind is likely to be challenging.

Fri 5th Jan. – Sunny / Wind 15 mph NE / Temp. Min. 15°C, Max. 20°C.
Sat 6th Jan. – Rain AM, Sunny PM / Wind 18 mph SW / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 23°C.
Sun 7th Jan. – Sunny / Wind 10 mph NW / Temp. Min. 9°C, Max. 18°C.

2023 Jones Cup Invitational

David FORD (USA) completed a wire-to-wire win at the 19th Jones Cup Invitational in Georgia beating Caleb SURRATT (USA) by 1-shot.

Ford’s 204 (-12) total was the second best in tournament history, 1-shot short of Davis Thompson’s (USA) 203 (-13) total in 2020.

Both players would go on to represent USA in the Walker Cup match at St. Andrews last September.

David Ford (Photo: Jones Cup Invitational)

Michael BRENNAN (USA) finished strongly with a final round of 67 to claim 3rd place on -8. Peter FOUNTAIN (USA), who had been amongst the leading group for most of the tournament, had to settle for 4th place after a 71 on Sunday.

Top 20 Results (Graphic: Jones Cup Invitational / Golf Genius Scoring)

The best placed GB&I player, of which there were 11 in the field, was James ASHFIELD (WAL) +3 who finished tied 27th. Barclay BROWN (ENG) and Frank KENNEDY (ENG) +4 were tied 33rd and reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion Matthew MCCLEAN (IRL) +5 tied 39th.

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

Please click here to view the – 2023 Jones Cup Invitational Results

Here is a list of the past winners with their finishing scores: –

2023 – David FORD (USA) 204 (-12)
2022 – Palmer JACKSON (USA) 211 (-5)
2021 – Ludvig ÅBERG (SWE) 214 (-2)
2020 – Davis THOMPSON (USA) 203 (-13)
2019 – Akshay BHATIA (USA) 142 (-2) – event shortened to 36 holes due to bad weather
2018 – Garrett BARBER (USA) 212 (-4) – winner of the Jones Cup Junior Invitational in 2016
2017 – Braden THORNBERRY (USA) 212 (-4)
2016 – Beau HOSSLER (USA) 214 (-2)
2015 – Austen CONNELLY (USA) 216 (Ev)
2014 – Corey CONNORS (CAN) 218 (+2)
2013 – Sean DALE (USA) 213 (-3)
2012 – Justin THOMAS (USA) 216 (Ev)
2011 – John PETERSON (USA) 217 (+1)
2010 – Patrick READ (USA) 222 (+6)
2009 – Kyle STANLEY (USA) 217 (+1)
2007 – Luke LIST (USA) 206 (-10) – played at Frederica G.C. due to renovation work at Ocean Forest
2005 – Nicholas THOMPSON (USA) 214 (-2)
2003 – Gregg JONES (USA) 211 (-5)
2001 – DJ TRAHAN (USA) 210 (-6)

Canada’s Corey Connors and Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg are the only non-American winners of the Jones Cup Invitational.

ME.

South Beach International Amateur – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on 08/12/2023 by Golf Bible

22nd December 2023

Ben JAMES (USA) won the 2023 South Beach International Amateur (SBIA) with a 271 (-12) total.

Ben James (Photo: SBIA)

James shot a final round 68 (-3) at Miami Beach G.C. which included four birdies to take the prestigious title by 2-shots.

His nearest challengers, Michael LA SASSO (USA) and Miles RUSSELL (USA), both shot even par 71’s to tie for 2nd place.

Four European’s, Loran APPEL (NED) & Kiko COELHO (POR)-8 tied 4th and Quentin DEBOVE (FRA) & Mats EGE (NOR) -7 tied 6th, finished in the top 10.

Pleasingly the best round of the day came from England’s Charlie FORSTER whose 64 (-7) included a back nine of just 29 shots as well as an eagle two on the 347 yard par 4 16th. A tied 13th place at the SBIA was the best result of his short career.

Scoring was much improved from yesterday with an average score of 71.77 (+0.77) seen from the 86 players who completed the final round.

SBIA Results

There were good performances from Tom BASTOW (WAL) and Luke POULTER (ENG) both of whom went under par in the fourth round to finish tied 23rd (-2) and tied 40th (+1) respectively.

SBIA GB&I Only Results

Click here to view the – SBIA 2023 Results

______________________________________________

21st December 2023

Michael LA SASSO (USA) and Miles RUSSELL (USA) -10 will take a 1-shot lead over Mats EGE (NOR) and 2023 U.S. Walker Cup team member Ben JAMES (USA) into the final round of the SBIA.

Tom BASTOW (WAL) remains the leading GB&I player in the event albeit a 3-over 74 saw him fall down the leaderboard to tied 30th on -1.

Jay MENDELL (USA) shot a best of the day 65 (-6), all the more impressive when one considers that only 17 players were able to break par.

The reduced field of 88 players generally found Miami Beach a tougher proposition in Round 3 with the average score rising to 73.49 (+2.49) as high winds in south Florida continued to add to the challenge.

SBIA Round 3 Top 10 Leaderboard

The remaining GB&I players struggled to make any impression in Round 3 with Luke POULTER (ENG) producing the best score with his 73 (+2).

SBIA Round 3 GB&I Only Leaderboard

______________________________________________

20th December 2023

Michael LA SASSO (USA) moved into the lead on Day 2 after posting a 64 (-6) at Normandy Shores (NS).

15 year old Miles RUSSELL (USA) is 1-shot further back on -10 after he rose through the field with a bogey free 60 (-10), tieing the course record at NS.

Tom BASTOW (WAL) is the leading GB&I player after 36 holes; he added an even par 71 at Miami Beach (MB) to sit on -4 for the tournament.

88 players, a record for the SBIA, made the top 72 and ties cut which fell at 142 (+1).

In Round 2 MB (par 71) played to an average score of 73.34 (+2.34) and NS (par 70) to an average score of 71.70 (+1.70) as strong winds generally made scoring tougher.

SBIA Round 2 Top 10 Leaderboard

Joseph PAGDIN (ENG) 138 -3, Charlie FORSTER (ENG) 141 Ev, Luke POULTER (ENG) 141 Ev and Harley SMITH (ENG) 142 (+1) joined Bastow in making the cut.

SBIA Round 2 GB&I Only Leaderboard

______________________________________________

19th December 2023

Mats EGE (NOR) leads the South Beach International Amateur (SBIA) after an opening 64 (-7) around Miami Beach G.C (MB). The East Tennessee State Senior, who is the second highest ranked player in the field, finished his bogey free round strongly with five birdies in his closing six holes.

Marco TRSTENJAK (CAN) shot a 64 (-6) at Normandy Shores G.C. (NS), with a bogey on the par 3 17th hole, to finish his round one shot back of the leader.

Florida-based Joe PAGDIN (ENG) was the leading GB&I player after 18 holes; his 65 (-5) at NS, which included a joint best seven birdies, saw him finish the day tied 3rd.

In Round 1 MB (par 71) played to an average score of 71.67 (+0.67) and NS (par 70) to an average score of 70.83 (+0.83).

SBIA Round 1 Top 10 Leaderboard

In addition to Pagdin Tom BASTOW (ENG) 66 -4 NS, Seán KEELING (IRL) 69 -2 MB and Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) 70 -1 MB were amongst the 80 players to break par on Day 1.

The SBIA has a 36-hole cut which sees only the top 72 and ties progress to the final two rounds on Thursday and Friday. 208 players started the competition.

SBIA Round 1 GB&I Only Leaderboard

______________________________________________

8th December 2023 (Updated 15th December 2023)

The 13th South Beach International Amateur (SBIA) will be played between 19th-22nd December 2023 in Miami Beach, Florida (GMT -5 hours).

First played in 2011 the SBIA has quickly become one of the world’s leading amateur golf competitions, attracting a high quality international field.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available and daily once play commences.

Format

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

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

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

Miami Beach Golf Club

Players

A maximum field of 210 players are permitted with the entry fee set at $450.

14 golfers from Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) are in this year’s starting field, a number of whom are studying at U.S. colleges. Josh HILL (ENG) was a late withdrawal. There were 16 last year with the highest ever entry being 19 in 2018.

I’ve listed all of this year’s GB&I entries below (in alphabetical order) along with their current WAGR (as at 13th December): –

Tom BASTOW (WAL) #1,569
Henry DALY (ENG) #2,188
Jake FOLEY (IRL) #2,221
Charlie FORSTER (ENG) #867
Jake HIBBERT (ENG) #1,395
Patrick KEELING (IRL) #1,406
Seán KEELING (IRL) #360
Kris KIM (ENG) #387
Joe PAGDIN (ENG) #1,509
Luke POULTER (ENG) #422
David SHIEL (IRL) #1,923
Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) #1,129
Harley SMITH (ENG) #872
Brandon ST JOHN (IRL) #2,468

Other players in the WAGR Top 200 competing include (in rank order): –

Ben JAMES (USA) #7
Mats EGE (NOR) #35
Connor JONES (USA) #90
Stephen CAMPBELL JR (USA) #108
Jacob SOSA (USA) #108
Owen STAMPER (USA) #126
Michael LA SASSO (USA) #131
Quentin DEBOVE (FRA) #135
Deven PATEL (USA) #158
George DUANGMANEE (USA) #163
Finn KOELLE (GER) #167
Segundo OLIVA PINTO (ARG) #198
Blades BROWN (USA) #200

Courses

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

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

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

DCIM100MEDIA

Normandy Shores Golf Club

Weather Forecast (as at 15th December)

The weather generally looks good for the duration of the event albeit the wind shouldn’t be under-estimated as it normally proves to be a factor on both of these flat exposed coastal courses.

Tue 19th Dec. – Sunny / Wind 12mph NE / Temp. Min. 11°C, Max. 19°C.
Wed 20th Dec – Sunny Intervals / Wind 15mph NE / Temp. Min. 17°C, Max. 21°C.
Thu 21st Dec – Cloudy, Showers PM / Wind 15mph NW / Temp. Min. 17°C, Min 24°C.
Fri 22nd Dec – Showers AM, Cloudy / Wind 13mph E / Temp. Min. 16°C, Max. 25°C.

SBIA Website Links

Click here to view the – SBIA 2023 Leaderboard

Click here to view the – SBIA 2023 Pairings

Click here to view the – SBIA Website

2022 South Beach International Amateur

Luke CLANTON (USA) beat Henry GUAN (USA) on the first sudden death play-off hole with a par after 14 year old Guan found water off the tee. Both players had finished on 266 (-17) in regulation play.

Clanton, who is now a sophomore at Florida State University, added the South Beach International Amateur title to the Azalea Invitational and North and South Amateur wins which he also secured in 2022.

Luke Clanton (Photo: SBIA)

Here is the final scoreboard from the 2022 competition: –

The Final Results (Graphic: SBIA)

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) was the leading GB&I player, tied 10th on -9.

Luke POULTER (ENG) finished tied 14th on -8, Gregor TAIT (SCO) -4 tied 33rd and Archie DAVIES (WAL) & Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) -3 41st.

Here are the final scores of the GB&I players who made the cut: –

The Final GB&I Results (Graphic: SBIA)

Nine other GB&I players missed the cut as shown below in the 36 hole scores: –

img_3621-1

The Round 2 GB&I Player Scores (Graphic: SBIA)

Historic Results

Here is a list of past winners, provided with their winning scores and the 36 hole cut marks for each year: –

2022 – Luke CLANTON (USA) -17 / Cut Ev
2021 – Finigan TILLY (USA) -15 / Cut -1
2020 – Cole HAMMER (USA) -16 / Cut Ev
2019 – Ben SHIPP (USA) -2 / Cut +8
2018 – Pierceson COODY (USA) -11 / Cut +3
2017 – Jacob BERGERON (USA) -3 / Cut Ev
2016 – Danny WALKER (USA) -4 / Cut +1
2015 – Jorge GARCIA (VEN) -5 / Cut +6
2014 – Gabriel LENCH (USA) -4 / Cut +3
2013 – Greg EASON (ENG) -5 / Cut +6
2012 – Juan Pablo HERNANDEZ (MEX) -10 / Cut +3
2011 – Kelly KRAFT (USA) -4 / Cut +11

ME.

DP World Tour Q-School – 2023 Final Stage Preview & Results

Posted on 07/11/2023 by Golf Bible

15th November 2023

RESULTS

33 players finished the Final Stage event in the top 25 and ties places thus earning conditional membership on the DP World Tour for the 2024 season.

A final score of 414 (-14) or better was required at Infinitum Golf in Spain to make the grade.

Freddy SCHOTT (GER, 22) who finished the six round marathon on -27 earned medalist honours from Filippo CELLI (ITA, 23) -25. Schott earned €20,636 (£18,044) in prize money for his victory with Celli collecting €14,904 (£13,032).

Freddy Schott (Photo: DP World Tour Q-School)

The best performance prize must go to 18 year old English amateur Joshua BERRY who finished tied 16th to secure his card. Ranked 560th in WAGR Joshua, who had his Yorkshire teammate George Hanson on the bag for his Q-School journey, will now turn pro.

As always a number of players came through the field on the final day to claim their prizes. Sebastian GARCIA (ESP) shot a final round 62 (-9) to finish in 8th place, Kiradech APHINBARNRAT (THA) a 64 (-7) to finish tied 14th and Renato PARATORE (ITA) 65 (-6) to end up tied 11th.

Mattis BESARD (BEL), Sam JONES (NZL), Nicolo GALLETTI (USA), Joshua BERRY (ENG), Jonathan GØTH-RASMUSSEN (DEN), Jannik DE BRUYN (GER), Søren BROHOLT LIND (DEN), Joe DEAN (ENG) and James NICHOLAS (USA) deserve extra credit as they completed the full Q-School examination, i.e. making it through all three stages to achieve their goals.

Here is a list of the 33 players who secured their DP World Tour cards with their Final Stage results and ranking positions: –

Screenshot 2023-11-16 at 11.41.03

Top 25 Final Stage Results (Graphic: DP World Tour)

7 Great British & Irish (GB&I) players earned their cards. Well done to Tom LEWIS (ENG), Jack DAVIDSON (WAL), Andrew WILSON (ENG), Garrick PORTEOUS (ENG), Joshua BERRY (ENG), Rhys ENOCH (WAL) and Joe DEAN (ENG).

Garrick PORTEOUS (ENG) eagled the par 5 18th whilst Rhys ENOCH (WAL) and Joe DEAN (ENG) birdied it to move the right side of the ‘card line’.

16 of the 78 players, exactly half of the starting field, who made the 72-hole -5 cut were from GB&I: –

Screenshot 2023-11-16 at 11.36.27

GB&I Players Who Made The Cut – Final Stage Results (Graphic: DP World Tour)

All is not lost for those that finished outside the top 25 places. Players who made the cut but finished lower than 25th will earn conditional membership, in a lower category, on the DP World Tour and will have fully exempt status on the Challenge Tour for the 2024 season.

Players that missed the cut may gain some starts on the Challenge Tour during 2024 simply by getting to the Final Stage.

23 of the 39 GB&I starters missed the 72-hole cut: –

Screenshot 2023-11-16 at 11.31.51 Screenshot 2023-11-16 at 12.08.31

GB&I Players Who Missed The Cut – Final Stage Results (Graphic: DP World Tour)

In addition to Joshua Berry two other amateurs were competing in Final Stage, James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Maxence GIBOUDOT (FRA). After making a solid start over the first two days a disastrous third round left Ashfield with too much to do to make the cut. Giboudot made the cut and finished in a creditable 59th on -7.

Click here to view the – DP World Tour 2023 Final Stage Q-School Results

________________________________________

7th November 2023 (Updated 8th November 2023)

INTRODUCTION

I am following all of the amateurs, GB&I professionals, First Stage and Second Stage medalists and a few other overseas ‘players of interest’ through the 2023 DP World Tour Qualifying School series.

This post covers FINAL STAGE QUALIFYING which is being played at Infinitum Golf in Tarragona, Spain between the 10th – 15th November.

Q-School consists of three stages; First, Second and Final. Earlier articles have covered the nine FIRST STAGE and four SECOND STAGE events which have led us to this week’s FINAL STAGE.

More information on the 2023 Qualifying School can also be found in the Appendix at the end of this article.

COMPETITION AND FIELD

156 players will play a total of six rounds or 108 holes over Infinitum’s two championship courses; the Lakes which plays 7,001 yards (par 71) and the Hills which is slightly shorter at 6,944 yards (par 72).

99 players came through the four Second Stage competitions with the remaining 57 being exempted into Final Stage through their past endeavours.

39 Great British & Irish (GB&I) players will be competing this week; 29 came through Second Stage with 10 being exempt.

3 amateurs have made it through to the Finals, namely James Ashfield (WAL), Joshua Berry (ENG) and Maxence Giboudot (FRA).

Angel Ayora (ESP) and Pietro Bovari (ITA) have both turned professional ahead of play starting at Infinitum.

After two rounds are played on both the Hills and Lakes courses (72 holes) the field will be cut to the leading 70 players and ties. The final 36 holes will then be played on the Lakes Course over the remaining two competition days.

Here is an alphabetical list of the 61 players that I am specifically following with details of their Q-School journeys so far: –

Great British & Irish (39)
James ASHFIELD (WAL) AM – 1st Stage Arlandastad / 2nd Las Pinaillas
Joshua BERRY (ENG) AM -12 2nd – 1st Stage Donnington Grove / 2nd Fontanals GC
Gary BOYD (ENG) – Challenge Tour OoM / 2nd Isla Canela Links
Joe BROOKS (ENG) – 2nd Desert Springs Alt
Steven BROWN (ENG) – EX Challenge Tour OoM
Jonathan CALDWELL (N.I.) – EX Challenge Tour OoM
Jack DAVIDSON (WAL) – Challenge Tour OoM / 2nd Desert Springs
Joe DEAN (ENG) – 1st Stage Donnington Grove / 2nd Las Pinaillas
Owen EDWARDS (WAL) – 1st Stage Millennium / 2nd Desert Springs
Rhys ENOCH (WAL) – DP World Tour Member Cat 6a / 2nd Desert Springs
Giles EVANS (ENG) – 1st Stage The Players Club / 2nd Isla Canela Links
Oliver FARR (WAL) – EX Challenge Tour OoM
OJ FARRELL (ENG) – DP World Tour Member Cat 20 / 2nd Las Pinaillas
Oliver FISHER (ENG) – DP World Tour Member Cat 20 / 2nd Desert Springs
Calum FYFE (SCO) -5 T10 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf / 2nd Fontanals GC
Luke HARRIES (WAL) – 1st Stage Arlandastad / 2nd Isla Canela Links Alt
Jack HAWKSBY (ENG) – 1st Stage Millennium / 2nd Isla Canela Links
David HOWELL (ENG) – EX DP World Tour Career Money List
Craig HOWIE (SCO) – EX Challenge Tour OoM
Sam HUTSBY (ENG) – EX Challenge Tour OoM
Tom LEWIS (ENG) – EX Challenge Tour OoM
Ryan LUMSDEN (SCO) –Challenge Tour OoM / 2nd Las Pinaillas
George MASON (ENG) – 1st Stage Donnington Grove / 2nd Desert Springs
Dermot MCELROY (N.I.) – Challenge Tour OoM / 2nd Las Pinaillas
Richard MCEVOY (ENG) – DP World Tour Past Winner / 2nd Desert Springs
Ruaidhri MCGEE (IRL) -4 T15 – Challenge Tour OoM / 2nd Fontanals GC
Callum MCNEILL (SCO) – 1st Stage Royal Oak / 2nd Desert Springs
Conor O’ROURKE (IRL) – 1st Stage Royal Oak / 2nd Las Pinaillas
Garrick PORTEOUS (ENG) – 2nd Desert Springs Alt
Mark POWER (IRL) TURNED PRO 9/23 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf / 2nd Fontanals GC
Conor PURCELL (IRL) – EX Challenge Tour OoM
Oliver ROBERTS (SCO) – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets / 2nd Isla Canela Links
James RUTH (ENG) – 1st Stage Millennium / 2nd Desert Springs
Jamie RUTHERFORD (ENG) – EX Challenge Tour OoM
Ben SCHMIDT (ENG) – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets / 2nd Isla Canela Links
Tom SHADBOLT (ENG) – DP World Tour Member Cat A1 / 2nd Desert Springs
Marc WARREN (SCO) – EX DP World Tour OoM
Andrew WILSON (ENG) –DP World Tour Member Cat 5 / 2nd Las Pinaillas
Daniel YOUNG (SCO) – Challenge Tour OoM / 2nd Desert Springs

Overseas (12)
Angel AYORA (ESP) TURNED PRO 11/23 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove WINNER / 2nd Desert Spring
Pietro BOVARI (ITA) TURNED PRO 11/23 – 1st Stage Bogogno / 2nd Isla Canela Links
Hamish BROWN (DEN) – Challenge Tour OoM / 2nd Fontanals GC WINNER
Martin COUVRA (FRA) TURNED PRO 9/23 – EX Challenge Tour OoM
Jannik DE BRUYN (GER) – 1st Stage Royal Oak / 2nd Desert Springs WINNER
Maxence GIBOUDOT (FRA) AM – 1st Stage Millennium / 2nd Las Pinaillas
Sam JONES (NZL) TURNED PRO 11/23 -9 T4 – 1st Stage The Players Club / 2nd Fontanals GC
Philipp KATICH (GER) – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf / 2nd Isla Canela Links WINNER
Ronan KLEU (SUI) TURNED PRO 7/23 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf / 2nd Isla Canela Links
Connor MCKINNEY (AUS) – 1st Stage Millennium / 2nd Las Pinaillas WINNER
Joel MOSCATEL NACHSHON (ESP) – 1st Stage Bogogno WINNER / 2nd Las Pinaillas
Matias SANCHEZ (AUS) – 1st Stage Rosebud C.C WINNER / 2nd Isla Canela Links

EX – Exempt Into Final Stage

PRIZES

Players finishing in the The top 25 and ties will earn conditional membership (Category 18) on the DP World Tour and fully exempt status on the Challenge Tour for the 2024 season.

Players making the cut and finishing lower than 25th will earn conditional membership (Category 21) on the DP World Tour and fully exempt status on the Challenge Tour for the 2024 season.

Players who miss the Top 70 cut after 72 holes are eligible for membership of the Challenge Tour in 2024.

Each player will be ranked according to their final results with ties resolved by card play-off. For those that make the cut the initial focus will be on the best last 18 holes, then best last 36 holes and then the best 3rd or 4th round over the Lakes Course.

This finishing position ranking is important as it can make a big difference to the number of Tour starts recevied. To illustrate this Pre-COVID the Final Stage medalist could expect to receive 27 DP World Tour starts whilst the 25th placed qualifier garnered 18.

Infinitum – 18th hole, Hills Course (Photo: http://www.infinitumliving.com)

APPENDIX

The 2023 DP World Tour Qualifying School Series

The DP World Tour (previously known as the European Tour) Qualifying School was first played in 1976, four years after the European Tour was founded. What started out as a 72 hole test has grown into potentially a 252 hole marathon.

Nowadays there are three stages of stroke play qualifying; First, Second and Final.

The 2023 European Tour Q-School entrance fee was £2,500 (2022: £2,000, 2019: £1,800) with entries closed on 16th August 2023.

Male amateur golfers with a handicap below 0.4 (i.e. scratch) and who have appeared in positions 1-2,000 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) in 2023 could enter.

Some entrants are exempted straight into Second Stage or Final Stage based on their past results and / or rankings.

First Stage

First Stage consisted of nine 72 hole stroke play qualifying events split into six Sections, A, B, C, D, E and F.

Around 20% of each field, around 20-30 players, progressed from each event. All players tied for the last qualifying position advanced to the Second Stage.

This year the DP World Tour introduced a 36 hole cut to First Stage removing players not within 12-shots of the final qualifying place. The 54 hole cut, where only players within 7-shots of the final qualifying place play the final round, also remained in place.

There were 70 amateur entries with 17 (24%) of these successful.

For more information on this year’s First Stage please read – DP World Tour Q-School – 2023 First Stage Preview & Results

Here are links to all of the results from the First Stage events:-

29-01 Sept 2023 SECTION A – THE PLAYERS CLUB, ENGLAND – The Players Q-School Results

29-01 Sept 2023 SECTION A – ROSEBUD C.C., AUSTRALIA – Rosebud Q-School Results

05-08 Sept 2023 SECTION B – MILLENNIUM GOLF CLUB, BELGIUM – Millennium Q-School Results

05-08 Sept 2023 SECTION C – ARLANDASTAD GOILF, SWEDEN – Arlandastad Q-School Results

13-16 Sept 2023 SECTION C – S. EBREICHSDORF, AUSTRIA – S. Ebreichsdorf Q-School Results

19-22 Sept 2023 SECTION D – BOGOGNO GOLF RESORT, ITALY – Bogogno Q-School Results

19-22 Sept 2023 SECTION D – DONNINGTON GROVE G.C., ENGLAND – Don. Grove Q-School Results

26-29 Sept 2023 SECTION E – ROYAL OAK G.C., DENMARK – Royal Oak Q-School Results

03-06 Oct 2023 SECTION F – GOLF DE MOLIETS, FRANCE – Golf de Moliets Q-School Results

SECOND STAGE

The Second Qualifying Stage consists of four separate 72-hole events.

2nd – 5th November 2023

DESERT SPRINGS RESORT, ALMERIA, SPAIN – Desert Springs Q-School Results

GOLF LAS PINAILLAS, ALBACETE, SPAIN – Golf Las Pinaillas Q-School Results

ISLA CANELA (LINKS COURSE), HUELVA, SPAIN – Isla Canela Q-School Results

FORTANALS GOLF CLUB, GIRONA, SPAIN – Fortanals Q-SChool Results

The leading five amateur entrants as at 16th August 2023 to a limit of 20th place in the WAGR were exempt from First Stage and could start their Q-School journeys at Second Stage. John Gough (ENG) was the only player to take advantage of this exemption.

There was no cut but players are able to withdrawal after each round if they wished to.

Sudden death play-offs were held to resolve ties at this Stage and provide an Alternates list.

90 places for Final Stage were initially made available but this number subsequently increased to 99 due to withdrawals.

There were 15 amateurs still standing by this point with 5 (33%) of them progressing.

FINAL STAGE

The Final Qualifying Stage consists of 108 holes on the Lakes and Hills Courses at Infinitum Golf, previously known as Lumine GC, in Tarragona, Spain.

10th – 15th November 2023

INFINITUM, TARRAGONA, SPAIN

Infinitum replaced PGA Catalunya Resort in 2017 and will be hosting Final Stage for the fifth time this year. No Q-School was held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current 3 year contract with the Spanish venue to stage the Finals expires in 2024.

156 players will play two rounds over each of the Lakes and Hills Courses. After these 72 holes the field will be cut to the leading 70 players and ties who will play a final 36 holes.

The leading 25 players (plus those tied for 25th place) in the Final Stage competition will earn Conditional Membership of The DP World Tour (and fully exempt status on the Challenge Tour) for the 2024 season. On average the medalist receives 27 tournament starts whilst the 25th qualifier has receives 18.

Those who make the 72 hole cut but finish outside the Top 25 will also earn a membership category, albeit a lower one, on the DP World Tour (and Challenge Tour).

Players who miss the cut will be eligible for membership of the Challenge Tour.

Every player is ranked according to their finishing score, card count backs assisting in this process, and this ranking matters when it comes to future playing opportunities.

ME.

DP World Tour Q-School – 2023 Second Stage Preview & Results

Posted on 26/10/2023 by Golf Bible

26th October 2023 (Updated 8th November 2023)

I am following all of the amateur players as well as the Great British & Irish professionals (and one or two other players of interest) through the 2023 DP World Tour Qualifying School series.

The Q-School consists of three stages, First, Second and Final. More information on the 2023 Qualifying School can be found in the Appendix at the end of this article.

This post covers SECOND STAGE QUALIFYING which was scheduled to be played between the 2nd – 5th November. However, due to strong winds in Spain three of the fourth events required an extra day to be completed.

Four events were played concurrently at Golf Las Pinaillas, Desert Springs Resort & Golf Club, Isla Canela Links and Fontanals Golf Club, all in Spain. These competitions were all played over 72 holes with no cut.

An earlier article covered the FIRST STAGE and an additional one will be penned prior to the FINAL STAGE being played.

Final Stage will be played at Infinitum Golf in Spain on 10th – 15th November where 156 players will battle over six rounds for a top 25 and ties finish and a place on the DP World Tour for the 2024 season.

SECOND STAGE

The Second Qualifying Stage consisted of four separate 72-hole events, all played without a cut.

306 players competed including 92 from Great Britain & Ireland – 30% of the overall field.

There were 15 players who started Second Stage as amateurs.

With 66 players exempt into Final Stage at the start of play 90 qualifying spots were initially made available by the DP World Tour for this week’s Second Stage competitions.

During the week an additional spot became available which was allocated to the Golf Las Pinaillas event.

Sudden death play-offs were held to resolve ties for the final spots at this Stage with Alternates determined too to deal with any future Final Stage withdrawals. Subsequent to Final Stage starting a further 8 players were called up from this Second Stage Alternates list.

Here is a summary of the four events with the results for my selected players, as well as their routes to Second Stage, all shown: –

2nd – 5th November 2023 (Play-Off 6th November 2023)

DESERT SPRINGS RESORT & GOLF CLUB, ALMERIA, SPAIN

78 players (inc. 4 amateurs) started with 25 qualifying (inc. 1 amateur)

Included in the above qualifying number is two Desert Springs Alternates.

Click here for the full – Desert Springs Q-School Results

Qualified
Jannik DE BRUYN (GER) -21 1st WINNER – 1st Stage Royal Oak
Jack DAVIDSON (WAL) -17 T3 – Challenge Tour OoM
Angel AYORA (ESP) AM -17 T3 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove WINNER
Richard MCEVOY (ENG) -15 T5 – DP World Tour Past Winner
Tom SHADBOLT (ENG) -13 T7 – DP World Tour Member Cat A1
George MASON (ENG) -12 T9 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
James RUTH (ENG) -11 T11 – 1st Stage Millennium
Owen EDWARDS (WAL) -10 T13- 1st Stage Millennium
Daniel YOUNG (SCO) -10 T13 – Challenge Tour OoM
Callum MCNEILL (SCO) -10 T13 – 1st Stage Royal Oak
Rhys ENOCH (WAL) -9 T17 – DP World Tour Member Cat 6a
Oliver FISHER (ENG) -8 T19 5-from-8 Play-Off – DP World Tour Member Cat 20
Garrick PORTEOUS (ENG) -8 T19 5-from-8 Play-Off Alt – DP World Tour Member Cat 5
Joe BROOKS (ENG) -8 T19 5-from-8 Play-Off Alt – 1st Stage Donnington Grove

Did Not Qualify
George TOONE (ENG) -7 T27 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf JOINT WINNER
Franck DAUX (FRA) -7 T27 – 1st Stage Millennium WINNER
Daniel O’LOUGHLIN (ENG) -7 T27 – DP World Tour Member Cat 20
Nathan LEGENDRE (FRA) AM -6 T32 – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Josh HILLEARD (ENG) -6 T32 – Challenge Tour OoM
Bradley BAWDEN (ENG) -6 T32 – Challenge Tour OoM
Ross MCGOWAN (ENG) -3 T45 – DP World Tour Past Winner
Pavan SAGOO (ENG) -2 T49 – DP World Tour Member Cat 20
Joe RETFORD (ENG) -1 T51 – 1st Stage The Players Club
Jacob AGERSCHOU (DEN) TURNED PRO 11/23 Ev T54 – 1st Stage Royal Oak
Callum FARR (ENG) Ev T54 – 1st Stage The Players Club
James FRAZER (WAL) +1 T57 – 1st Stage The Players Club
Jordan WRISDALE (ENG) +2 61st – 1st Stage The Players Club
Marc BOUCHER (IRL) AM +3 62nd – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Luke JOY (ENG) +4 T63 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Daniel SMITH (ENG) +4 T63 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Oliver CHESTERMAN (ENG) +5 T66 – 1st Stage Arlandastad
Jan SCHNEIDER (GER) AM +8 71st – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Sam LOCKE (SCO) WD After Rd 3 – 1st Stage Millennium
Jack SENIOR (ENG) RTD After Rd 3 – Challenge Tour OoM
Joe HERATY (ENG) WD After Rd 3 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Jack MCDONALD (SCO) WD Before Play Started – Challenge Tour OoM

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2nd – 5th November 2023 (Round 4 & Play-Off 6th November 2023)

GOLF LAS PINAILLAS, ALBACETE, SPAIN

78 players (inc. 3 amateurs) started with 25 qualifying (inc. 2 amateurs)

Included in the above qualifying number is one Las Pinaillas Alternate.

Click here for the full – Golf Las Pinaillas Q-School Results

Qualified
Connor MCKINNEY (AUS) -12 1st WINNER – 1st Stage Millennium
Joe DEAN (ENG) -11 2nd – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Conor O’ROURKE (IRL) -4 T6 – 1st Stage Royal Oak
Maxence GIBOUDOT (FRA) AM -4 T6 – 1st Stage Millennium
Ryan LUMSDEN (SCO) -3 T9 – Challenge Tour OoM
Joel MOSCATEL NACHSHON (ESP) -3 T9 – 1st Stage Bogogno WINNER
OJ FARRELL (ENG) -3 T9 – DP World Tour Member Cat 20
Andrew WILSON (ENG) -2 T14 – DP World Tour Member Cat 5
James ASHFIELD (WAL) AM -2 T14 – 1st Stage Arlandastad
Dermot MCELROY (N.I.) -2 T14 – Challenge Tour OoM

Did Not Qualify
Mitch WAITE (ENG) Ev T26 – 1st Stage The Players Club
Nick MCCARTHY (ENG) Ev T26 – 1st Stage The Players Club
John GOUGH (ENG) TURNED PRO 9/23 +1 T30 – WAGR Ranking
Jack YULE (ENG) +2 T35 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Paul DUNNE (IRL) +2 T35 – DP World Tour Past Winner
Aram YENIDJEIAN (ARG) +3 T40 – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets, WINNER
Darren HOWIE (SCO) +4 T42 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Tom SLOMAN (ENG) +5 T45 – 1st Stage Royal Oak
Jake MCGOLDRICK (ENG) +5 T45 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Callum BRUCE (SCO) +6 T49 – 1st Stage The Players Club
David HORSEY (ENG) +6 T49 – DP World Tour Past Winner
Aldrich POTGIETER (RSA) +8 T54 – 1st Stage Arlandastad
Bailey GILL (ENG) +8 T54 – 1st Stage Royal Oak
Eric MCINTOSH (SCO) +9 T58 – 1st Stage Arlandastad
Ben FIRTH (ENG) +12 65th – 1st Stage The Players Club
Matt ROBERTS (WAL) AM WD After Rd 3- 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Jordan GODWIN (ENG) WD After Rd 3 – 1st Stage Arlandastad

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2nd – 5th November 2023

ISLA CANELA LINKS, HUELVA, SPAIN

76 players (inc. 4 amateurs) started with 25 qualifying (inc. 1 amateur)

Included in the above qualifying number is three Isla Canela Links Alternates.

Click here for the full – Isla Canela Q-School Results

Qualified
Philipp KATICH (GER) -21 1st WINNER – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Pietro BOVARI (ITA) AM -20 T2 – 1st Stage Bogogno
Gary BOYD (ENG) -18 4th – Challenge Tour OoM
Ronan KLEU (SUI) TURNED PRO 7/23 -15 T7 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Giles EVANS (ENG) -12 T17 – 1st Stage The Players Club
Jack HAWKSBY (ENG) -12 T17 – 1st Stage Millennium
Oliver ROBERTS (SCO) -11 T19 – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Matias SANCHEZ (AUS) -11 T19 4-from-6 Play-Off – 1st Stage Rosebud C.C WINNER
Ben SCHMIDT (ENG) -11 T19 4-from-6 Play-Off – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Luke HARRIES (WAL) -10 T25 Alt – 1st Stage Arlandastad

Did Not Qualify
Ronan MULLARNEY (IRL) -10 T25 – Alps Tour OoM
Anton ALBERS (GER) -9 T28 – 1st Stage Royal Oak WINNER
James ALLAN (ENG) -9 T28 – Challenge Tour OoM
Tom MURRAY (ENG) -9 T28 – Challenge Tour OoM
Joshua GRENVILLE-WOOD (ENG) -8 T35 – Challenge Tour OoM
Niall KEARNEY (IRL) -8 T35 – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Sandy SCOTT (SCO) -8 T35 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Ben EVANS (ENG) -7 T40 – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Luca HOULGATE (ENG) -7 T40 – 1st Stage The Players Club
Chris PAISLEY (ENG) -7 T40 – Challenge Tour OoM
Paul MADDY (ENG) -6 T46 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
David BOOTE (WAL) -4 T54 – Challenge Tour OoM
Robert DINWIDDIE (ENG) -4 T54 – 1st Stage The Players Club WINNER
Paul MCBRIDE (IRL) -4 T54 – 1st Stage Millennium
James ROSS (SCO) -4 T54 – 1st Stage Royal Oak
Jake AYRES (ENG) -3 63rd – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Christian BROWN (ENG) -1 T64 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Malte VON BLANKENFELD (GER) AM +1 T66 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Maxime LEGROS (FRA) AM +2 T69 – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Rhys THOMPSON (ENG) +2 T69 – Tartan Pro Tour OoM
Julien PALTRINIERI (ITA) AM +5 T73 – 1st Stage Bogogno

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2nd – 5th November 2023 (Play-Off 6th November 2023)

FONTANALS GOLF CLUB, GIRONA, SPAIN

74 players (inc. 4 amateurs) started with 24 qualifying (inc. 1 amateur)

Included in the above qualifying number is two Fontanals Alternates.

Click here for the full – Fontanals Q-School Results

Qualified
Hamish BROWN (DEN) -13 1st WINNER – Challenge Tour OoM
Joshua BERRY (ENG) AM -12 2nd – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Sam JONES (NZL) TURNED PRO 11/23 -9 T4 – 1st Stage The Players Club
Calum FYFE (SCO) -5 T10 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Ruaidhri MCGEE (IRL) -4 T15 – Challenge Tour OoM
Mark POWER (IRL) TURNED PRO 9/23 -3 T19 4-from-7 Play-Off – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf

Did Not Qualify
Jakob HANSSON (SWE) -2 T26 – 1st Stage Arlandastad WINNER
David DIXON (ENG) -2 T26 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Kieran CANTLEY (SCO) -1 T29 – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets
Harry ELLIS (ENG) -1 T29 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) AM Ev T33 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Jack FLOYDD (ENG) +1 T36 – Alps Tour OoM
Jack AINSCOUGH (ENG) +1 T36 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Michael STEWART (SCO) +1 T36 – DP World Tour Member Cat 12b
Brandon KEWALRAMANI (USA) +2 T41 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf JOINT WINNER
George BLOOR (ENG) +3 T44 – Clutch Pro Tour OoM
John MURPHY (IRL) +6 T54 – DP World Tour Member Cat 5
David HAGUE (ENG) +7 T55 – 1st Stage Ebreichsdorf
Gavin HAY (SCO) +8 T60 – 1st Stage Donnington Grove
Rob MORAN (IRL) AM +7 T61 – 1st Stage The Players Club
Callan BARROW (ENG) +9 T64 – DP World Tour Member Cat 8
Clément CHARMASSON (FRA) AM +13 70th – 1st Stage Golf De Moliets

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Click here to view the official – DP World Tour Qualifying School Website

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APPENDIX

THE 2023 DP WORLD TOUR QUALIFYING SCHOOL SERIES

Nowadays there are three stages of stroke play qualifying; First, Second and Final.

The 2023 European Tour Q-School entrance fee was £2,500 (2022: £2,000, 2019: £1,800) with entries closed on 16th August 2023.

Male amateur golfers with a handicap below 0.4 (i.e. scratch) and who have appeared in positions 1-2,000 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) in 2023 can enter.

Some entrants are exempted straight into Second Stage or Final Stage based on their past results and ranking.

FIRST STAGE

First Stage consisted of nine 72 hole stroke play qualifying events split into six Sections, A, B, C, D, E and F.

Around 20% of each field, normally 20-30 players, progressed from each event. The actual number of places were confirmed after all of the players had teed off on Day 1 of each qualifier. All players tied for the last qualifying position advanced to the Second Stage.

There were 70 amateur entries with 17 (24%) of these successful.

For more information on this year’s First Stage please read – DP World Tour Q-School – 2023 First Stage Preview & Results

Here are links to all of the results from the First Stage events:-

29-01 Sept 2023 SECTION A – THE PLAYERS CLUB, ENGLAND – The Players Q-School Results

29-01 Sept 2023 SECTION A – ROSEBUD C.C., AUSTRALIA – Rosebud Q-School Results

05-08 Sept 2023 SECTION B – MILLENNIUM GOLF CLUB, BELGIUM – Millennium Q-School Results

05-08 Sept 2023 SECTION C – ARLANDASTAD GOILF, SWEDEN – Arlandastad Q-School Results

13-16 Sept 2023 SECTION C – S. EBREICHSDORF, AUSTRIA – S. Ebreichsdorf Q-School Results

19-22 Sept 2023 SECTION D – BOGOGNO GOLF RESORT, ITALY – Bogogno Q-School Results

19-22 Sept 2023 SECTION D – DONNINGTON GROVE G.C., ENGLAND – Don. Grove Q-School Results

26-29 Sept 2023 SECTION E – ROYAL OAK G.C., DENMARK – Royal Oak Q-School Results

03-06 Oct 2023 SECTION F – GOLF DE MOLIETS, FRANCE – Golf de Moliets Q-School Results

SECOND STAGE

The Second Qualifying Stage consists of four separate 72-hole events.

2nd – 5th November 2023

DESERT SPRINGS RESORT, ALMERIA, SPAIN – Desert Springs Q-School Results

GOLF LAS PINAILLAS, ALBACETE, SPAIN – Golf Las Pinaillas Q-School Results

ISLA CANELA (LINKS COURSE), HUELVA, SPAIN – Isla Canela Q-School Results

FORTANALS GOLF CLUB, GIRONA, SPAIN – Fortanals Q-SChool Results

There is no cut but players are able to withdrawal after each round if they wish to.

Sudden death play-offs were held to resolve ties at this Stage and provide an Alternates list.

90 places for Final Stage were initially made available but this number subsequently increased to 99 due to withdrawals.

There were 15 amateurs still standing by this point with 5 (33%) of them progressing.

FINAL STAGE

The Final Qualifying Stage consists of 108 holes on the Lakes and Hills Courses at Infinitum Golf, previously known as Lumine GC, in Tarragona, Spain.

10th – 15th November 2023

INFINITUM, TARRAGONA, SPAIN

156 players will play two rounds over each of the Lakes and Hills Courses. After these 72 holes the field will be cut to the leading 70 players and ties who will play a final 36 holes.

Those who make the 72 hole cut but finish outside the Top 25 will also earn a membership category, albeit a lower one, on the DP World Tour (and Challenge Tour).

Players who miss the cut will be eligible for membership of the Challenge Tour.

Every player is ranked according to their finishing score, card count backs assisting in this process, and this ranking matters when it comes to future playing opportunities.

ME.

World Amateur Team Championship – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on 17/10/2023 by Golf Bible

Saturday 21st October 2023

Round 4

USA (-36) won the 33rd Men’s World Amateur Team Championship by 11-shots.

The team finished the event off in style compiling the low round of the Championship; a 132 (-12), helped in no small part by a 64 from David FORD, the second lowest round in the tournament’s history.

It was the USA’s 16th win in the competition and they now will take custody of the Eisenhower Trophy until it’s next playing in 2025 at the Tenah Merah C.C. in Singapore.

img_7011-1

Team USA – Nick Dunlap, David Ford & Gordon Sargent (Photo: IGF)

NORWAY and AUSTRALIA (-25) tied for 2nd place with FRANCE (-24) 4th and NEW ZEALAND and ITALY (-23) tied 5th. It was Norway’s best ever finish in their 26 appearances to date.

IRELAND (-20) finished strongly to rise 11 places on the final day and secure a tied 8th finish.

ENGLAND (-14) finished tied 15th, WALES (-13) tied 17th and SCOTLAND (-10) tied 21st.

32 of the 36 teams finished the 72 holes with an under par score.

Team Results (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

Western Amateur champion Kazuma KOBORI (NZL) took the low Individual title with a 272 (-16) total. He rose eight places to secure the honour with a fine 65 (-7) in the final round.

Reigning U.S. Amateur champion Nick DUNLAP (USA) finished 2nd on -15 with France’s Bastien AMAT and Norway’s Herman WIBE SEKNE -14 one shot further back.

Leading Individual Results (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) -11 produced the best performance by a GB&I player finishing tied 8th.

Connor GRAHAM (SCO) -10 again impressed at the highest level with a very consistent performance to finish tied 14th.

Five other GB&I players finished under par for the Championship. Tyler WEAVER (ENG) -8 was tied 17th, Tomi BOWEN (WAL) -6 tied 30th, Alex MAGUIRE (IRL), who came through the standings with a final day 65, -5 tied 36th, Jack BIGHAM (ENG) -3 tied 43rd and Liam NOLAN (IRL) -2 tied 50th.

GB&I Individual Results (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – Men’s 2023 WATC Team Results

Click here to view the – Men’s 2023 WATC Individual Results

ME.

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Friday 20th October 2023

Round 3

A third round 136 (-8) helped USA (-24) extend their lead in the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship to 4-shots.

FRANCE & NORWAY (-20) tied 2nd are their nearest challengers, the Scandinavians posting a 134 score on Day 3.

AUSTRALIA (-19) 4th and CZECH REPUBLIC (-18) 5th round off the top 5.

Disappointingly the four home nation teams again made little progress in Abu Dhabi. SCOTLAND (-11) tied 16th and WALES, IRELAND & ENGLAND (-10) tied 19th now look destined to finish in the middle of the pack.

29 of the 36 teams are now under par, up three from the Round 2 number. NORWAY (-20), for the second day running, and SOUTH KOREA (-11) were the two biggest movers, both rising 9 places on the leaderboard. ITALY (-16) also enjoyed a good day rising 7 places in to 8th.

Round 3 Team Scores (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

The world’s best amateur Gordon SARGENT (USA) posted a 67 in Round 3 to move to the top of the Individual standings on 204 (-12).

Herman WIBE SEKNE (NOR), Jeff GUAN (AUS), Pietro BOVARI (ITA), Bastien AMAT (FRA), Nick DUNLAP (USA) and Nicolas QUINTERO (COL) are all tied 2nd on -11.

Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) is the best of the home nation players after a second consecutive 68 took him to -8 and tied 14th place. Connor GRAHAM (SCO) & Tyler WEAVER (ENG) -7 tied 16th, Tomi BOWEN (WAL) & James ASHFIELD (WAL) -5 tied 33rd, Calum SCOTT (SCO) -4 tied 38th and Barclay BROWN (ENG) -2 tied 48th are the best of the rest after 54 holes.

Round 3 Leading Individual Scores (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

ME.

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Thursday 19th October 2023

Round 2

USA (-16) moved ominously into the lead on Day 2 of the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship in the Middle East. They followed up yesterday’s joint best 135 (-9) with a 137 (-7) team score today.

CHINA and FRANCE (-15) are 1-shot back in tied 2nd with CZECH REPUBLIC and AUSTRALIA (-14) tied 4th.

After 36 holes ENGLAND (-8) are tied 15th (down 11 places), SCOTLAND & WALES (-7) tied 17th down 4 and 1 places) and IRELAND (-4) tied 23rd (up 3 places) after second rounds of 143 (-1), 140 (-4), 139 (-5) and 139 (-5) respectively at the Abu Dhabi G.C.

26 of the 36 teams are now under par, up three from yesterday. MEXICO (-12) tied 8th and NORWAY (-10) tied 11th with the biggest movers rising 13 places on the leaderboard. Mexico’s Round 2 133 (-11) team score was the best we have seen so far.

Round 2 Team Scores (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

15 year old Hugo LE GOFF (FRA), today starting on the 1st tee, again showed his liking for Abu Dhabi’s front nine. Three birdies and an eagle before a bogey on the 9th saw him post a second 32 for these holes. A 68 took up onto 135 (-9) for the Championship and into the Individual lead.

Pietro BOVARI (ITA), Zhang QIU (CHN), Nick DUNLAP (USA) and Filip JAKUBCIK (CZE) are all tied 2nd on -8.

Herman WIBE SEKNE (NOR) bounced back from an opening 73 with a Championship low 64 (-8) which included nine birdies.

Tyler WEAVER (ENG) -5 tied 19th remains the best of the 12 GB&I players competing. Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Calum SCOTT (SCO) -4 tied 23rd, Tomi BOWEN (WAL) & Connor GRAHAM (SCO) -3 tied 35th and Barclay BROWN (ENG) -2 tied 45th are our other players under par at the half-way stage.

Round 2 Leading Individual Scores (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

ME.

__________________________________________

Wednesday 18th October 2023

Round 1

FRANCE and USA have taken the early lead in the Men’s World Amateur Team Championship after posting a 135 (-9) score on Day 1.

ENGLAND (-7) are tied 4th, SCOTLAND (-3) tied 13th, WALES (-2) tied 16th and IRELAND (+1) tied 26th after their rounds at the Abu Dhabi G.C.

23 of the 36 teams finished Round 1 with an under par total score.

Play got underway at 6.30am with Ahmad Skaik (UAE), son of Akram Skaik, the Director General of the Emirates Golf Federation, given the honour of hitting the opening tee shot. Conditions were excellent all day with temperatures reaching 36ºC.

Round 1 Team Scores (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

Starting on the 10th tee Benjamin REUTER (NED), who plays at Georgia Tech University, shot 31 on the front nine, which included three birdies and an eagle, to finish the day with a 66 (-6) to top the Individual standings.

1-shot back and tied 2nd are Hugo LE GOLF (FRA), aged 15 but surprisingly only the fifth youngest player in the field, and Gordon SARGENT (USA), who secured his PGA Tour card today by accumulating 20 points under the PGA Tour University Accelerated scheme, who both fired 65s (-5).

From the home nations Tyler WEAVER (ENG) -4 tied 4th, Barclay BROWN (ENG) -3 tied 11th, Connor GRAHAM (SCO) & Tomi BOWEN (WAL) -2 tied 26th, Calum SCOTT (SCO) -1 tied 38th and Jack BIGHAM (ENG), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) & James ASHFIELD (WAL) Ev tied 46th all started their Championships with rounds of par or better.

Round 1 Leading Individual Scores (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

ME.

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17th October 2023

The 33rd Men’s World Amateur Team Championship (WATC), played for the Eisenhower Trophy, starts on Wednesday 18th October in Abu Dhabi.

This year the Championship will be hosted by the Emirates Golf Federation and played on the National Course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

It was originally scheduled to be played in neighbouring Dubai on the Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

It is the first time the event has been staged in the Middle East and sees it move to odd years to avoid a clash with the Summer Olympic Games in future years.

Due to the escalating costs of staging the WATC it is now being played on a single course with the field reduced to 36 teams.

The WATC is a biennial international amateur golf competition run by the International Golf Federation (IGF), formerly known as the World Amateur Golf Council.

The IGF comprises 152 national governing bodies of golf in 149 countries as well as tours and organizations that conduct championships. It is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the body responsible for golf and as such, in addition to the Men’s and Women’s WATC’s it also organises the golf competitions in both the Olympics and Youth Olympics.

The WATC are hosted by rotation taking in Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Europe, Africa and for the first time in 2023 the Middle East.

The first WATC took place in 1958 and was played over the Old Course at St. Andrews. Bobby Jones captained the United States of America famously receiving the Freedom of the Town during the trip, although his team ended up losing a play-off to Australia for the title.

Competition Format

36 teams are competing in the 2023 WATC.

The three players from each team play 72 holes of stroke play over four days. The two lowest rounds recorded on each day count towards the team’s total score.

The winning team receive the Eisenhower Trophy. The Trophy was provided in 1958 by the American Friends of Golf through the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient GolfGolf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. It is named in honour of the then United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The inscription on the trophy reads: “To foster friendship and sportsmanship among the Peoples of the World.”

Players in the leading three teams receive gold, silver and bronze medals.

Whilst individual results are reported and the player with the lowest score is recognised at the closing ceremony there has historically been no prize awarded for this achievement.

GB&I Competitors

The home nations will be represented by the following players (WAGR as at 11th October): –

ENGLAND – Jack BIGHAM (#93), Barclay BROWN (#28), Tyler WEAVER (#188)

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England (Photo: IGF)

IRELAND – Alex MAGUIRE (#135), Matthew MCCLEAN (#57), Liam NOLAN (#124)

Ireland (Photo: IGF)

SCOTLAND – Connor GRAHAM (#203), Calum SCOTT (#27), Gregor TAIT (#251)

Scotland (Photo: IGF)

WALES – James ASHFIELD (#64), Tomi BOWEN (#259), Matt ROBERTS (#389)

Wales (Photo: IGF)

The other competing nations are as follows with those highlighted expected to be the most competitive.

ARGENTINA – Joaquín Ludueña (#669), Vicente Marzilio (#221), Segundo Oliva Pinto (#200)

AUSTRALIA – Jack Buchanan (#114), Jeffrey Guan (#56), Karl Vilips (#29)

AUSTRIA – Christoph Bleier (#104), Fabian Lang (#684), Florian Schweighofer (#626)

CANADA – Piercen Hunt (#252), Ashton McCulloch (#540), Brady McKinlay (#356)

CHINA – Xiangyun Bai (#112), Zihang Qiu (#108), Ziqin Zhou (#113)

COLOMBIA – Carlos Ardila Conde (#205), Manuel Jose Merizalde Padilla (#216), Nicolas Quintero (#763)

CZECH REPUBLIC – Petr Hruby (#68), Filip Jakubcik (#87), Louis Klein (#375)

DENMARK – Gustav Frimodt (#25), Frederik Kjettrup (#15), Jacob Skov Olesen (#283)

FINLAND – Elias Haavisto (#447), Markus Luoma (#290), Jesse Saareks (#1630)

FRANCE – Bastien Amat (#116), Paul Beauvy (#234), Hugo Le Goff (#591)

GERMANY – Jonas Baumgartner (#35), Tiger Christensen (#162), Tim Wiedemeyer (#139)

GUAM – Markus Nanpei (#NR), Eugene Park (#NR), Nalapon Vongjalorn (#NR)

GUATEMALA – Juan Ricardo Davila (#401), Gabriel Palacios (#201), Alejandro Villavicencio (#154)

INDIA – Shaurya Bhattacharya (#455), Rohit Narwal (#589), Yuvraj Singh (#213)

ITALY – Pietro Bovari (#77), Riccardo Fantinelli (#382), Flavio Michetti (#596)

JAPAN – Riura Matsui (#153), Minato Oshima (#210), Yuta Sugiura (#16)

SOUTH KOREA – Seonghyeon An (#769), Sungho Lee (#950), Donghyun Moon (#629)

MEXICO – Santiago De la Fuente del Valle (#118), José Cristobal Islas (#73), Omar Morales (#226)

MOROCCO – Soufiane Dahmane (#493), El Fakori Mehdi (#240), Hugo Mazen Trometter (#789)

NETHERLANDS – Jack Ingham (#161), Benjamin Reuter (#220), Lars van der Vight (#75)

NEW ZEALAND – Jayden Ford (#128), Samuel Jones (#106), Kazuma Kobori (#33)

NORWAY – Mats Ege (#58), Michael Mjaaseth (#59), Herman Wibe Sekne (#24)

SINGAPORE – Ryan Ang (#345), Troy Tian Storm (#NR), Hiroshi Tai (#67)

SOUTH AFRICA – Christo Lamprecht (#1) , Christiaan Maas (#14), Altin van der Merwe (#228)

SPAIN – Angel Ayora (#89), Jose Luis Ballester Barrio (#20), Luis Masaveu Roncal (#54)

SWEDEN – Albert Hansson (#49), Daniel Svard (#152), Tobias Jonsson (#31)

SWITZERLAND – Nicola Gerhardsen (#82), Marc Keller (#954), Maximilien Sturdza (#253)

CHINESE TAIPEI – Chi Chun Chen (#244), Chuan-Tai Lin (#72), Ching-Hung Su (#241)

THAILAND – Jiradech Chaowarat (#945), Ashita Piamkulvanich (#416), Parin Sarasmut (#1223)

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Rayan Ahmed (#NR), Thomas Nesbitt (#3088), Ahmad Skaik (#1863)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – Nick Dunlap (#4), David Ford (#5), Gordon Sargent (#2)

ZIMBABWE – Tafadzwa Nyamukondiwa (#2715), Keegan Shutt (#1526), David Amm (#1706)

Venue

The 2023 WATC will be played on the National Course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The club, with its iconic ‘falcon clubhouse’, is well known to golf fans having hosted 16 consecutive editions of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship between 2006-2021 on the DP World Tour.

The course was designed by Peter Harradine and opened for play in May 2000. It was carved out of the desert and features undulating fairways, fast greens and seven large water hazards.

This week it will be set up to play to 7,552 yards – the longest in the history of the event – and will have a par of 72. It has a slope of 155.

Hole 1 2          3 4 5          6 7          8          9         Total
Par 4 5          4 3          4 4 3 5 4 36
Yards 405 600      439 158 440 469 200 572 456 3,739

Hole 10 11 12        13 14 15 16        17 18 Total
Par 5          4 3          4 4 3 4 4 5 36
Yards 582      460 176 414      490 199 475 460 557 3,813

Additional Information

Click here to view the – Official IGF World Amateur Team Championships Webpage

2022 WATC

ITALY won the Eisenhower Trophy at the 32nd World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) in France.

The competition was played on the Albatross Course at Le Golf National and on the Red Course at Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Brèteche.

It was the first time that Italy had won a medal, let alone gold, at the WATC.

Team Italy (Photo: IGF / USGA / Steve Gibbons)

ITALY finished on an impressive 541 -31 total with SWEDEN, whose Women’s team had won their WATC the previous week, missing out on a rare double by 1-shot. USA finished 3rd on -27, NORWAY -25 4th and SPAIN -23 5th.

WALES (-17), tied 8th, were delighted to finish as the leading home nation team. It was the Principality’s best result at the WATC since they came in fourth in 2006 with a team that consisted of Nigel Edwards, Rhys Davies and Llewellyn Matthews.

ENGLAND (-14) 14th, IRELAND (-8) tied 19th and SCOTLAND (+2) 33rd all finished lower than they would have hoped in Paris.

Team Results (Graphic: IGF / Golf Genius)

Tobias JONSSON (SWE) shot a final round 66 at Le Golf National to secure Low Individual honours with a 269 -17 total.

Taga SEMIKAWA (JAP), who had led from the opening day and started Round 4 with a 5-shot lead, sadly struggled to a disappointing 73 to finish second on -16.

Austin GREASER (USA) completed a consistent championship with a 67 to finish 3rd on 271 -15.

Archie DAVIES (WAL) had the best Individual score by a home nation player, finishing tied 9th with a 274 -12 result.

Looking at the our other leading home nation players Mark POWER (IRL) & Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) -6 finished tied 25th, John GOUGH (ENG) -4 tied 31st, James ASHFIELD (WAL) -2 tied 40th and Calum SCOTT (SCO) & Luke HARRIES (WAL) Ev tied 46th.

Individual Results (Graphic: IGF / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – Men’s 2022 WATC Team Results

Click here to view the – Men’s 2022 WATC Individual Results

Historic Results

GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND (GB&I) have won the Eisenhower Trophy four times but only SCOTLAND have won it in their own right since each of the home nations started to compete separately.

The competion holds a special place in the story of English amateur Peter MCEVOY. He participated in the winning GB&I team in 1988, he also ‘won’ the Individual (284) that year and he went on to captain the GB&I team that won it again in 1998. A hat trick of Eisenhower Trophy achievements that may prove difficult for anyone else to match.

Here are the historic Men’s WATC results: –

Screenshot 2023-10-17 at 06.15.58

Future WATC Events

The International Golf Federation has confirmed the following future venues for the WATC: –

34th – 2025 – Singapore

35th – 2027 – Morocco

36th – 2029 – To be determined

ME.

September 2023 Men’s Amateur Rankings

Posted on 13/10/2023 by Golf Bible

13th October 2023

Throughout the year I analyse the main golf rankings to help us assess the performances of Great Britain and Ireland’s (GB&I) leading players as well as the status of events they compete in.

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

The latest update covering the September 2023 Quarter period has now been added.

I have selected Kris KIM (ENG) as my Player of the Quarter. The Surrey youngster, who only turned 16 on 30th September and represents Walton Heath G.C., has enjoyed an excellent late summer, winning two Championships and contributing strongly to recent team performances by England, Great Britain & Ireland and Europe.

Here is a summary of his performances in the 3 month period under review: –

English Under 18 Amateur Stroke Play Championship – Tied 39th
European Boys’ Team Championship (SUI) – SPQ Tied 1st / MP W4 H0 L2
English Boys’ Under 16 Open Amateur SP Championship (McGregor Trophy) – CHAMPION
European Young Masters (SLO) – 8th
R&A Boys’ Home Internationals (ENG) – W5 H0 L1
R&A Boys Amateur Championship (ENG) – SPQ 7th / MP CHAMPION
The Jacques Leglise Trophy (FRA) – W2 H1 L1
DP World Tour 1st Stage Qualifying (ENG) – T34 (-2)
The Junior PLAYERS Championship (USA) – 40th
Junior Ryder Cup (ITA) – W3 H1 L0

In late May 2023 Kris became the first amateur to be sponsored by CJ Group, the Korean-based global company with numerous golf interests. He is the son of Ji-Hyun Suh who competed on the LPGA in the 1990s.

Kris Kim (Photo: The R&A)

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

ME.

The Home of Great British & Irish Amateur Golf