Category Archives: St Andrews Trophy

The St. Andrews Trophy – 2025 Preview & Results

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Friday 25th July 2025

Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) won The 35th St. Andrews Trophy match against Continent of Europe by 16.5-8.5 points at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro in Madrid, Spain.

GB&I now have 27 wins in the 35 matches played with Europe having seven and there being one tie in 2016.

Only requiring 1.5 points from the nine Singles played in the final session Tyler WEAVER (ENG) and Luke POULTER (ENG) wasted no time in securing victory for GB&I with wins in the opening two games.

Commenting afterwards an elated GB&I captain Dean Robertson said “The team produced phenomenal golf. To win all four series was more than my expectations. The teamwork was magical, preparation great and I couldn’t be more proud of them all. We’ll enjoy this, reflect, and then we’ll build on this for our trip across the Atlantic.”

The GB&I Team (Photo: Aitor Alcalde / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)

Cameron ADAM (SCO) was the star man for GB&I winning all four of his games. Luke POULTER (ENG), Eliot BAKER (ENG) and Tyler WEAVER (ENG) also strongly contributed to GB&I’s victory.

Claes THRANE BORREGAARD (DEN), Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) and Hugo LE GOFF (FRA) all won both of their singles, putting up the most resistance for a well beaten Continent of Europe team.

Click here to view the – 2025 St. Andrews Trophy Match Results

Day 2 PM Singles

GB&I ensured they would win all four sessions by taking the Day 2 afternoon Singles series 5.0-4.0.

Play commenced at 1.30pm CEST (12.30am BST) with all nine players on both sides competing.

Day 2 Singles Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Tyler WEAVER (ENG) maintained his unbeaten record in this year’s match with a comprehensive 6&5 victory over Filip JAKUBČÍK (CZH) who handed the initiative to Weaver early on and was simply not in the form to ever recover it.

Weaver v. Jakubčík Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

A victorious Luke POULTER (ENG) and Gunnlauger Arni SVEINSSON (ISL) halved both par 5’s on the back nine with eagles. On the 18th Poulter holed a long bunker shot to follow Sveinsson in after he had holed a mammoth put before him.

Poulter v. SveinssonScoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER), who is one of the few European players who can leave Spain with his head held high, beat the previously unbeaten Connor GRAHAM (SCO) in some style in Game 3 with another solid performance.

Graham v. Wiedemeyer Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Hugo LE GOFF (FRA), who had trailed for most of the round, chose the optimum time to take the lead – the 18th green – as he robbed Charlie FORSTER (ENG) of a first singles win.

Forster v. Le Goff Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Norway’s Claes Thrane BORREGAARD took advantage of a poor start by Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) and despite a valiant fight back by the Gog Magog member was able to hold on for a 1 Hole victory. Borregaard’s three consecutive birdies on 13, 14 and 15 proved crucial in the end.

Clemons v. Borregaard Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Eliot BAKER (ENG) battled impressively to secure his win against home player Sergio JIMENEZ ROMERO. Birdies on the 16th and 18th holes enabled the Devonian to complete an unbeaten record and notably deliver two singles wins.

Baker v. Jimenez Romero Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) ensured every member of the GB&I team won a game in this year’s St. Andrews Trophy match with a solid 3&2 win against Alfons BONDESSON (SWE). Tiernan led from the first hole and never looked like relinquishing his point throughout.

Tiernan v. Bondesson Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

A more consistent Richard TEDER (EST), determined to secure his first win over the match, got the better of Stuart GREHAN (IRL) by 2&1 in Game 8.

Grehan v. Teder Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Cameron ADAM (SCO) completed a four-out-of-four win record for GB&I with an error free performance against Kristian HJORT BRESSUM (DEN) who will be rueing his play around the turn where he essentially handed the win to the in-form Scotsman.

Adam v. Hjort Bressum Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Day 2 AM Foursomes

GB&I matched their Foursomes performance of yesterday winning the Day 2 series 3.5-0.5.

Trailing 11.5-4.5 after this session any hope Continent of Europe had of retaining the trophy they won with ease last year at Royal Porthcawl was effectively ended.

Play on Friday started at 8.30am CEST (7.30am BST) at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro on the outskirts of Madrid.

GB&I captain Dean Robertson understandably made no changes to his successful Day 1 pairings with Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) again left out.

Sergio JIMENEZ ROMERO (ESP) was dropped by captain Carlos de Corral from the Continent of Europe’s Foursomes line up. De Corral also chose to tweak his pairings with Gunnlauger Arni SVEINSSON (ISL) joining Filip JAKUBČÍK (CZH) and new-boy Alfons BONDESSON (SWE) paired with Hugo LE GOFF (FRA).

Day 2 Foursomes Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Tyler WEAVER (ENG) & Connor GRAHAM (SCO) finally overcame Gunnlauger Arni SVEINSSON (ISL) & Filip JAKUBČÍK (CZH) on the 18th hole in what was generally a high class match with plenty of birdies.

Weaver & Graham v. Jakubčík & Sveinsson Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

A strong finish from Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) & Richard TEDER (EST) nearly helped them successfully turnaround their game against Luke POULTER & Charlie FORSTER but the English pair were able to salvage a good half with a crucial birdie on the par 5 18th.

Poulter & Forster v. Wiedemeyer & Teder Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Six birdies from Eliot BAKER (ENG) & Stuart GREHAN (IRL) ensured they won Game 3 against Hugo LE GOFF (FRA) & Alfons BONDESSON (SWE) by 2 Holes albeit the final one on the 18th was much needed to close this one out.

Baker & Grehan v. Le Goff & Bondesson Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Cameron ADAM (SCO) & Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) beat the out of sorts Danish pairing of Kristian HJORT BRESSUM & Claes THRANE BORREGAARD in the final morning game. Whilst Adam & Clemons were unable to match the closing birdie that the three GB&I pairings all achieved ahead of them they had already done enough to earn the final Foursomes point.

Adam & Clemons v. Hjort Bressum & Borregaard Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

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Thursday 24th July 2025

Day 1 PM Singles

GB&I extended their lead to four points after winning the Day 1 afternoon Singles series 4.5-3.5.

Play started at 1.30pm CEST (12.30am BST) with Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) and Kristian HJORT BRESSUM (DEN) left out of the GB&I and Continent of Europe Singles line-ups by the two captains, Dean Robertson and Carlos de Corral.

Day 1 Singles Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Tyler WEAVER (ENG), who was 4Up with eight holes to play, will be disappointed not to have brought home a full point for GB&I in his game against debutant Alfons BONDESSON (SWE). To his credit Bondesson fought back well and was able to to take advantage of some poor play on the back nine from the Englishman.

Weaver v. Bondesson Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

After a slow start Luke POULTER (ENG) produced six birdies to overcome European Amateur champion Filip JAKUBČÍK (CZH) who had an up-and-down day in Madrid. This was Poulter’s second point of the day and the Florida Gator is certainly making a positive impression.

Poulter v. Jakubčík Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Connor GRAHAM (SCO) proved to be too good for Spain’s Sergio JIMENEZ ROMERO in Game 3. The Texas Tech rising sophomore strung five birdies together on the front nine to take control of this encounter and despite a few hiccups coming home secured a solid 3&1 win.

Graham v. Jimenez Romero Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

France’s Hugo LE GOFF, winner of the 2025 Lytham Trophy, is a quality player and far from the ideal opponent for Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) to be drawn against on his GB&I debut. Le Goff was four under par with no bogeys recorded for the 17 holes he required to complete a 2&1 win for the Continent’s first win of the afternoon.

Tiernan v. Le Goff Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Three birdies in a row from the 12th helped Eliot BAKER (ENG) run out a 4&3 winner against Gunnlaugur Arni SVEINSSON (ISL) who was far to inconsistent in his play to gain any momentum in this particular game.

Baker v. Sveinsson Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Claes THRANE BORREGAARD (DEN) edged a close match against Charlie FORSTER (ENG) with a clutch birdie on the par 5 18th.

Foster v. Borregaard Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Cameron ADAM (SCO) enjoyed a fast start to his match against Richard TEDER (EST) with four birdies in their opening six holes. Playing with confidence after his great summer the Northwestern man secured a comfortable 4&3 win.

Adam v. Teder Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) posted an eagle and three birdies in an error free performance that saw him overcome re-instated amateur Stuart GREHAN (IRL) by 3&2 in the final game of the day.

Grehan v. Wiedemeyer Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Day 1 AM Foursomes

GB&I made a good start to The 35th St. Andrews Trophy match winning the morning Foursomes series 3.5-0.5 in Madrid, Spain.

Play started at 8.30am CEST (7.30am BST) at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro with Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) and Alfons BONDESSON (ESP) left out of the Foursomes line-ups by the two captains, Dean Robertson and Carlos de Corral.

Day 1 Foursomes Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

The strong pairing of Tyler WEAVER (ENG) & Connor GRAHAM (SCO) delivered a 2&1 win for GB&I against Sergio JIMENEZ ROMERO (ESP) & Filip JACUBČÍK (CZH) in Game 1. Having taken a 3Up lead after seven holes the Anglo-Scottish pair saw the match out with relative ease.

Weaver & Graham v. Jimenez Romero & Jakubčík Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Luke POULTER (ENG) & Charlie FORSTER (ENG) delivered six birdies on route to a 2&1 victory against Gunnlaugur Arni SVEINSSON (ISL) & Hugo LE GOFF (FRA) who did little wrong in a competitive encounter.

Poulter & Forster v. Sveinsson & Le Goff Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

A poor finish from Stuart GREHAN (IRL) & Eliot BAKER (ENG), where they dropped two shots in the closing three holes and most importantly a critical one on the par 5 18th, handed a half to the Danish pair Claes THRANE BORREGAARD & Kristian HJORT BRESSUM in Game 3.

Grehan & Baker & Borregaard & BressumScoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Cameron ADAM (SCO) & Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) made up for GB&I’s disappointment in the preceeding game by producing a superb birdie on the 18th hole to secure a 1 Hole win against Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) and Richard TEDER (EST) who fought back well from a sloppy front nine.

Adam & Clemons v. Wiedemeyer & Teder Scoreboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

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22nd July 2025

The 35th St. Andrews Trophy match will be contested on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th July at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro in Madrid, Spain.

This amateur men’s team match has been played biennially between Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) and the Continent of Europe since 1956.

It was originally established by The R&A to give more European players the chance to play at the highest level and GB&I players more team match play experience for the Walker Cup which is held in alternate years with this competition.

Due to changes being made to the international golf calendar the 2025 match unusually takes place only a year after the last one and in the same year as the Walker Cup.

The St. Andrews Trophy was put forward for the match by the Royal and Ancient G.C. of St. Andrews in 1963.

2025 Teams

Each team has nine players.

The golfing calendar is extremely busy at this time of year and therefore player availability can be impacted by other opportunities. Recent history shows that this is a particular issue on the Continent of Europe’s side albeit this year they appear to have a strong side out.

Great Britain & Ireland Team

The R&A Selection Committee, including Captain Dean Robertson (Scotland), 55, announced their nine man team on 4th July.

With the Walker Cup match coming up in September Robertson, who is Head of Golf at the University of Stirling, will be looking for a victory to instil some confidence in his team as well as increasing the chances of him remaining in post beyond the match in Cypress Point.

GB&I’s 2025 team will consist of six new and three returning players.

Each player’s nationality, current WAGR, selection route and event history is shown below.

Cameron ADAM (21) – Scotland, #29, WAGR Top 5 (Debut, 2025)

Eliot BAKER (22) – England, #121, Captain’s Pick (Debut, 2025)

Dominic CLEMONS (23) – England, #44, WAGR Top 5 (2nd Appearance, 2024, ’25)

Charlie FORSTER (22) – England, #57, Captain’s Pick (2nd Appearance, 2024, ’25)

Connor GRAHAM (18) – Scotland, #40, WAGR Top 5 (2nd Appearance, 2024, ’25)

Stuart GREHAN (32) – Ireland, #627, Captain’s Pick (2nd Appearance, 2016, ’25)

Luke POULTER (21) – England, #41, Captain’s Pick* (Debut, 2025)

Gavin TIERNAN (19) – Ireland, #583, Captain’s Pick (Debut, 2025)

Tyler WEAVER (20) – England, #14, WAGR Top 5 (Debut, 2025)

* Luke Poulter was the 5th highest ranked GB&I player on WAGR on 2nd July 2025 but did not meet the minimum divisor of 18 proviso so this selection spot was transferred over to an additional Captain’s pick.

Three GB&I players in the WAGR Top 100 were not selected, namely, Jack BIGHAM (England) #54. Matthew DODD-BERRY (England) #96 and Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (Scotland) #97.

Great Britain & Ireland Team (Graphic: RFEG)

Continent of Europe

Carlos de Corral (Spain), 45, took over the captaincy of the Continent of Europe team in 2024, winning his first game in charge at Royal Porthcawl.

De Corral is a very experienced team captain leading Spanish teams on numerous occasions. He is the Sports Director at the Madrid Golf Federation and will be very well versed on the host course.

His team was announced by the European Golf Association (EGA) on 24th June (six players in First Wave) and 17th July (three players after the European Amateur Championship).

Like GB&I, Europe’s team will consist of six new and three returning players this year.

Each player’s nationality, current WAGR, selection route and event history is shown below.

Alfons BONDESSON – Sweden, #90, First Wave (Debut, 2025)

Kristian HJORT BRESSUM – Denmark, #71, Second Wave (Debut, 2025)

Filip JACUBČÍK– Czech Republic, #6, Second Wave (2nd Appearance, 2024, ’25)

Sergio JIMENEZ ROMERO – Spain, #74, First Wave (Debut, 2025)

Hugo LE GOFF – France, #55, First Wave (Debut, 2025)

Gunnlaugur Arni SVEINSSON – Iceland, #15, First Wave (Debut, 2025)

Richard TEDER – Estonia, #80, Second Wave (2nd Appearance, 2024, ’25)

Claes Thrane BORREGAARD – Denmark, #95, First Wave (Debut, 2025)

Tim WIEDEMEYER – Germany, #35, First Wave (2nd Appearance, 2024, ’25)

The leading European players, according to WAGR Top 100, who are not playing this year are Michael MJAASETH (Denmark) #23, Daniel SVARD (Sweden) #52, Peer WERNICKE (Germany) #63, Benjamin REUTER (Netherlands) #65, Wolfgang GLAWE (GER) #67 and Lev GRINBERG (Ukraine) #91.

It is perhaps a little surprising that no Italians have been selected given that their 6-man team won the European Men’s Amateur Team Championship two weeks ago in Killarney, beating Denmark in the Final.

Continent of Europe Team (Photo: RFEG)

Match Format 

The St. Andrews Trophy is played over two days and consists of a number of match play foursomes and singles games.

Thursday 25th July AM – Foursomes x 4
Thursday 25th July PM – Singles x 8
Friday 26th July AM – Foursomes x 4
Friday 26th July PM – Singles x 9

The additional Singles game on Day 2 was introduced in 2016.

With a maximum total of 25 points available and one point awarded for each match a team will be required to accumulate 13 points to secure an outright victory.

As the holders Continent of Europe can retain the Trophy by reaching 12.5 points.

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The St. Andrews Trophy (Photo: Suomen Golfliitto / Finnish Golf Union)

Venue – Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro

Founded in 1895 Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro is one of Spain’s most prestigious clubs and has hosted many national and international amateur and professional tournaments over the years.

It has hosted the Spanish Open 15 times and the Madrid Open 26 times.

The Club has also hosted the Eisenhower Trophy, the Bonallack Trophy, the European Amateur Championship and the European Mid-Amateur Championship. The latter event in 2017 was won by the Continent of Europe’s team captain Carlos de Corral.

The Club enjoys two 18 holes, The Arriba (Upper) and The Abajo (Lower), both laid out on rolling tree lined terrain. The Arriba, which is being used this week, is generally considered the weaker of the two course. It plays to around 7,042 yards and a par of 72.

This will be the first time that the St. Andrews Trophy match has been played in Spain since 1990 when GB&I won at El Saler.

Weather Forecast – as at 3.00pm on Tuesday 22nd July 2025

The weather forecast for Madrid looks excellent this week: –

Thur 24th July – Sunny. Wind 13mph NE. Temp. Max. 15°C / Min. 30°C.
Fri 25th July – Sunny. Wind 11mph NE. Temp. Max. 16°C / Min. 30°C.

2024 Match – Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Wales

Continent of Europe won the 34th St. Andrews Trophy match against Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) at Royal Porthcawl G.C. by 16.0-9.0.

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Continent of Europe (Photo: Cameron Smith / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)

It was Europe’s sixth win in total, only their second away victory and their biggest ever surpassing their 15.5-9.5 triumph in Finland in 2018.

Luis MASAVEU (ESP) from the Continent of Europe was the only player to complete a 100% 4-from-4 record over the two days. His compatriot Pablo EREÑO PÉREZ was also undefeated, winning all three of the games he was selected for.

GB&I’s Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO) won both of their Singles and finished the match with three wins in total.

Click here to view the – 2024 St. Andrews Trophy Match Results

Past Results

In the 34 encounters to date GB&I have won the St. Andrews Trophy 26 times.

Europe have seven wins to their name albeit four of them have come recently in 2010, 2012, 2018 and 2024.

The match in 2016 was tied for the first time  with GB&I, who were the trophy holders, retaining the trophy.

Click here to view a summary of the – Historic St. Andrews Trophy Results

ME.

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

The St. Andrews Trophy – 2024 Preview & Results

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26th July 2024

Continent of Europe won the 34th St. Andrews Trophy match against Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) at Royal Porthcawl G.C. by 16.0-9.0.

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Continent of Europe (Photo: Cameron Smith / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)

It was Europe’s sixth win in total, only their second away victory and their biggest ever surpassing their 15.5-9.5 triumph in Finland in 2018.

Spain’s Carlos de Corral, the Continent of Europe Captain, said “You only have to see the history of the match to see how special it is for us to win this great event. It’s tough to win and we are going to celebrate.”

GB&I captain Dean Robertson said “The result obviously didn’t go our way but I couldn’t have asked any more from my team in terms of preparation. On the week we were just beaten by a team that played better.”

Luis MASAVEU (ESP) from the Continent of Europe was the only player to complete a 100% 4-from-4 record over the two days. Compatriot Pablo EREÑO PÉREZ was also undefeated, winning all three of the games he was selected for.

GB&I’s Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO) won both of their Singles and finished the match with three wins in total.

Here is an analysis of all of the individual performances from both sides: –

Screenshot 2024-07-26 at 18.26.44

Click here to view the – R&A St. Andrews Trophy Match Results

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The Final Scoreboard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

The updated St Andrews Trophy match record now reads – 26 GB&I wins, 7 Continent of Europe wins with 1 draw.

The Continent of Europe will defend the trophy at Puerta De Hierro in Madrid, Spain next year as the biennial match moves to odd years.

Friday PM Singles (9)

Continent of Europe confirmed their victory over GB&I in style by taking the Day 2 Singles 7.0-2.0.

Filip JACUBČIK (CZH) obtained revenge for his loss against James ASHFIELD (WAL) in yesterday’s Singles. Jakubčk again birdied the opening hole but this time proceeded to put together a very tidy round of golf which proved too much for the Welshman who in his defence did little wrong.

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Jakubcik v. Ashfield Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) beat the previously unbeaten Richard TEDER (EST) by 4&2 in Game 2 this afternoon. In a tight match the Englishman pulled away on the back nine with a string of birdies to complete an impressive debut for the GB&I team.

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Teder v. Clemons Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Connor GRAHAM (SCO) destroyed another unbeaten match record when he outclassed Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) by 4&3 in their Day 2 Singles. Three birdies on the front nine set up the win which the Blairgowrie man saw out with comfort.

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Wiedemeyer v. Graham C. Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Lars Van Der VIGHT (NED) and Jack BIGHAM (ENG) were again drawn together in the Singles and as on Day 1 both played relatively poorly with way too many bogeys evident on the scorecard. The Dutchman ultimately won by 1 Hole and it seems appropriate that the 18th was halved in bogeys.

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Van Der Fight v. Bigham Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

In a high quality match Jerry JI (NED) edged out Charlie FORSTER (ENG) by 2&1. Forster again made some mistakes on the back nine which derailed any hopes he may have had of gaining his first point in the match.

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Ji v. Forster Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Bastian AMAT (FRA) just got the better of Seb CAVE (ENG) by 2 Holes. In a tight match Cave played well but will be rueing his inability to hole some putts and a a couple of mistakes on the back nine which handed the initiative to the Frenchman.

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Amat v. Cave Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Sadly for Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) Jacob Skov OLESEN (DEN) finally turned up at Royal Porthcawl. The Amateur champion, who had lost all three of the games he had participated in up until this point, made a strong start to the match and thereafter refused to give Gregor any comeback encouragement.

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Olesen v. Graham G. Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

The steadier play of Pablo EREÑO PÉREZ (ESP) this afternoon enabled him to overcome Max KENNEDY (IRL) by 2&1. Despite coming to life towards the end of the game the Irishman simply made too many bogeys to threaten a victory for GB&I.

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Ereño Pérez v. Kennedy (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Luis MASAVEU (ESP) is a class act and ran out a 3&2 winner against Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL) who typically fought to the very end.

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Masaveu v. Rafferty Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

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Friday AM Foursomes (4)

Continent of Europe and GB&I tied the Day 2 Foursomes series 2.0-2.0 in the St. Andrews Trophy Match.

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Day 2 Morning Scoreboard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Continent of Europe captain Carlos de Corral retained his successful day 1 Foursomes pairings albeit he tweaked his running order. Filip JACUBČIK (CZH) was again left out.

Despite a 3.0-1.0 defeat in the Day 1 Foursomes GB&I captain Dean Robertson generally kept faith with his pairings. The only exception being Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) who replaced Seb CAVE (ENG) as Jack BIGHAM‘s (ENG) partner.

Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) and Richard TEDER (EST) recorded their second Foursomes win of the contest in Game 1. They took control of the match against James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO), who were GB&I’s sole winners yesterday morning, with a run five birdies and six holes on the front nine.

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Wiedemeyer & Teder v. Ashfield & Graham C. Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) and Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL) recorded a welcome win for GB&I in Game 2 against the Dutch pair of Lars VAN DER VIGHT and Jerry JI. The Anglo-Irish pair played consistently well through out with four birdies ensuring the door remained firmly closed to their opponents.

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Van Der Fight & Ji v. Clemons & Rafferty Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Four birdies in the closing five holes from Jack BIGHAM (ENG) and Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) saw them secure a potentially critical 2 Holes win over Bastian AMAT (FRA) and Jacob Skov OLESEN (DEN). The GB&I pair needed seven birdies to win what was arguably the best game of the match so far.

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Amat & Olesen v. Bigham & Graham G. Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Luis MASAVEU and Pablo EREÑO PÉREZ pulled away from Max KENNEDY (IRL) and Charlie FORSTER (ENG) down the home stretch to secure a 3&2 win. The Spanish pairing had started strongly with three early birdies but had to be patient before wearing the GB&I pair down.

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Masaveu & Ereño Pérez v. Kennedy & Forster Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

ME.

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25th July 2024

Continent of Europe lead GB&I 7.0-5.0 after the opening day of the St. Andrews Trophy match at Royal Porthcawl G.C.

As forecast conditions were a little challenging with drizzle and moderate winds blowing across the links.

Six players, Jerry JI (NED), Luis MASAVEU (ESP), Richard TEDER (EST) and Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) from the Continent of Europe and JAMES ASHFIELD (WAL) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO) for GB&I, won both of their Day 1 games.

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Day 1 Afternoon Scoreboard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Thursday PM Singles

The Day 1 Singles series was tied 4.0-4.0.

Filip JACUBČIK (CZH) got off to a dream start in his first outing of the match birdieing the par 4 1st hole in his game against home favourite James ASHFIELD (WAL). Ashfield got off to a poor start, bogeying the first three holes, but once he started to reel off the pars and sprinkle in a couple of birdies the game quickly turned in GB&I’s favour.

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Jakubcik v. Ashfield Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

The repeat of the recent Amateur Championship Final saw Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) gain a modicum of revenge over Denmark’s Jacob Skov OLESEN with a 3&2 win in a game where they both played well.

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Olesen v. Clemons Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

A six birdie blitz from Connor GRAHAM (SCO) proved too much for Bastian AMAT (FRA) who didn’t do too much wrong in his 2 Hole defeat and even enjoyed a hole-in-one on the short par 3 7th.

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Amat v. Graham C. Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Gregor GRAHAM (SCO), who was rested in the Foursomes this morning, would have been hoping to send a message of defiance to his captain but could only present a disappointing 6&5 loss to Estonia’s Richard TEDER. After being given every encouragement in the opening holes by the out of sorts Scotsman Teder produced four birdies in the 13 holes he required for victory.

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Teder v. Graham G. Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Birdies on the 6th and 9th holes helped Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) pull into the lead and when Charlie FORSTER lost his way on the back nine he soon ran out a 4&3 winner.

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Wiedemeyer v. Forster Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Game 6 proved to be a very poor quality affair with both players struggling around Royal Porthcawl this afternoon. Jack BIGHAM (ENG) won’t care too much though as his 3&1 victory over Lars Van Der VIGHT (NED) was very welcome to a GB&I side on the comeback trail.

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Van Der Fight  v. Bigham Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Jerry JI (NED) and Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL) returned the standard of play to a more acceptable level with the Dutchman just keeping one step ahead of the experienced Irishman throughout a close contest.

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Ji v. Rafferty Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Captain Robertson will be disappointed that the final Singles game got away from Max KENNEDY (IRL) who was 1Up with four holes to play. Going into tomorrow tied at 6.0-6.0 or even down 6.5-5.5 would have meant the momentum was with his side after this morning’s Foursomes loss. However, Luis MASAVEU (ESP), fresh from The Open Championship is no mug, the closing holes at Porthcawl are no push over and in Kennedy’s defence he had played very well up until the 15th.

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Masaveu v. Kennedy Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Seb CAVE (ENG) and Pablo EREÑO PÉREZ (ESP) were respectively left out of the GB&I and European Singles teams when the draw was made last night.

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Thursday AM Foursomes

Continent of Europe won the Day 1 Foursomes series 3.0-1.0 to take the early lead against GB&I in the St. Andrews Trophy Match.

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Day 1 Morning Scoreboard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Captain’s Dean Robertson and Carlos de Corral rested Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) and Filip JACUBČIK (CZH) from their opening Foursomes line-ups.

The GB&I pairings didn’t look a natural fit on paper last night and this largely proved to be the case on the course this morning.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO) didn’t have to work too hard to secure the first point of the match as the European pairing of Bastian AMAT (FRA) and Amateur champion Jacob Skov OLESEN (DEN) never got going.

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Amat & Olesen v. Ashfield & Graham C. Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) and Richard TEDER (EST) started poorly to hand the early initiative to Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) and Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL). However, the Europeans bounced back strongly with three birdies on the front nine and after the GB&I pair started to struggle from the 13th onwards the visitors ran out comfortable winners.

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Wiedemeyer & Teder v. Clemons & Rafferty Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

MAX KENNEDY (IRL) and Charlie FORSTER (ENG) started the third game very poorly gifting the Dutch pairing of Lars VAN DER VIGHT and Jerry JI a 4Up advantage after just six holes. It was to their credit that they fought back to 1Up after 14 holes but ultimately they had given themselves too big a hill to climb.

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Van Der Fight & Ji v. Kennedy & Forster Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

The Spanish pairing of Luis MASAVEU and Pablo EREÑO PÉREZ were simply too good for England’s Jack BIGHAM and Seb CAVE in the final game of the morning session, playing error free golf on the way to a confidence boosting 5&4 win.

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Masaveu & Ereño Pérez v. Bigham & Cave Scores (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)

ME.

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17th July 2024 (Updated 23rd July 2024)

The 34th St. Andrews Trophy match will be contested on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th July at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales.

This amateur men’s team match has been played biennially between Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) and the Continent of Europe since 1956.

It was originally established by The R&A to give more European players the chance to play at the highest level and GB&I players more team match play experience for the Walker Cup which is held in alternate years with this competition.

The St. Andrews Trophy was put forward for the match by the Royal and Ancient G.C. of St. Andrews in 1963.

I will be updating this article with daily reports and results once play commences.

2024 Teams

Each team has nine players.

The golfing calendar is extremely busy at this time of year and therefore player availability can be impacted by other opportunities. Recent history shows that this is a particular issue on the Continent of Europe’s side.

Great Britain & Ireland Team

The R&A Selection Committee, including new Captain Dean ROBERTSON (Scotland), announced their nine man team on 8th July.

GB&I’s team will consist of nine new players this year.

Each player’s nationality, WAGR as at 17th July 2024 and Selection Route is shown below.

James ASHFIELD (23) – Wales, #27, WAGR Top 5

Jack BIGHAM (20) – England #37, WAGR Top 5

Seb CAVE (20) – England, #342, Captain’s Pick

Dominic CLEMONS (22) – England, #157, Captain’s Pick

Charlie FORSTER (21) – England, #262, Captain’s Pick

Connor GRAHAM (17) – Scotland, #149, Captain’s Pick

Gregor GRAHAM (20) – Scotland, #108, Captain’s Pick

Max KENNEDY (22) – Ireland, #30, WAGR Top 5

Caolan RAFFERTY (31) – Ireland, #53, WAGR Top 5

First Reserve
Will HOPKINS (24) – England, #63, Captain’s Pick

Automatic WAGR Top 5 selection Calum SCOTT – Scotland, #13, made himself unavailable for selection.

The other leading GB&I players, who are in the WAGR Top 100 and are not playing this year, are Liam NOLAN (Ireland) #71, Matt MCCLEAN (Ireland) #75 and Tyler WEAVER (England) #78.

Continent of Europe

2024 will see Carlos de Corral (Spain) take over the captaincy of the Continent of Europe team.

His team was announced by the European Golf Association (EGA) on 20th June (7 players) and 16th July (2 players after the European Amateur Championship).

Spain’s Luis Masaveu Roncal is the only returning player from Europe’s 2022 line-up.

Each player’s nationality and WAGR as at 17th July 2024 is shown below.

Bastian AMAT (22) – France, #24

Pablo EREÑO PÉREZ (20) – Spain, #60

Filip JACUBČIK (20) – Czech Republic, #36

Jerry JI (24)- Netherlands, #213

Luis MASAVEU RONCAL (21) – Spain, #32

Jacob Skov OLESEN (25) – Denmark, #23

Richard TEDER (19) – Estonia, #85

Lars VAN DER VIGHT (21) – Netherlands, #52

Tim WIEDEMEYER (19) – Germany, #68

In recent years the EGA has struggled to attract their very best players to the match so it is good to see them putting out such a strong team in Wales.

The leading European players, according to WAGR Top 100, who are not playing this year are Jose Luis BALLESTER BARRIO (Spain) #9, Tobias JONSSON (Sweden) #42, Daniel SVARD (Sweden) #48, Tiger CHRISTENSEN (Germany) #54, Michael MJAASETH (Denmark) #59, Gregory SOLHAUG (Norway) #61, Algot KLEEN (Sweden) #65, Albert HANSSON (Sweden) #67, Jaime MONTOJO FERNANDEZ (Spain) #96 and Bard SKOGEN (Norway) #97.

It is worth noting from a selection point of view that Sweden won the European (Men’s) Amateur Team Championship earlier in July with Hansson, Kleen and Svard in their six-man team.

Match Format 

The St. Andrews Trophy is played over two days and consists of a number of match play foursomes and singles games.

Thursday 25th July AM – Foursomes x 4
Thursday 25th July PM – Singles x 8
Friday 26th July AM – Foursomes x 4
Friday 26th July PM – Singles x 9

The additional Singles game on Day 2 was introduced in 2016.

With a maximum total of 25 points available and one point awarded for each match a team will be required to accumulate 13 points to secure an outright victory.

As the holders GB&I can retain the Trophy by reaching 12.5 points.

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The St. Andrews Trophy (Photo: Suomen Golfliitto / Finnish Golf Union)

Venue – Royal Porthcawl Golf Club

Royal Porthcawl G.C. was established in 1891 with the original nine hole course laid out by Charles Gibson, the professional at Royal North Devon G.C., in the following year.

A new 18 hole course was built in the late 1890s on the current site.

The 1951 Amateur Championship was the first major tournament that it staged. It has since staged a further six Amateurs.

Porthcawl famously staged the Walker Cup match in 1995 when the USA team included Tiger Woods.

The course, set on land sloping down the seashore, plays to 7,152 yards and a par of 72 from the Black Championship tees. It has a Course Rating of 75.7 and a Slope Rating of 143.

The 2020 St. Andrews Trophy match was originally scheduled to be played at Royal Porthcawl G.C. but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will become the first Welsh club to host the match in 2024.

Weather Forecast – as at 8.00am Monday 23rd July 2024

The weather forecast for south Wales looks mixed for the match with some rain forecast for Thursday and sun for Friday: –

Thur 25th July – Drizzle. Wind 13mph SW. Temp. Max. 18°C / Min. 14°C.
Fri 26th July – Sunny Intervals. Wind 13mph SW. Temp. Max. 17°C / Min. 13°C.

2022 Match – Penati Golf Club, Slovakia

Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) won the 33rd St. Andrews Trophy match in Slovakia, beating Continent of Europe by 14.5-10.5.

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), Mark POWER (IRL) and Calum SCOTT (SCO) were unbeaten for GB&I whilst Anton ALBERS (GER) was the best performer for the Continent of Europe.

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Great Britain & Ireland (Photo: The R&A)

Click here to view the full – 2022 St. Andrews Trophy Results

Past Results

In the 33 encounters to date GB&I have won the St. Andrews Trophy 26 times.

Europe have six wins to their name albeit three of them have come recently in 2010, 2012 and 2018.

The match in 2016 was tied for the first time  with GB&I, who were the trophy holders, retaining the trophy.

Europe have won only once on GB&I soil in the history of the match, at Portmarnock GC in 2012.

Click here to view a summary of the – Historic St. Andrews Trophy Results

2025 Match – Puerta De Hierro, Spain

As part of the re-arrangement of the amateur calendar the match will next be played in 2025 in Spain before returning to GB&I in 2027.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2024, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The St. Andrews Trophy – 2022 Preview & Results

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22nd July 2022

Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) won the 33rd St. Andrews Trophy match in Slovakia, beating Continent of Europe by 14.5-10.5.

GB&I have now won the St. Andrews Trophy 26 times with Continent of Europe having six outright wins to their name.

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Great Britain & Ireland (Photo: The R&A)

I would imagine that both sides are relatively pleased with the outcome. GB&I obviously because they won but Continent of Europe because they were competitive throughout despite fielding by no means their strongest potential team.

Click here to view the full – 2022 St. Andrews Trophy Results

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), Mark POWER (IRL) and Calum SCOTT (SCO) were unbeaten for GB&I whilst Anton ALBERS (GER) was the best performer for the Continent of Europe.

Screenshot 2022-07-22 at 22.11.42

Day 2 PM Singles

GB&I headed into the final series with an 11-5 advantage and therefore simply needed just two wins from the nine singles to regain the trophy.

Whilst they achieved this modest feat it was Continent of Europe who got the better of the Singles winning it 5.5-3.5.

Only Mark POWER (IRL), Calum SCOTT (SCO) and Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) were able to deliver a full point for the visitors in the afternoon games.

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Day 2 PM Singles Results (Graphic: European Golf Association / Golfbox)

Day 2 AM Foursomes

The GB&I team won the Day 2 Foursomes series 3-1 to put themselves firmly in the box seat in the St. Andrews Trophy match.

GB&I’s habit of winning or at least not losing close foursomes games, often on the 18th hole, has been a feature of the match and may ultimately prove to be the difference between the two sides.

GB&I captain Stuart Wilson re-jigged his order and introduced Archie DAVIES (WAL) to his line-up this morning. However, the Davies and John GOUGH (ENG) pairing was not successful with the Swedish pair of Adam WALLIN and David LUNDGREN taking the spoils in the opening game.

The Continent of Europe went with the same players but swapped their first and third pairs from Day 1 around.

GB&I won the other other three games with Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) and Matthew MCCLEAN (IRL) again winning their foursomes on the 18th green.

Captain Wilson will be pleased to see that the Mark POWER (IRL) & Barclay BROWN (ENG) and Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) & Calum SCOTT (SCO) pairings came through unbeaten for him over the two days. Both tied their games yesterday but won today.

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Day 2 AM Foursomes Results (Graphic: European Golf Association / Golfbox)

ME.

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21st July 2022

Day 1 PM Singles

GB&I won the afternoon Singles series 6-2 to take an overnight 8-4 lead over Continent of Europe into the final day.

There were wins for John GOUGH (ENG), Mark POWER (IRL), Barclay BROWN (ENG), Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) and Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG).

Archie DAVIES (WAL), who debuted for GB&I this afternoon in place of Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), tied his match as did CALUM SCOTT (SCO), who won the 18th to secure an important half-point for the visitors.

Martin COUVRA (FRA), who lost to John Gough in the opening game, came into the Continent of Europe’s line up with Laurenz SCHIERGEN (GER) stepping down.

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Day 1 PM Singles Results (Graphic: European Golf Association / Golfbox)

Day 1 AM Foursomes

GB&I were a little fortunate to come out of the opening foursomes series with a 2-2 scoreline and no doubt will take heart from a good comeback.

The Continent of Europe looked on course for a comfortable overall victory, 3-1 at worse, across the four games for much of the round. GB&I unusually mixed the home nations up with no players from the same country paired together. Only the Bairstow and McClean pairing appeared to gel with the others all struggling for long periods.

However, Europe slipped up down the home stretch and a battling GB&I team were good enough to take advantage in the final three games, halving two and winning the final one.

David LUNDGREN (SWE), who replaced Kiet VAN DER WEELE (NED) on the eve of the match, was brought straight into the Continent of Europe’s starting line up.

Archie DAVIES (WAL) and Martin COUVRA (FRA) were left out of the opening Foursomes by the respective GB&I and Europe captains.

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Day 1 AM Foursomes Results (Graphic: European Golf Association / Golfbox)

ME.

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20th July 2022

The 33rd St. Andrews Trophy match will be contested on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd July at Penati Golf Resort in Slovakia.

This amateur men’s team match has been played biennially between Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) and the Continent of Europe since 1956.

It was originally established by The R&A to give more European players the chance to play at the highest level and GB&I players more team match play experience for the Walker Cup which is held in alternate years with this competition.

The St. Andrews Trophy was put forward for the match by the Royal and Ancient G.C. of St. Andrews in 1963.

I will be updating this article with daily reports and results once play commences.

2022 Teams

Each team has nine players.

The golfing calendar is extremely busy at this time of year and therefore player availability can be impacted by other opportunities. Recent history shows that this is a particular issue on the Continent of Europe’s side.

Continent of Europe

Yves HOFSTETTER (Switzerland) will be the Non-Playing Captain of the European team for the second match.

His team was announced by the European Golf Association (EGA) on 13th July and is listed below. Each player’s nationality, their current SPWAR and their regional position is also provided.

Anton ALBERS – Germany #88 (15th)

Pietro BOVARI – Italy #184 (44th)

Martin COUVRA – France #93 (20th)

Daniel DA COSTA RODRIGUES – Portugal #205 (49th)

David LUNDGREN* – Sweden #309 (72nd)

Luis MASAVEU RONCAL – Spain #122 (29th)

Laurenz SCHIERGEN – Germany #145 (34th)

Max STEINLECHNER – Austria #118 (28th)

Adam WALLIN – Sweden #247 (58th)

* David Lundgren replaced Kiet Van Der WEELE, Netherlands #92 (17th), on the eve of the match.

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Continent of Europe Team (Photo: European Golf Association)

It is disappointing that none of the team are in the SPWAR’s Continent of Europe top 10 and surprisingly  just four of the final team are in the current top 30. It is clear that the EGA are increasingly struggling to attract their very best players to the match.

The leading European players in the SPWAR, none of whom are playing, are Ludvig ABERG (Sweden) #1, Julien SALE (France) #14, Adrien Dumont De CHASSERT (Belgium) #18, Tom VAILLANT (France) #22, Jiri ZUSKA (Czech Republic) #27 , David PUIG (ESP) #30, Filipo CELLI (Italy) #37, Hamish BROWN (Denmark) #44, Jose BALLESTER (Spain) #60 and Hugo TOWNSEND (Sweden) #65.

Great Britain & Ireland Team

The R&A Selection Committee, including Non-Playing Captain Stuart WILSON (Scotland), announced their nine man team on 12th July. Each player’s nationality, their current SPWAR and their GB&I regional position is also provided.

Sam BAIRSTOW (24) – England #3 (1st)

Barclay BROWN (21) – England #54 (5th)

Archie DAVIES (21) – Wales #72 (7th)

John GOUGH (24) – England #13 (2nd)

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (23) – England #42 (3rd)

Matthew MCCLEAN (29) – Ireland #59 (6th)

Robert MORAN (23) – Ireland #52 (4th)

Mark POWER (22) – Ireland #193 (20th)

Calum SCOTT (19) – Scotland #74 (8th)

Non-Travelling Reserves
James ASHFIELD (21) – Wales #175 (19th) and Olly HUGGINS (24) – England #126 (15th)

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Great Britain & Ireland Team (Photo: European Golf Association)

Unlike the European Team above it is hard to argue with The R&A’s GB&I selection. Mark POWER is at face value a current ranking anomaly but he has a lot of goodwill on his side given previous Boys’ and Men’s GB&I team performances.

Match Format 

The St. Andrews Trophy is played over two days and consists of a number of match play foursomes and singles games.

Thursday 21st July AM – Foursomes x 4
Thursday 21st July PM – Singles x 8
Friday 22nd July AM – Foursomes x 4
Friday 22nd July PM – Singles x 9

The additional Singles on Day 2 was first played in 2016.

With a maximum total of 25 points available and one point awarded for each match a team will be required to accumulate 13 points to secure an outright victory. As the holders Continent of Europe can retain the Trophy by reaching 12.5 points.

img_5949

The St. Andrews Trophy (Photo: Suomen Golfliitto / Finnish Golf Union)

Venue – Penati Golf Club, Slovakia

Penati Golf Resort was opened in 2012 near the town of Senica in western Slovakia. It is now a 36-hole golf resort with a Legend Course and Heritage Course.

The Legend Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and built to USGA specifications, is the one being used this week. It cuts through forests of scots pines and silver birch.

Summary: Yards 7,151 / Par 72 / Course Rating 74 / Slope 145

The 15th, a par 6, is noteworthy as it has eleven different tees and can be stretched out to around 780 yards. The par 4 18th, shown above, plays to an island green situated in front of the clubhouse and is the course’s signature hole.

Penati has hosted a number of Championships in the recent past; the European Mid-Amateur (2013), D+D REAL Slovakia event on the Challenge Tour (2014-16), European Men’s Amateur (2015) and European Ladies Amateur (2018).

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Penati Golf Club

Weather Forecast

The weather forecast for Slovakia looks very good for both competition days, albeit the afternoon sun may prove problematic: –

Thur 21st July – Sunny. Wind 5mph E. Temp. Max. 39°C / Min 19°C.
Fri 22nd July – Sunny. Wind 10mph E. Temp. Max. 39°C / Min 20°C.

2020 Match – Royal Porthcawl, Wales

The 2020 St. Andrews Trophy match, scheduled to be played at Royal Porthcawl G.C. in South Wales, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Porthcawl will now host the next match on 25th and 26th May 2024.

2018 Match – Linna Golf, Finland

The Continent of Europe beat Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) 15.5 – 9.5 in the 32nd St. Andrews Trophy match played in 2018 at Linna Golf in Finland.

GB&I entered the final day leading 7 – 5 but were comprehensively outplayed by an inspired European team who won the Day 2 games 10.5 – 2.5. GB&I were thrashed 7.5 – 1.5 in the Singles.

This was just the sixth time Europe had won the match and the 6 point margin represented their biggest ever victory.

Looking at the individual performances Matias HONKALA (FIN) was the star man for Europe winning all four of his matches. Stefano MAZZOLI (ITA) didn’t play in the Day 1 Singles but won all three of the other matches he was selected for.

Matthew JORDAN (ENG) was comfortably GB&I’s star man winning three of his four games.

Click here to view the – 2018 St. Andrews Trophy Match Results

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The Continent of Europe Team (Photo: European Golf Association)

Past Results

To date GB&I have won the St. Andrews Trophy 25 times. However, their last outright win came in 2014.

Europe now have six wins to their name with three of them coming recently in 2010, 2012 and 2018.

2016 was the first time the match had been halved. This arguably represents another win for GB&I, who were the trophy holders, but I have excluded it from the above numbers.

Europe have won only once on GB&I soil in the history of the match, at Portmarnock GC in 2012.

Click here to view a summary of the – Historic St. Andrews Trophy Results

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2022, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The St. Andrews Trophy – 2018 Preview, Reports & Results

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Friday 27th July 2018

The Continent of Europe beat Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) 15.5 – 9.5 in the 32nd St. Andrews Trophy match played this year at Linna Golf in Finland.

img_9552

The Continent of Europe Team (Photo: European Golf Association)

This was just the sixth time Europe had won the match and the 6 point margin represented their biggest ever victory. Prior to this year their best win had come in 1982 when they won 14.5 – 9.5 at Rosendaelsche G.C. in Netherlands.

GB&I entered the final day leading 7 – 5 but were comprehensively outplayed by an inspired European team who won the Day 2 games 10.5 – 2.5.

Europe won the morning Foursomes 3 – 1 to leave the match tied at 8 points each and in theory to perfectly set up the afternoon series of Singles where all eighteen players would be in action.

Unfortunately GB&I were thrashed 7.5 – 1.5 in the Singles. Matthew JORDAN (ENG) won his match and Mitch WAITE (ENG) secured a late half.

It is difficult to put a positive spin on this result for GB&I given that Europe were ‘missing’ at least five of what I would consider to be their potential first team. A number of Europe’s leading players chose to play in this week’s Porsche European Open on the European Tour or to return early to the Unites States in the run up to the U.S. Amateur.

I can’t criticise the GB&I selection as I picked exactly the same team independently before the match started. They were simply outplayed on the final day.

In The R&A’s match report GB&I Captain Craig Watson said: “The team is obviously very disappointed but if you look at the scoring by the Continent of Europe you can see we were up against a very high standard of golf. This is the level that the players need to aspire to and achieve and when they look back on the performance there will be many learning points to take away. If you are to win a match like this you obviously need to make your fair share of putts when it matters. We just couldn’t match the Continent of Europe today. I don’t think we were complacent.”

Coming a year after the 19 – 7 record breaking thrashing at the hands of the United States in the Walker Cup GB&I have just over 400 days to find a team ready to face them again at Royal Liverpool in September 2019.

Looking at the individual performances Matias HONKALA (FIN) was the star man for Europe winning all four of his matches. Stefano MAZZOLI (ITA) didn’t play in the Day 1 Singles but won all three of the other matches he was selected for.

Matthew JORDAN (ENG) was comfortably GB&I’s star man winning three of his four games.

Click here to view the St. Andrews Trophy – Match Results

Individual Performances Analysis

Screen Shot 2018-07-27 at 15.32.45

Day 2 Afternoon Singles

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Day 2 Afternoon Singles Results (Photo: EGA / Golfbox)

The Continent of Europe’s captain Yves HOFSTETTER will be pleased with the changes he made to his pairings on Day 2 as the home side ran out 3 – 1 winners in the morning Foursomes.

Thankfuly for Great Britain & Ireland, who looked like they were heading for a clean sweep of losses after 9 holes, the Irish pairing of Robin DAWSON and John MURPHY battled back well to secure a 2 hole win in Game 2. Unfortunately our other pairings were all well beaten in the series (see below).

Day 2 Morning Foursomes

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Day 2 Morning Foursomes Results (Photo: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

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Thursday 26th July 2018

Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) lead the Continent of Europe 7 – 5 after Day 1 of the 32nd St. Andrews Trophy match in Finland.

English pair Matthew JORDAN and Gian-Marco PETROZZI are unbeaten for GB&I having won their foursomes match this morning before winning their individual Singles this afternoon.

Home favourite Matias HONKALA is the only European player to have a 100% unblemished record so far.

Nick POPPLETON (ENG) and Stefano MAZZOLI (ITA) were both part of winning partnerships in the morning but were stood down for the afternoon Singles.

Day 1 Afternoon Singles

Day 1 Afternoon Singles Results (Photo: EGA / Golfbox)

Day 1 Morning Foursomes

Day 1 Morning Foursomes Results (Photo: EGA / Golfbox)

Robin Dawson In Action During The Day 1 Foursomes (Photo: @LinnaGolf)

ME.

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25th July 2018

Earlier today The R&A confirmed that the 2020 St. Andrews Trophy match will be played at Royal Porthcawl G.C. in South Wales.

ME.

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15th July 2018

The 32nd St. Andrews Trophy match will be contested on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th July at Linna Golf in Finland.

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9th Green and Clubhouse, Linna Golf (Photo: golfboo.com)

This amateur men’s team match has been played biennially between Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) and the Continent of Europe since 1956.

It was originally established by The R&A to give more European players the chance to play at the highest level and GB&I players more team match play experience for the Walker Cup which is held in alternate years with this competition.

The St. Andrews Trophy was put forward for the match by the Royal and Ancient G.C. of St. Andrews in 1963.

2018 Teams

Each team has nine players.

The golfing calendar is extremely busy at this time of year and therefore player availability may be impacted by other opportunities.

The 2018 St. Andrews Trophy clashes with the Porsche European Open (European Tour, 26-29 July), Euram Bank Open in Austria (Challenge Tour, 26-29 July), German International Amateur (Europe, 26-29 July), Pacific Coast Amateur (U.S., 24-27 July) and to a lesser degree the Western Amateur Championship (U.S., 30 July-4 August).

Continent of Europe

Yves HOFSTETTER (Switzerland) will once again be the Non-Playing Captain of the European team.

His team was announced by the European Golf Association (E.G.A.) on 11th July and is listed below. Each player’s nationality, their SPWAR’s and their SPWAR Regional Ranking on the date of selection is also provided.

Edgar CATHERINE – France  #153 (15th)

Marc HAMMER * – Germany  #537 (102nd)

Angel HIDALGO PORTILLO – Spain  #113 (11th)

Matias HONKALA – Finland  #325 (53rd)

Frédéric LACROIX – France  #126 (13th)

Stefano MAZZOLI – Italy  #62 (7th)

Frederik NILEHN – Sweden  #23 (2nd)

Lorenzo SCALISE – Italy  #29 (4th)

Sami VALIMAKI – Finland  #172 (22nd)

* replaced Falko HANISCH – Germany  #586 (106th) who withdrew on 24th July 2018.

Home players Matias HONKALA and Sami VALIMAKI were both in the Finnish team who yesterday won the 2018 European Men’s Amateur Team Championship.

It is disappointing that just 3 of the team were in the SPWAR’s Continent of Europe Top 9 on the date of selection.

The most obvious ‘missing persons’ include John AXELSEN (Denmark), Oliver GILLBERG (Sweden), 2018 European Amateur Championship Nicolai HOJGAARD (Denmark), Rasmus HOJGAARD (Denmark), Viktor HOVLAND (Norway), Hurly LONG (Germany), Victor PASTOR (Spain) and Kristoffer REITAN (Norway).

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The St. Andrews Trophy (Photo: Suomen Golfliitto / Finnish Golf Union)

Great Britain & Ireland Team

The R&A Selection Committee, including Non-Playing Captain Craig WATSON (Scotland), announced their nine man team on 16th July. Each player’s nationality, their SPWAR’s and their SPWAR Regional Ranking on the date of selection is also provided.

Todd CLEMENTS (21) – England  #36 (4th)

Robin DAWSON (22) – Ireland  #8 (1st)

David HAGUE (21) – England  #T75 (T10th)

Matthew JORDAN (22) – England  #11 (2nd)

John MURPHY (20) – Ireland  #61 (7th)

Gian-Marco PETROZZI (21) – England  #76 (9th)

Nick POPPLETON (24) – England  #223 (26th)

Conor PURCELL (21) – Ireland  #47 (5th)

Mitch WAITE (23) – England  #17 (3rd)

Unlike the European Team above it is hard to argue with The R&A’s GB&I team or feel disappointed with the players that have not made themselves available. Indeed I selected the same team on 15th July (when this article was first published), explaining how I came to it in the Appendix below.

Match Format 

The St. Andrews Trophy is played over two days and consists of match play foursomes and singles matches.

Thursday 26th July AM – Foursomes x 4
Thursday 26th July PM – Singles x 8
Friday 27th June AM – Foursomes x 4
Friday 27th June PM – Singles x 9

The additional Singles on Day 2 was first played in 2016.

With a maximum total of 25 points available and one point awarded for each match a team will be required to accumulate 13 points to secure victory. GB&I can of course retain the Trophy by reaching 12.5 points as they did in 2016.

Venue – Linna Golf, Finland

Linna Golf is a luxury golf resort located in the Vanajanlinna area of Hämeenlinna in Southern Finland. Linna is around 60 miles north of the capital city Helsinki.

The course was designed by European Golf Design and Tim Lobb and opened for play in 2005. It is a hilly parkland course routed through a pine and birch forest. Three lakes and elevated, well protected and quick undulating greens make Linna a challenge from the back tees.

From these Championship Tees the course can be stretched to 7,244 yards. The front 9 is 3,541 yards long with a par of 35 (one par 5) and the back 9 3,703 yards with a par of 37 (three par 5’s). However, previous major events have seen the nines switched and I expect this to be the case again at the forthcoming St. Andrews Trophy match.

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Linna Golf, Finland (Photo: European Golf Design)

Linna is consistently ranked as one of the best courses in Finland, normally alongside the two courses at Kytäjä.

It has previously hosted European Challenge Tour (2009) and Staysure Senior (2017) events as well as the 2010 European Amateur Championship. A part of the European Tour Properties chain it is expected to host a European Tour event in due course.

Weather Forecast

The long range weather forecast for Finland looks very good for both the practice and competition days: –

Thur 26th July – Sunny. Wind 8mph E. Temp. Max. 25°C / Min 16°C.
Fri 27th July – Sunny. Wind 8mph E. Temp. Max. 25°C / Min 16°C.

2016 Match – Prince’s Golf Club

GB&I fought back bravely to draw the 2016 match at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent, England 12.5-12.5 and thus retain the St. Andrews Trophy they had won in Sweden in 2014.

GB&I lost the opening morning’s Foursomes series 0-4 and entered Day 2 4-8 down after halving the eight Day 1 Singles.

GB&I won the Day 2 Foursomes 3.5-1.5 before securing sufficient points in the final Singles series to clawback the deficit. Wales’ David BOOTE secured the all important point in the last game still out on the links.

img_6409.jpg

Great Britain & Ireland Retained The St. Andrews Trophy In 2016 (Photo: Darren Plant) 

Click here to view the complete – 2016 St. Andrews Trophy Match Results

Here are the Individual Player Contributions for the 2016 St. Andrews Trophy match: –

Screen Shot 2016-07-21 at 18.55.13

Past Results

To date GB&I have won the St. Andrews Trophy 25 times with Europe having just five wins to their name, albeit two of them came recently in 2010 and 2012. GB&I got back on track in 2014, winning 14-10 at Barsebäck, Sweden.

2016 was the first time the match had been halved. This arguably represents another win for GB&I but I have excluded it from the above numbers.

Europe have won only once on GB&I soil in the history of the match, at Portmarnock GC in 2012.

Here are the historic match results in full: –

Screen Shot 2018-07-15 at 15.26.00

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Appendix – My 2018 St. Andrews Trophy Team With Analysis

Nobody who follows GolfBible will be surprised to learn that my primary reference point for selection is the latest Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR).

1. SPWAR (as at 15th July 2018)

The top 20 players in the SPWAR’s GB&I Region Ranking, updated for the European Men’s and Boys’ Team Championships which finished yesterday, are: –

1. Robin DAWSON, Ireland  #8
2. Matthew JORDAN, England  #11
3. Mitch WAITE, England  #17
4. Todd CLEMENTS, England  #36
5. Conor PURCELL, Ireland  #47
6. Ryan LUMSDEN, Scotland  #57
7. John MURPHY, Ireland  #61
8. Harry HALL, England  #66
9. Gian-Marco PETROZZI, England  #74

T10. David HAGUE, England  #T75
T10. Jake BURNAGE, England  #T75
12. Tom SLOMAN, England  #88
13. Ben JONES, England  #99
14. Alex GLEESON, Ireland  #101
15. Laird SHEPHERD, England  #105
16. Caolan RAFFERTY, Ireland  #122
17. Sandy SCOTT, Scotland  #126
18. Rowan LESTER, Ireland  #137
19. Sam LOCKE, Scotland  #142
20. Andrew WILSON, England  #153

I personally wouldn’t bother but for completeness others may want to cast an eye over the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

2. WAGR (as at 8th July 2018 / published 11th July 2018)

Here are the current top 20 players from GB&I in the WAGR: –

1. Matthew JORDAN, England  #5
2. Robin DAWSON, Ireand  #10
3. Todd CLEMENTS, England  #14
4. Alex FITZPATRICK, England  #42
5. Gian-Marco PETROZZI, England  #43
6. Billy MCKENZIE, England  #71
7. Harry HALL, England  #84
8. Ben JONES, England  #95
9. David HAGUE, England  #97

10. Ryan LUMSDEN, Scotland  #102
11. David WICKS, England  #113
12. Alex GLEESON, Ireland  #124
13. Tom SLOMAN, England  #178
14. Peter O’KEEFFE, Ireland  #182
15. Caolan RAFFERTY, Ireland  #189
16. Euan WALKER, Scotland  #193
17. Joe PAGDIN, England  #196
18. Charlie STRICKLAND, England  #199
19. Mitch WAITE, England  #201
20. Rowan LESTER, Ireland  #213

Next I would want to look at current form. Obviously this is fully reflected in the SPWAR (but not so well in the WAGR) but specifically we have a perfect last (team match play) event to also consider.

3. European Men’s Amateur Team Championship (10-15 July 2018)

Accepting England’s strength in depth the first thing to say here is if a player isn’t being picked for their 6-man National Team last week why should I pick them for a GB&I Team this week.

That’s obviously not good news for original St. Andrews Trophy Squad members Alex FITZPATRICK, Calum FYFE, Harry HALL, Ben JONES, Sam LOCKE, Billy MCKENZIE, Robin WILLIAMS and Andrew WILSON. All have had their moments in the critical recent months but perhaps haven’t shone to the same degree as some of their peers.

The above rule is of course only true if the teams for the European Men’s were picked well ! In the case of Ireland I feel Conor PURCELL was an unlucky omission. Conor’s strong end of season form in the U.S. was initially ignored by the Irish selectors before he then emphasised the point by having a great Amateur. Immediately after the team announcements in July Conor backed his form up with an excellent European Amateur Championships.

In the European Men’s Team Championship in Germany England finished 2nd, Scotland 8th and Ireland 10th in Germany. Wales played in Division 2. Therefore I see no reason for England not to dominate my selection. This benefits Nick POPPLETON who was selected for England on the back of his Brabazon Trophy win and who played his part for England last week.

Looking at the individual performances: –

ENGLAND (SP 2nd  – 693 / -27)
Gian-Marco PETROZZI – SP 1st 62 70 (-12), MP W3/L2/H1
Matthew JORDAN – SP 5th 69 66 (-9), MP W4/L1/H1
Nick POPPLETON  – SP 28th 77 66 (-1), MP W2/L2/H0
David HAGUE – SP 30th 72 71 (-1), MP W2/L1/H2
Todd CLEMENTS – SP 45th 74 71 (+1), MP W1/L2/H0
Mitch WAITE – SP 77th 72 77 (+5), MP W2/L1/H0

SCOTLAND (SP 6th – 709 / -11)
Euan MCINTOSH – SP 14th 72 68 (-4), MP W0/L3/H0
Sandy SCOTT – SP 20th 69 72 (-3), MP W0/L1/H2
Stuart EASTON – SP 35th 72 72 (Ev), MP W0/L3/H0
Jamie STEWART – SP 39th 71 73  (Ev), MP W2//L2/H0
Ryan LUMSDEN  – SP 41st 77 68 (+1), MP W2/L2/H0
Euan WALKER – SP 46th 73 72 (+1), MP W1/L3/H0

IRELAND (SP 9th– 719 /  -1)
John MURPHY – SP 6th 68 67 (-9), MP W2/L1/H0 
Robin DAWSON – SP 27th 67 75 (-2), MP W3/L0/H0
Caolan RAFFERTY – SP 49th 72 73 (+1), MP W2/L1/H0
Rowan LESTER – SP 68th 77 71 (+4), MP W2/L0/H1
Jonathan YATES – SP 88th 75 76  (+7), MP W1/L2/H0
Alex GLEESON  – SP 92nd 81 74 (+11), MP W2/L1/H0

Finally, I have looked back at the 20 man St Andrews Trophy Match Squad announced by The R&A on 14thMay 2018 to ensure no one has slipped through the net.

4. St. Andrews Trophy Squad

Todd CLEMENTS, England
Robin DAWSON, Ireland
Alex FITZPATRICK, England
Calum FYFE, Scotland
Alex GLEESON, Ireland
David HAGUE, England
Harry HALL, England
Ben JONES, England
Matthew JORDAN, England
Rowan LESTER, Ireland
Sam LOCKE, Scotland
Ryan LUMSDEN, Scotland
Billy MCKENZIE, England
Gian-Marco PETROZZI, England
Caolan RAFFERTY, Ireland
Sandy SCOTT, Scotland
Jamie STEWART, Scotland
Euan WALKER, Scotland
Robin WILLIAMS, England
Andrew WILSON, England

In early June Nick POPPLETON (England), who had just won the Brabazon Trophy, was added to the Squad ahead of a planned gathering at St. Andrews prior to the St. Andrews Links Trophy event.

There were 11 English players, 6 Scottish, 4 Irish and 0 Welsh players selected by the R&A.

Based on the above information the following players are definite’s for me: –

Matthew JORDAN – England
Robin DAWSON – Ireland
Gian-Marco PETROZZI – England
Mitch WAITE – England
John MURPHY – Ireland
David HAGUE – England

To make up my nine man team I’ve gone for: –

Todd CLEMENTS – England
Nick POPPLETON – England
Conor PURCELL – Ireland

but could as easily have included one of the following: –

Tom SLOMAN – England
Ryan LUMSDEN – Scotland
Harry HALL – England
Jake BURNAGE – England

Unfortunately I could find no justification for any Scottish or Welsh players in this team other than a desire to see representation from as many home nations as possible.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2018, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The St. Andrews Trophy – 2016 Preview and Results

Posted on by

21st July 2016

Click here to view the complete – MATCH RESULTS

David BOOTE bravely pared the 18th hole at Prince’s Golf Club this evening to secure the point which enabled Great Britain & Ireland to half the match 12.5-12.5.

As the holders the draw was good enough to ensure GB&I retained the St. Andrews Trophy they won in Sweden back in 2014.

Given they started the day 4-8 down to the Continent of Europe they will surely view the final score as a moral victory if not exactly a numerical one.

Great Britain & Ireland Retain The St. Andrews Trophy (Photo: Darren Plant) 

GB&I quickly got back on track this morning. Whereas yesterday all four of the foursomes games were lost today was thankfully a totally different story – GB&I winning the series 3.5-1.5. Stuart GREHAN and Scott GREGORY (5&4) led the team out and quickly secured the first point of the day against Italian pair Luca CIANCHETTI and Stefano MAZZOLI. Equally impressive were Grant FORREST and Connor SYME (4&3) who dealt with Matthias SCHWAB and Guido MIGLIOZZI. Jack HUME and David BOOTE were GB&I’s other outright winners.

This afternoon’s singles were again a rollercoaster affair. Just like yesterday GB&I got off to a strong start before Europe pegged them back.

There were crucial early wins for Scott GREGORY (2 holes), Stuart GREHAN (4&3, 7 under par when his match against Luca CIANCHETTI ended on the 15th) and Alfie PLANT (4&3).

Jack HUME was then unlucky to lose to Stefano MAZZOLI (1 hole) who birdied the last 3 holes to turn their game around. After losses for Grant FORREST (2&1) and Jamie BOWER (3&2) Scottish pair Connor SYME and Robert MACINTYRE secured important halves, both birdieing the short 374 yard 16th to draw level before seeing out their matches with pars.

All eyes started to drift to the 8th game in the series – David BOOTE against Ivan CANTERO GUTIERREZ. For much of the afternoon this had appeared a given for GB&I. Boote had got off to a great start which he consolidated with birdies on 12 and 13 to go 4Up with 5 to play. However, the highly rated Cantero Gutierrez refused to lie down and before we knew it birdies for the Spaniard on the 14th and 15th followed by a mistake by Boote on 17 saw the Surrey-based Welshman having to defend a 1Up lead going down 18.

Thankfully the experienced David Boote was up to the task and with the final hole of the game and match halved Captain Craig WATSON could breathe a sigh of relief and the GB&I supporters could begin celebrating.

Here are the updated Individual Team Contributions for the 2016 St. Andrews Trophy: –

Screen Shot 2016-07-21 at 18.55.13

ME.

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20th July 2016 – Day 2 Draws

DRAW – 21st July – Day 2 Morning Foursomes

For Great Britain & Ireland Grant FORREST has been drafted into the foursomes. He will pair up with Connor SYME in game 3 with Robert MACINTYRE stepping down. Captain Craig WATSON has kept his other pairings unchanged and will give his players the opportunity to redeem themselves in a format that normally favours GB&I.

Unsurprisingly European captain Yves HOFSTETTER has left his foursome pairings well alone.

With both captains tweaking their running orders none of today’s games are repeated. At this stage one can only speculate on what difference this may make to the series result.

DRAW – 21st July – Day 2 Afternoon Singles

All 18 players are competing in the Day 2 singles with no players rested.

The draw has thrown up 3 Day 1 re-matches – Scott GREGORY v. Jeroen KRIETEMEIJER, Stuart GREHAN v. Luca CIANCHETTI and Alfie PLANT v. Mario GALIANO.

ME.

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20th July 2016 – Day 1 Report

Day 1 of the St. Andrews trophy proved to be a triumph for the Continent of Europe. They will take an 8-4 advantage into tomorrow’s final day.

DAY 1 RESULTS

Great Britain & Ireland’s new captain Craig WATSON could not have got off to a worse start this morning. His four foursomes pairings all lost, not one able to take their match beyond the 17th hole at Prince’s Golf Club.

GB&I fought back in the singles and for much of the afternoon it looked as if Day 1 parity could be rescued. Scott GREGORY (3&2), Jack HUME (5&4), Connor SYME (5&4) and Stuart GREHAN (6&4) all won to salvage some personal pride.  However, late losses for Grant FORREST (2&1), David BOOTE (3&1), Alfie PLANT (1 hole) and perhaps most notably, given the lead he held, Robert MACINTYRE (1 hole) saw the second series ultimately halved 4-4.

Europe’s Mario GALIANO, Ivan CANTERO GUTIERREZ, Robin PETERSSON and Matthias SCHWAB will all take 100% unbeaten records into Day 2.

Europe have won only once on GB&I soil in the history of the match – at Portmarnock GC in 2012. With a 4 point lead and needing just 5 more points from a possible 13 they will no doubt go in to tomorrow’s identical series of games in confident mood, optimistic of a 6th victory.

Here is my analysis of the Day 1 Individual Player Contributions: –

Screen Shot 2016-07-20 at 21.52.38

ME.

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19th July 2016 – Day 1 Draws

The draws for tomorrow’s St. Andrews Trophy foursomes and singles matches were announced this afternoon.

For Great Britain & Ireland Grant FORREST sits out the foursomes on Day 1 whilst Jamie BOWER misses out in the singles. Europe’s Jeroen KRIETEMEIJER has to wait for the afternoon singles for his first competitive action whilst Victor VEYRET will play in just the foursomes.

Here are the Day 1 draw / live scoring links: –

Live Scores

DRAW – 20th July – Day 1 Morning Foursomes

DRAW – 20th July – Day 2 Afternoon Singles

ME.

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17th July 2016 – Preview

The 31st St. Andrews Trophy is being contested on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st July at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent, England.

This amateur men’s team match has been played biennially between Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe since 1956. It was originally established by The R&A to give more European countries the chance to play at the highest level and GB&I players more team match play experience for the Walker Cup which is held in alternate years with this event.

The St. Andrews Trophy was put forward for the match by the Royal and Ancient GC of St Andrews in 1963.

St Andrews Trophy GBI Team 2014

2014 GB&I Team (Photo: R&A / Getty Images)

2016 Teams

Captain Craig WATSON (Scotland) and The R&A announced the nine players to represent GB&I on 10th July. Each player’s Scratch Player’s World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR), as of today, is noted in brackets behind their name and nationality.

David BOOTE, 22, Walton Heath, Wales (33)
Jamie BOWER, 23, Meltham, England (10)
Grant FORREST, 23, Craigielaw, Scotland (11)
Scott GREGORY, 21, Corhampton, England (31)
Stuart GREHAN, 23, Tullamore, Ireland (68)
Jack HUME, 22, Naas, Ireland (8)
Robert MACINTYRE, 19, Glencruitten, Scotland (18)
Alfie PLANT, 24, Sundridge Park, England (51)
Connor SYME, 21, Drumoig, Scotland (15)

Craig HOWIE, 21, Peebles, Scotland and Conor O’ROURKE, 24, Naas, Ireland were named as reserves.

The Europe Team led by non-playing captain Yves HOFSTETTER (Switzerland) was confirmed by the European Golf Association on 15th July. Again current SPWAR’s follow each name and nationality.

Ivan CANTERO GUTIERREZ, Spain (47)
Luca CIANCHETTI, Italy (95)
Mario GALIANO, Spain (71)
Jeroen KRIETEMEIJER, Netherlands (725)
Stefano MAZZOLI, Italy (76)
Guido MIGLIOZZI, Italy (119)
Robin PETERSSON, Sweden (92)
Matthias SCHWAB, Austria (7)
Victor VEYRET, France (108)

The total SPWAR team score for GB&I is 245 whilst it is 1,340 for Europe. Whilst matches are not won on past form it is clear that GB&I have the greater strength in depth and must therefore start as firm favourites. Home advantage by way of greater links experience may be mitigated this week due to the sunny weather forecast.

Unfortunately the match clashes with the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France on the European Challenge Tour. Ugo COUSSAUD (FRA – 63), Thomas PERROT (FRA – 126) Antoine ROZNER (FRA – 23) and Adrian MERONK (POL – 11) have all been invited to play as amateurs. Good news for GB&I, bad news for Europe.

Match Format 

The St Andrews Trophy format consists of match play foursomes and singles matches.

Wednesday 20th June AM – Foursomes x 4
Wednesday 20th June PM – Singles x 8
Thursday 21st June AM – Foursomes x 4
Thursday 21st June PM – Singles x 9

With a maximum total of 25 points available and one point awarded for each match a team will be required to accumulate 13 points to secure victory. GB&I can of course retain the Trophy by reaching 12.5 points.

Prince’s Golf Club

Prince’s Golf Club is located alongside Royal St. George’s in Sandwich Bay, Kent. Whilst it can’t match the history of it’s illustrious neighbour it is certainly noteworthy in its own right.

Prince’s most famous moment came in 1932 when it staged the 67th Open Championship, won wire-to-wire by US golfing legend Gene Sarazen.

Following the Second World War, when once again the course was requisitioned by the military for training, Sir Guy Campbell and John Morrison were engaged to to redesign and restore the course.

More recently it has been used as a Local Final Qualifying course for the 2011 Open Championship. It co-hosted The Amateur Championship in 2006 and 2013 and will do so again in 2017. Later this year it will also host the Jacques Leglise Trophy match between the U18 Boy’s of GB&I and Europe.

Since the 1950s Prince’s has had 3 sets of 9 holes, The Shore (3,448 yards), The Dunes (3,432 yards) and The Himalayas (3,201 yards), each playing to a par of 36. The Shore and Dunes are being used for the St. Andrews Trophy.

Weather Forecast

As at Sunday 18th July, 7.00pm the weather forecast looks very good for both the practice and competition days: –

Wed 21st July – Sunny. Wind 17 mph S. Temp. Max. 25°C / Min 16°C.

Thur 22nd July – Sunny. Wind 10 mph W. Temp. Max. 21°C / Min 15°C.

Past Results

To date GB&I have won the St. Andrews Trophy 25 times with Europe having just five wins to their name, albeit two of them came recently in 2010 and 2012. GB&I got back on track in 2014, winning 14-10 at Barsebäck, Sweden.

Here are the historic match results in full: –

Screen Shot 2016-07-17 at 07.38.12

I will of course post links to the live scoring when it becomes available and will add results and player analysis to this article as the match unfolds.

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.