Brabazon Trophy – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on 17/05/2023 by Golf Bible

28th May 2023

Liam NOLAN (IRL) won the 2023 Brabazon Trophy on Sunningdale’s New Course after shooting a final round 68 and over coming Zach LITTLE (ENG) in a sudden death play-off which lasted three holes.

Under the highest pressure Nolan demonstrated an outstanding short game as well as some clutch putting to boost his hopes of a GB&I Walker Cup berth later this year.

The 23 year old became the fourth Irish winner of this prestigious title following in the footsteps of Ronan Rafferty (1980 – tied with Peter McEvoy), Niall Kearney (2009) and Cormac Sharvin (2015).

It was Liam’s second victory of the year having won the South American Amateur Championship in Ecuador in early January. He had only returned to competitive play with a tied 18th place finish at the recent Irish Amateur Open after prioritising his education at the University of Galway, where he studies biomedical engineering, for most of 2023.

With his proud parents watching on Nolan said “The name and the history of Sunningdale Golf Club makes it one of the coolest places to win a golf tournament. There have been a lot of really good winners here in the past and to put my name on this trophy is amazing.”

“To share this moment with people who have been with you through thick and thin, especially my mum and dad, they’ve seen all the ups and downs so we’ll definitely treasure this moment for a long time.”

Liam Nolan (Photo: Golf Bible)

Whilst scant consolation after coming so close to winning the famous gold trophy Zach LITTLE (ENG) did ‘take home’ the George Henriques Salver awarded to the highest finishing U20 GB&I player.

Round 4

The final group of Seán KEELING (IRL) -6 and Liam NOLAN (IRL) -1 set off at 1.30pm. With Keeling having a 5-shot lead I chose to follow this group exclusively.

Unfortunately for the 16 year old protege he was unable to produce the start he would have wanted dropping shots in each of the first three holes. A sliced drive off the first tee, a misjudged short iron into the par 3 2nd and three putts on the third green suggested all parts of his game were feeling the pressure of the occasion.

The more experienced Nolan on the other hand made a very solid start to his round not missing a shot on the opening three holes but unable to convert a couple of good birdie chances.

Both players then missed the 4th fairway and ended up in the heather. Nolan was unable to save his par but Keeling settled himself with a good chip and putt for his first par of the round.

As the two Irish players walked to the 5th tee they passed the Zach LITTLE (ENG) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) group who had teed off at 12 noon standing on the adjacent 13th tee. News quickly filtered though that Little had chosen today to play the round of his life. The West Herts man had gone out in 29 and after pars on the opening holes of the back nine was -6 for his round and -2 for the Championship, just one shot behind Keeling and one ahead of Nolan. After he had hit a powerful drive down the left side of the par 5 the group of spectators following the final group collectively began to wonder if it may be time to walk in a different direction.

The famous 183 yard par 3 5th would with the benefit of hindsight prove to be one of the pivotal holes. After Keeling had found the centre of the green Nolan overshot it and ended up rolling down a path leading from the 6th tee. Fortunately his ball had not gone into the surrounding gorse and he was able to take a free drop. Then from fully 70 yards, to the astonishment of the crowd, he played an exquisite blind chip which landed on the edge of the green and rolled to within two feet of the hole. From looking at a potentially big number on the tee he had managed to save his par.

Whilst Nolan scrambled a par after a poor drive Keeling birdied the long par 5 6th, to move back to -4, and in fact only just missed out on an eagle after two high quality shots got him on the green. The crowd who had largely stayed with him breathed a sigh of relief that their decision may ultimately be vindicated.

Little secured his birdie on the 13th to move to -3 and with the wind noticeably strengthening at this point a gambling man would have certainly backed the Englishman to win if he could close out his round.

On the next hole Keeling, who was still leading the Championship at this point on -4, pulled his drive to the left of the fairway and ended up under a lone gorse bush. After taking a drop behind it he played up short of the green and got up and down from 40 feet for a ‘good’ bogey. It would have been confidence boosting but for the fact that Nolan facilitated a two shot swing by securing a birdie from 12 feet after finding the fairway and playing a quality iron into the short par 4.

Keeling again failed to make a par on the 8th and for the first time since the start of the Championship found himself not leading on -2. Nolan saved his par again relying on his impressive short game skills to stay at -1.

Both players played the 9th hole well but it was Nolan who left the green feeling the better after he converted a 25 foot putt from just off the back edge. Keeling, who had been closer, left his birdie attempt well short.

After regulation pars on the inviting downhill par 3 Keeling’s hopes came to a crushing end on the 11th. A hooked drive ended up in the middle of a small wood well left of the fairway. After considering his options he chose to return to the tee. His second drive ended up in the heather on the right and from there he could only scramble a 3-over 7. After he took five on the par 4 12th and had moved to +2 his Championship wining hopes were over. With the weight on his shoulders now lifted it was to his credit that he birdied both of the remaining par 5’s to finish -2 for his final six holes and limit the damage to a 76.

Despite a disappointing day, albeit one which will hopefully help further down the line, Keeling earned a lot of praise for his on course demeanour and sound temperament only once showing some frustration after a pulled approach into a bunker on 16 (which he then got up and down from spectacularly).

Seán Keeling’s Final Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Playing in front of a sparse crowd Little, who had started the day on +4, parred in from the 14th to complete a superb round of 63 (-7) and set a challenging clubhouse target of -3 for the reminder of the field.

Zach Little’s Final Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

On the 11th and 12th holes Nolan again demonstrated the benefits of a fully functioning short game that can cope with Championship pressure, chipping close from tricky lies on both holes firstly after a pulled approach from the fairway and then from short of the next green after his tee shot with an iron went well right.

Nolan’s irons were mis-firing at this point and one back of Little he could ill afford to keep missing greens. On the 12th he pushed a long iron 40 yards right of the par 5 13th green and was fortunate to find grass and a clear line in amongst an area of trees and head high ferns. Unfortunately a weak pitch meant he had to settle for par.

Worst was to come on the par 3 14th. With the hole cut in the back right portion of the green the man from Galway over shot the green on the left and found himself on a bare lie facing a chip to a tiered green that was running away from him. His contact wasn’t pure and the ball quickly ran away finishing a good 40 feet away. His par putt got up the tier but still finished 6 feet short. He knew and everyone watching knew that this was probably make or break time. The putt went straight in the middle but he still fell 2-shots back of Little.

Critically Nolan immediately bounced back on the uphill 437 yard par 4. Having driven over the pond into a perfect spot he found the front of the green and then holed a 20 foot putt for birdie.

Nolan, now just one shot back with three holes to play, saw his approach to the 16th spin back to the front of the green and he was again left with an identical, if a little longer, uphill putt over a tier just like he had faced on the 14th. Again he was up to the task.

A regulation par on 17 left Nolan needing a birdie on the par 5 last to force a play-off with Little who had finished his round nearly two hours earlier. His drive found the fairway and a piercing long iron ran through the back of the green leaving a tricky downhill pitch to a flag on the front right.

The pitch was played to perfection, landing on the green and rolling out to a few feet short of the flag. The putt was easily holed and with Nolan reaching -3 it was time for a play-off.

Liam Nolan’s Pitch on the 72nd Hole (Video: Golf Bible)

Liam Nolan’s Final Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

The final day saw 15 under par rounds and two par 70’s.

James CLARIDGE (ENG), who recorded six birdies in his round, finished 3rd but will be rueing a double bogey 6 on the dog-leg right to left 11th. It was another excellent performance in 2023 from the West Midlander who appears to be playing his way on to our Walker Cup team.

Jack PLUMB (ENG) completed a weekend 69-67 for a 280 (Ev) total and a career best 4th place result just ahead of overnight leader Seán KEELING (IRL) who was 5th on countback.

The expected final push from GB&I No. 1 John GOUGH (ENG) didn’t materialise but his 71 left him with another top 10 finish.

Reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) finished strongly with a 66 to finish alongside University of Stirling student Will COXON (ENG) and Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI), who led the overseas contingent, on 282 (+2).

Final Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Play-Off

The sudden death play-off was played on the 1st and 18th holes.

Little stepped up first and despite having faced a long wait to find out whether extra holes would be required, smashed a magnificent drive into perfect position on the right side of the 1st fairway.

Nolan chose to stick with his game plan and his long-iron found the fairway short of the bunker on the left hand side of the fairway.

Both players hit their approaches to the back of the green, the safe play given it slopes from back to front and it it is easy to finish short as we would see shortly. Too great putts narrowly missed going in, Zach’s stopping on the edge of the hole.

Moving onto the par 5 18th Little then hit another superb drive down the left side.

Perhaps feeling the pressure Nolan pushed his drive but luck proved to be on his side. He hit a group of trees hard and his ball bounced back out left onto the midldle of the fairway.

Nolan hit a near identical approach into the elevated green with his ball finishing within a few feet of his earlier shot on the 72nd hole. Little’s long iron finished short of the green on the right side but as he would be pitching uphill it appeared preferable to the position his opponent again found himself in.

Little played first and left his misjudged chip 8 feet short of the hole.

Nolan then stepped up again and miraculously repeated his wonder shot of just a few minutes earlier leaving his ball even closer to the hole this time. Little now needed to drop his putt to tie the hole in birdie fours and extend the play-off. He stepped up and confidently did so.

Returning to the 1st and the third play-off hole Little’s great run of drives ran out, albeit this time luck was on his side as his push was wide enough to have taken his ball into the middle of the 18th fairway. Not an ideal line in to the green but nevertheless in the circumstances a very welcome outcome. Nolan’s long iron was taken into the semi-rough on the right hand side of the sloping fairway.

Both players, maybe over reacting to their over hit approaches first time around, came up short; Little on the right side and Nolan on the left.

Unsurprisingly given the evidence of his fourth round performance and the play-off so far it was no surprise to see Nolan play another stunning chip, judging the pace and line to perfection. Just a foot way his four was assured.

Liam Nolan’s Pitch on the 1st (3rd Play-Off Hole) (Video: Golf Bible)

Little again left his uphill pitch short and unfortunately for him his 6 foot par putt to extend the play-off lipped out on the right edge.

Zach Little Lips Out His Par Putt on the 1st (3rd Play-Off Hole) (Video: Golf Bible)

Nolan tapped in and he and his caddie, fellow Irish International Joshua Hill, had won the Brabazon Trophy at one of the most famous clubs in the world. The rest of the touring Irish party quickly joined them to celebrate a memorable win.

Joshua Hill With Liam Nolan (Photo: Golf Bible)

Click here to view the – 2023 Brabazon Trophy Results

ME.

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27th May 2023

Round 3

65 players were invited back for another round at Sunningdale and they were greeted by a New Course bathed in sunshine and presented in superb condition.

The overnight leader Seán KEELING (IRL) produced another very assured round. His 1-under par 69 appeared very comfortable and ultimately extended his Championship lead to 5-shots. Two poor irons into the par 3 2nd and 10th cost him bogeys as did a drive which ran out of fairway on the dogleg 11th but these errors were offset by four birdies, three of which came on par 5’s. There was an important par save on 16 too where he two putted downhill from 40 feet judging his first putt to perfection across the tiered green. On the closing hole his long iron into the green, leaving him 8 feet for eagle, after a perfect drive down the left hand side of the fairway impressed me and I am sure will have resonated with The R&A selectors who were watching closely.

If Keeling needs a reminder that the Brabazon Trophy is far from his with 18 holes still to play he can reflect on the performance of his playing partner Kris KIM (ENG) who tumbled down the leaderboard with a 76 today. Kim was just slightly off with his irons and his putting and the New Course made him suffer.

Round 3 Leaderboard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

The big movers in Round 3 were Liam NOLAN (IRL) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO) who both scored 67’s (-3). Nolan, who was surprised to see his parents on the first tee after they flew over from Galway first thing this morning, will start tomorrow on -1 and will hope to apply some early pressure on his 16 year old compatriot who he will be paired with.

Liam Nolan’s Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Graham, another outstanding GB&I junior, finished his round strongly with three birdies in his closing six holes. He will be paired in the penultimate group with Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI) who recorded his third consecutive 70.

Connor Graham’s Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Perhaps the biggest threat to Keeling will be serial winner John GOUGH (ENG) who may need some help from the leader but is unlikely to go backwards on the final day. After dropping three shots in his opening holes – not for the first time this week – he battled back to post a 71 (-1) in Round 3 and finish the day tied for third with Graham and Gerhardsen.

Day 3 saw six under par rounds and nine even par rounds. William HORNE (ENG), who was first out with a marker, and Seb CAVE (ENG) were the two other players to record the joint best of the day score of 67.

Whilst none of them will be focussing on it tomorrow Seán KEELING -5 leads Connor GRAHAM Ev and Ben WILLIS (ENG) +1 in the U20 George Henriques Salver competition.

ME.

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26th May 2023

Round 2

It was another sunny day in Berkshire but a slightly stronger breeze and some tricky pin positions saw scoring rise in comparison with yesterday’s opening round – there were just five under par rounds and seven even par rounds.

Seán KEELING (IRL) retained the lead with a 70 to stay on -5 for the Championship. The 16 year old from Roganstown dropped two shots on consecutive holes on the front nine but showed good composure to get back on track and with two birdies on his homeward nine is very well placed at the halfway stage.

Kris KIM (ENG), who is even younger than Seán at 15, is 2nd, two shots further back, after a 71. After a double bogey on the downhill par 3 17th he finished his round off well with a closing birdie.

John GOUGH (ENG) also shot a +1 71 on Day 2 albeit a closing bogey 6 will have stung.

Overnight co-leader Jean Leon AESCHLIMANN (SUI) fell back into tie with Gough in 3rd on -1 after a 74.

Fellow Swiss player Nicola GERHARDSEN is tied with Tiverton’s Eliot BAKER (ENG) in tied 5th place after they recorded a 70 and 72 respectively.

Screenshot 2023-05-26 at 21.39.16

Round 2 Leaderboard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

67’s (-3) from Nick DAY (ENG), tied 7th, Conor GOUGH (ENG), tied 21st, and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA), tied 30th, were the joint best efforts on Friday.

Screenshot 2023-05-26 at 21.39.45

Nick Day’s Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

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Conor Gough’s Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

65 players made the top 60 and ties cut which fell at 147 (+7). Conor GRAHAM (SCO) 69, Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) 67, Frazer JONES (ENG) 69, Mark STOCKDALE (ENG) 70, Vincent STJERNFELDT (SWE) 71, Patrick KEELING (IRL) 71 and Jaapo JÄMSÄ (FIN) 71 all bounced back well to make the cut.

I don’t know if three sets of brothers have ever made the cut at the Brabazon Trophy before but for the record Ireland’s Keeling’s, Patrick and Seán, Scotland’s Graham’s, Patrick and Connor, and England’s Gough’s, John and Conor, all made the cut.

.Jack BROOKS (ENG) +8, Gregor TAIT (SCO) +8, Harley SMITH (ENG) +8, Josh BERRY (ENG) +9, Joshua HILL (IRL) +11, Caolan BURFORD (WAL) +12, Rob MORAN (IRL) +14 and Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) +15 were amongst the casualties.

Seán KEELING (-5) and Kris KIM (-3) lead Jenson FORRESTER and Ben WILLIS (ENG) (+1) in the U20 George Henriques Salver competition.

ME.

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25th May 2023

Round 1

Jean Leon AESCHLIMANN (SUI) and Seán KEELING (IRL) lead the Brabazon Trophy after they both opened their accounts at Sunningdale with impressive 65’s (-5).

Keeling started out at 9.40am on the New Course and enhanced his growing reputation with a flawless performance.

Aeschlimann, who has struggled a little in 2023, produced a scintillating back nine 30 in the afternoon to move rapidly to the top of the leaderboard.

Screenshot 2023-05-25 at 19.26.41

Jean Aeschlimann and Seán Keeling’s Round 1 Scorecards (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Kris KIM (ENG), recent winner of the Fairhaven Boys’ Trophy, is third on -4. After starting with two bogeys he produced seven birdies over his remaining holes to hand in a 66.

Ben WILLIS (ENG), who qualified last week at Kedleston Park, is 4th after a 67; two closing birdies finishing off a very good day’s work for another young player.

Eliot BAKER (ENG), who finished in the top 15 at Saunton last year, Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG), John GOUGH (ENG), who started with three consecutive birdies before recovering strongly, Jenson FORRESTER (ENG), Alex FORD (ENG) and Matt ROBERTS (WAL), who is performing very consistently this year, all finished Round 1 on 68.

At the close of play there were 16 players under par with a further 14 on Even par.

Screenshot 2023-05-25 at 20.05.49

Round 1 Leaderboard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Notable players who have work to do tomorrow to make the cut include Jack BROOKS (ENG), Rob MORAN (IRL), James ASHFIELD (WAL) & Harley SMITH (ENG) +3, Tyler WEAVER (ENG) & Conor GRAHAM (SCO) +4, Joshua HILL (IRL) +5, Josh BERRY (ENG) +6, Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) +7 and Caolan BURFORD (WAL) +9.

Seán KEELING also leads the race for The U20 George Henriques Salver although Kris KIM, Ben WILLIS, Dylan SHAW-RADFORD and Jenson FORRESTER, who are all in the top 5 after Round 1, all qualify for this competition too.

ME.

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17th May 2023 – updated 24th May 2023

The 77^thEnglish Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy will be played on the New Course at Sunningdale Golf Club between Thursday 25th and Sunday 28th May 2023.

Three Qualifying Tournaments were played on 16th May 2022 to help England Golf, the organisers, complete the field (see below).

Sunningdale Golf Club

Sunningdale G.C. (Photo: Kevin Diss Photography)

Format

The competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play golf with 18 holes being played over four days.

Play on the opening two days will commence at 7.30am with the final three-ball heading out at 3.40pm.

A 36 hole cut will take place with only the leading 60 competitors and ties progressing to the two remaining rounds.

In the event of a tie for the Championship there will be a sudden death play off.

All other places will be determined by a card countback, starting with the final round and working backwards from there.

Field

144 competitors from 19 different countries will contest the 2023 Brabazon Trophy Championship.

The majority of this number were exempt with starting places offered to a number of national golf federations and to those players who have performed well in other recent Championships.

Amongst the 87 exempt players, and therefore arguably the favourites for the title, are James ASHFIELD (WAL), Josh BERRY (ENG), Tomi BOWEN (WAL), Jack BROOKS (ENG), James CLARIDGE (ENG), Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), Hugh FOLEY (IRL), Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI), John GOUGH (ENG), Connor GRAHAM (SCO), Seán KEELING (IRL), Alex MAGUIRE (IRL), Matthew MCCLEAN (IRL), Robert MORAN (IRL), Liam NOLAN (IRL), Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG), Harley SMITH (ENG) and Gregor TAIT (SCO).

England’s Frank KENNEDY, who recently won the Lytham Trophy, didn’t enter choosing to take up ‘invites’ on the Challenge Tour. He played in The Netherlands the week before the Brabazon but subsequently withdrew from the conflicting Denmark event.

The overseas players appearing this year do not appear to be as strong collectively as we have seen in previous years, although we were spoilt by a world class South African touring party last year.

Three regional qualifying tournaments were staged on 16th May 2023 to determine the remainder of the field with 54 spots initially made available. Three further players have been taken from the Qualifiers to cover for withdrawals.

Qualifying Events

Three 18 hole stroke play events, each with a field of 120 players, were staged.

18 players automatically qualified from the Midland, Northern and Southern Qualifiers. A few more players will probably end up making the final start sheet after being called up from the Reserves list.

Ties for the last qualifying place at each venue were determined by card countback.

Here is a summary of the Qualifier results and a list of all the players who progressed: –

MIDLAND – Kedleston Park G.C., Derbyshire – Results
6,674 yards – Par 72 – Slope Rating 129
120 players / 19 Qualifiers

Medalist – Mark STOCKDALE (ENG) 67 -5
Qualifiers – Jenson Forrester (ENG), Jack Severn (ENG), David Razinskas (ENG), Joshua Ashton (ENG), Daniel Butteriss (ENG), Jake Sowden (ENG), Levi Desmond (ENG), Joe Jones (WAL), Jake Plumb (ENG), Robert Holden (ENG), Tom Osborne (ENG), Will Harvey (ENG), Mark Porter (ENG), Ben Willis (ENG), Alex Ford (ENG), Reece Goodyear (ENG), James Isley (ENG), Res 2 Theo Baker (WAL)
Reserves – Charlie Box (ENG), John Kemp (ENG)

NORTHERN – Delamere Forest G.C., Cheshire – Results
6,588 yards – Par 72 – Slope Rating 131
120 players / 18 Qualifiers

Medalist – Ross LAIRD (SCO) and Ruben LINDSAY (SCO) 66 -6
Qualifiers – George Cannon (SCO), Mackenzie Holmes (SCO), Patrick Keeling (IRL), Luke Kelly (ENG), Padraig O’Dochartaigh (IRL), Jamie Van Wyk (ENG), Jake Hibbert (ENG), Thomas Barnes Grimes (ENG), Marc Boucher (IRL), Edward Featherstone (ENG), Daniel Bardsley (ENG), Jonny Cossar (ENG), Rhys McIlroy (SCO), Greg Holmes (ENG), Ellis Willott (ENG), Tom Matthews (WAL)
Reserves – William Sandoz (WAL), Andrew Davidson (SCO), Cameron Mukherjee (SCO)

SOUTHERN – Golf at Goodwood, West Suusex – Results
6,921 yards – Par 72 – Slope Rating 136
120 players / 20 Qualifiers

Medalist – Tim HOLLIS (ENG) 70 -2
Qualifiers – Enrique Dimayuga (ENG), Alex Stubbs (ENG), Benjamin Humphrey (ENG), Ollie Smith (ENG), Shay McQueen (ENG), George Mills (ENG), Steve Mitchell (ENG), Daniel Roberts (ENG), Shaun Mills (ENG), Iestyn McAvoy (WAL), George Ackerman (ENG), James Pinhorn (ENG), Kris Kim (ENG), Tom Scullion (ENG), Edward Mason (ENG), William Horne (ENG), Jonathan Exon-Taylor (ENG), Res 1 Cole Sedgwick (ENG), Res 3 George Saunders (ENG)
Reserves – Stan White (WAL)

Prizes

The Winner receives the magnificent gold Brabazon Trophy shown below.

The Champion’s Prize and The Brabazon Trophy (Photo: Golf Bible)

Prize vouchers will be awarded to those players finishing in the top five.

Two other prizes are connected to the Brabazon Trophy competition: –

The George Henriques Salver is awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20.

The Philip Scrutton Jug is awarded to the player returning the best aggregate scores in The Brabazon Trophy and The Berkshire Trophy (which will be played on 17-18 June).

Sunningdale Golf Club

Located in Berkshire, England, Sunningdale is one of the world’s finest golf clubs and enjoys two of the best heathland courses, the Old and the New.

The New Course was designed by renowned architect and former club secretary Harry Colt.

It was opened on 10th November 1923, 22 years after the Old Course, and is therefore celebrating it’s centenary this year – hence the visit from England Golf.

Holes 6-10 were replaced, on less undulating land, in 1934 with architect Tom Simpson originally designing these. However, his work proved to be unpopular with the members so Colt and his then partner John S.F. Morrison returned in 1939 to re-design them. The course has changed little since then.

5th Hole, New Course, Sunningdale G.C. (Photo: Kevin Diss Photography)

The New Course (Blue Tees) includes five par 3’s, ten par 4’s and three par 5’s.

With fewer bunkers and a little more space than it’s near neighbour the New plays to a challenging par of 70 over 6,716 yards.

New Course Scorecard (Graphic: Sunningdale G.C.)

Weather Forecast – last updated at 11.30am on Wednesday 24th May 2023

The weather forecast is looking excellent with sunny conditions and only light breezes expected throughout the week.

Thur 25th May – Sunny / Wind 10 mph NE / Temp. Min. 8°C, Max. 20°C.
Fri 26th May – Sunny / Wind 11 mph E / Temp. Min. 6°C, Max. 18°C.
Sat 27th May – Sunny / Wind 10 mph NE / Temp. Min. 7°C / Max. 21°C.
Sun 28th May – Sunny / Wind 10 mph NE / Temp. Min. 7°C / Max. 21°C.

2022 Brabazon Trophy

18 year old Christiaan MAAS (RSA) won the 2022 Brabazon Trophy after recording rounds of 65, 70, 67 and 68 for a 270 (-14) total.

He was the third South African winner of this prestigious title following in the footsteps of Charles Schwartzel (2002, Royal Cinque Ports) and Kyle McClatchie (2017, Woodall Spa).

Christiaan Maas (Photo: GolfBible)

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) -9 finished 2nd, Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) -8 3rd, Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) -6 4th and Swiss pair Maximilien STURDZA and Nicola GERHARDSEN (-4) 5th and 6th on count back.

Final Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Eliot BAKER (ENG) 288 +4, who finished tied 14th, secured the George Henriques Salver, the prize awarded to the leading Great British & Irish player in the Championship under the age of 20.

Click here to for more information on the 2022 Championship – Brabazon Trophy – 2022 Preview & Results

Recent Results

Click below to view the results over the last three years: –

Saunton – 2022 Brabazon Trophy Results

Ganton – 2021 Brabazon Trophy Results

Sherwood Forest – 2020 Brabazon Trophy Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The English Amateur International Trophy competition was first played in 1947.

In 1957 the official title was changed to the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship.

The current trophy was donated by Lord Brabazon of Tara in 1948 and the event has come to be widely known as the Brabazon Trophy.

Click here to view the full list of – Brabazon Trophy Past Winners

The first player to successfully defend the title was Ronnie WHITE who won at Birkdale in 1950 and nearby Formby in 1951.

Shortly afterwards Philip SCRUTTON won the Brabazon three times in four years (1952, ‘54 & ‘55).

Sir Michael BONALLACK has four wins to his name. The first came at Royal Cinque Ports in 1964 and the last at Hillside in 1971. At Moortown in 1969, with play-offs having been discarded at this time, he shared the title with Rodney FOSTER.

Other well known British winners of the Brabazon include Gordon BRAND Jnr, Sandy LYLE (2), Peter MCEVOY, Ronan RAFFERTY and Ronnie SHADE (3).

Other notable recent winners include well known pros Ignacio GARRIDO (1992), Peter HANSON (1998) and Charl SCHWARTZEL (2002).

ME.

Brabazon Trophy – 2022 Preview & Results

Posted on 09/05/2022 by Golf Bible

22nd May 2022

Christiaan MAAS (RSA) won the 2022 Brabazon Trophy shooting rounds of 65, 70, 67 and 68 for a 270 (-14) total.

18 year old Maas (pronounced “mars”), playing in the United Kingdom for the first time, arrived at Saunton as one of the clear favourites based on his performances over the last few years back home in South Africa.

He didn’t disappoint. He was simply outstanding. A strong and powerful ball striker with a delicate touch on and around the greens is always hard to beat but when you combine that with an ice cool temperament it is nigh on impossible.

He made some mistakes and played some miraculous shots to keep his score going but you wouldn’t of known which were which looking at has on course demeanour. He appeared mature beyond his years.

Maas is the third South African winner of the Brabazon Trophy following in the footsteps of Charles Schwartzel (2002, Royal Cinque Ports) and Kyle McClatchie (2017, Woodall Spa).

Maas will commence a US college golf scholarship with Texas University in August and I am looking forward to seeing him rip it up over there.

Christiaan Maas (Photo: GolfBible)

Shortly after the final results were posted the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR) was updated. Maas moved up to #3 in the world, with Sam Bairstow now #26, John Gough #35, Arron Edwards-Hill #78 and Matt McClean #126.

Round 4

It was another lovely day in North Devon. The sun shone and little more than a gentle breeze blew across the links of Saunton.

Whilst the hearts of the spectators hoped for an English winner those who had been watching Maas on the previous days knew in their heads that was probably not going to be the case.

A confident Christiaan MAAS (RSA) ended any doubts quickly, birdieing four of his opening six holes to extend his lead from one shot to six and thus take complete control of the Championship. At no point thereafter did he look likely to lose it either.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the South African as he started to push a few drives as the round progressed and hit a number of long approaches which left him scrambling. His up and down from the hay 60 yards over the 12th, where the green was running away from him, was world class and his recovery from the rough over the dog leg on 16 also noteworthy. In summary any fires were quickly extinguished with minimum fuss or histrionics.

Christiaan Maas Tees Off On The 1st Hole (Video: GolfBible)

Christiaan Maas Holes Out On The 18th Hole (Video: GolfBible)

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) heading out at 12.40pm with the leader would have been hoping to apply some early pressure but four bogeys on the front nine in effect did the opposite. It was to his credit that he steadied the ship and improved considerably on the back nine. A missed short putt on the par 3 15th was the only shot he really left out there. Nevertheless a 2nd place finish at the Brabazon represents an amateur career high for the Chelmsford man.

To the disappointment of the hosts, England Golf, Sam BAIRSTOW also hit reverse at the wrong time. Sam didn’t seem to have his A-game over the weekend and whilst he battled hard and put up a stout defence of the title his putter was cold and he just couldn’t get anything to happen.

Matt MCCLEAN, a 28 year old optician from Northern Ireland, enjoyed a very good Championship, his weekend rounds of 67 and 68 matching those of Maas. The Malone player is in great form and currently seems to be featuring at the top end of every competition he enters. He currently looks a certainty for the GB&I St. Andrews Trophy team that will play the Continent of Europe in July.

Christiaan Maas’, Arron Edwards-Hill’s, Matt McClean’s and Sam Bairstow’s Scorecards (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

I don’t know what the Swiss boys had for breakfast on Sunday but it certainly worked. Maximilien STURDZA and Nicola GERHARDSEN recorded rounds of 65, the joint best of the week, and 69 respectively to move up into the top 5. Following on from his T10 finish at the recent Lytham Trophy Gerhardsen looks like a player worth following this summer.

The unheralded Australian Jasper STUBBS (-2) also came under the radar with a final round of 67 to finish 7th.

In total there were only eight under par rounds on Day 4, the firmer course conditions and some tricky pins explaining this.

Final Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Eliot BAKER (ENG) shot a final round 71 to secure the George Henriques Salver, the prize awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20.

George Henriques Salver Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2022 Brabazon Trophy Results

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21st May 2022

Round 3

Christiaan MAAS (RSA) shot a third round 67 to maintain his 1-shot lead at the Brabazon Trophy. Ominously for the rest of the field today’s round was far more comfortable for the South African with all 18 greens hit in regulation and five birdies to his name. Save for an opening hole three putt bogey there were none of the occasional mistakes seen on the opening two days.

Arron EDWARDS-HILL‘s day started well, holing his approach for an eagle on the 473 yard 1st hole. He would go on to make a further four birdies but two bogeys on the back nine ultimately kept him out of the 54 hole lead which he had looked like holding for most of the afternoon.

Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) couldn’t repeat the heroics of Friday but still posted a 2-under 69. The highlight was perhaps his superb 40 yard chip in for birdie from left of the 12th green. A bogey on the final hole, where he drove into a bunker and left a 15 foot par putt in the jaws, may come back to haunt the defending champion tomorrow evening. A 3-shot head start, even on Saunton’s difficult East Course, looks like a lot to be giving the in form Maas.

Like yesterday there were 13 under par rounds in total, albeit from just 60 starters today.

The best third round score came from Kyle DE BEER (RSA), whose 66 included four birdies and 1 eagle. A late bogey on the downhill par 3 17th indicates he had the chance to go even lower too. Now in 5th place on -4 I am sure he will be one of the players hoping to set a clubhouse target to give the leaders something to think about coming down the stretch tomorrow.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) 15th, Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) 4th and John GOUGH (ENG) 6th all recorded 67’s to continue their rises up the leaderboard. Ashfield was an early starter at 8.00am and really had it going. He played the 10 holes between the 6th and 15th in 7-under par. McClean was one of a number of players to eagle the 477 yard par 5 whilst Gough posted six birdies to again demonstrate how well he is playing this year.

Tomi BOWEN (WAL) -1 leads Hugh ADAMS (ENG) +3 and Eliot BAKER (ENG) +4 in the George Henriques Salver competition. This prize is awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20.

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Round 3 Leaderboard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

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20th May 2022

Round 2

Friday was a day of two halves on the North Devon coast when it came to the weather. Overnight rain subsided by 8.30am to give way to excellent scoring conditions before the winds picked up strongly in the afternoon, and with a number of squally showers added to the mix, made life much harder for the later starters.

Christiaan MAAS (RSA) moved into the lead on Day 2 with a round of 70. Again there were mistakes but these were recovered. For those that weren’t already aware his 15 birdies in 36 holes shows the huge potential the well built South African has.

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) set off in the worst of the conditions at 1.40pm and his three early bogeys were therefore not a surprise. His ability to settle down and battle back coming home to return a par score bodes well for the weekend.

English No. 1 Sam BAIRSTOW was good enough to take full advantage of his favourable draw, equalling the best round of the week with a 6-under 65. An eagle and seven birdies showed the left-handers class.

Christiaan Maas’, Arron Edwards-Hill’s and Sam Bairstow’s Scorecards (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Other players to produce good rounds today included Olly HUGGINS (ENG), who moved up into 4th after a 68, Robert MORAN (IRL) 69 T5, Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI) 69 T5, Tyko TUOHIMAA (FIN) 66 T8, Tomi BOWEN (WAL) 66 T8, Angus CARRICK (SCO) 70 T12, John GOUGH 68 T14, Jake HIBBERT 70 T20, Leonardo BONO (SUI) 69 T20 and Jack BROOKS (SUI) 69 T20.

There were a total of 13 under par scores in Round 2 compared with yesterday’s 21.

The 60th and ties cut fell at 148 (+6) with exactly 60 players making it through to the weekend. An organisers dream !

Jack BIGHAM (ENG) +7 T61, Harley SMITH (ENG) +7 T6, James HYDES (NZL) +8 T71, Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) +8 T71, Callan BARROW (ENG) +10 T93, Marc BOUCHER (IRL) +11 T98 and BEN QUINNEY (ENG) +12 T104 were among the more notable casualties.

Round 2 Leaderboard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

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19th May 2022

Round 1

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) and Christiaan MAAS (RSA) share the lead after opening with 6-under par 65’s.

Edwards-Hill teed-off at 9.00am whilst Maas started his Championship at 1.20pm which shows that good scoring was possible throughout the day.

Edwards-Hill’s round featured an eagle and five birdies with an early bogey on the 3rd the only blemish. Maas reached 6-under after 10 holes of his round but as you can see below had to work hard to keep his score intact over his final seven holes. Irrespective of how they were compiled both rounds were excellent given the stern test posed by Saunton’s East Course.

Arron Edwards-Hill’s and Christiaan Maas’ Round 1 Scorecards (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Two lesser known Englishmen, Rory BROWNE and Louis SANDERS, are tied 3rd on -4 having very much enjoyed their day on the links. Browne was a bit more up and down but accumulated seven birdies whilst Sanders was steadier, matching Edwards-Hill’s achievement of a single bogey.

21 players broke par in Round 1 which, even allowing for the near perfect conditions, is more than many commentators thought likely before play started.

There are clearly a number of players riding a wave of confidence and have so far brought their good form with them to North Devon.

Christiaan MAAS (RSA), Matthew LEVER (ENG) -2 and Craig MELDING (WAL) -2 have all enjoyed wins in the last seven days. Eliot BAKER (ENG) -1, from nearby Tiverton, also won the Devon County Championship on Saunton’s West Course last weekend whilst Charlie THORNTON (ENG) -1 won the West of England Stroke Play at the end of April on the East.

Ireland’s Matt MCCLEAN -1, Rob MORAN Ev and Marc BOUCHER Ev finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th at last weekend’s Irish Amateur Open Championship played at The Island and are certainly links-ready and battle hardened.

Round 1 Leaderboard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

A number of leading players have work to do tomorrow to firstly make the cut and with a strong wind behind them hopefully get back in the Championship.

Jack COPE (ENG) +4, Harley SMITH (ENG) +4, Jack BROOKS (ENG) +4, John GOUGH (ENG) +4, Casey JARVIS (RSA) +4, Yurav PREMLALL (RSA) +4, Jonathan BROOMHEAD (RSA) +4, James HYDES (NZL) +8, Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) +8 and Callan BARROW (ENG) +10 will all be disappointed with their opening rounds.

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11th May 2022

The 76^thEnglish Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy will be played on the East Course at Saunton Golf Club between Thursday 19th and Sunday 22nd May 2022.

Three Qualifying Tournaments were played on 10th May 2022 to help England Golf complete the field (see below).

Saunton Golf Club (Photo: Saunton G.C.)

Format

The competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play golf with 18 holes being played over four days.

A 36 hole cut will take place with only the leading 60 competitors and ties progressing to the two remaining rounds.

In the event of a tie for the Championship there will be a sudden death play off. All other places will be determined by a card countback, starting with the final round and working backwards from there.

Field

144 competitors from 16 different countries will contest the 2022 Brabazon Trophy Championship.

The majority of this number were exempt with starting places offered to a number of national golf federations and to those players who have performed well in other recent Championships.

There were originally 83 exempt players listed on the England Golf Website albeit some of these withdrew ahead of the Championship. They included defending champion Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG), Jack BROOKS (ENG), Jonathan BROOMHEAD (RSA), Jack COPE (ENG), Kyle de BEER (RSA), Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), Hugh FOLEY (IRL), Rory FRANSSEN (SCO), John GOUGH (ENG), Olly HUGGINS (ENG), James HYDES (NZL), Casey JARVIS (RSA), Christiaan MAAS (RSA), Robert MORAN (IRL), Yurav PREMLALL (RSA) and Kiet van der WEELE (NED).

The five South African’s listed above (sadly Christiaan Burke was a late withdrawal due to visa issues), particularly Jarvis and Maas, are all world class and must start collectively as the favourites for the title.

Three regional qualifying tournaments were staged on 10th May 2022 to determine the remainder of the field with 61 spots made available.

Qualifying Events

Three 18 hole stroke play events, each with a maximum field of 120 players, were staged.

20 players automatically qualified from the Midland and Northern events whilst the Southern earned 21 spots given its larger field. A few more players have subsequently made the starting line up after being called up from the Reserve list.

Ties for the last qualifying place at each venue were determined by card countback.

Here is a summary of the Qualifier results and a list of all the players who progressed: –

MIDLAND – Stanton-on-the-Wolds G.C., Nottingham – Results
6,537 yards (White) – Par 73 – Slope Rating 138
105 players / 20 Qualifiers

Medalist – Ieuan PHILLIPS (WAL)
Qualifiers – Theo Baker (WAL), Freddie MacArthur (ENG), Adam Dorricott (ENG), Jenson Forrester (ENG), George Griffiths (ENG), Joshua Ashton (ENG), Jake Plumb (ENG), Jacob Smith (ENG), George Cordall (ENG), Alfie Robinson (ENG), Luke Yardley (ENG), James Claridge (ENG), Joe Jones (WAL), Alex Ford (ENG), Dean Reddington (ENG), Warren Bates (ENG), Nick Davies (ENG), Kyle Harmon (ENG) and Charlie Gilgenkrantz (ENG).
Reserves – Jacob Parsons (ENG)

NORTHERN – Pannal G.C., Harrogate – Results
6,404 yards (White) – Par 72 – Slope Rating 138
100 players / 20 Qualifiers

Medalist – Jack WHALEY (ENG)
Qualifiers – Luca Houlgate (ENG), Jamie Stewart (SCO), Tom Osborne (ENG), Tom North (ENG), Jake Sowden (ENG), Kieran Hogarth (ENG), Cormac Sharpe (SCO), Will Coxon (ENG), Ryan Owen (ENG), Jack McPhail (ENG), Jake Hibbert (ENG), Jack McDonald (SCO), Stuart Thurlow (SCO), Matthew Lever (ENG), Reece Goodyear (ENG), Michael Kilgallon (ENG), Dominic Barron Holden (ENG), Aamar Saleem (SCO) and Jack Williams (WAL)
Reserves – Aissa El Khadri (NED) and James Nash (ENG)

SOUTHERN – Beaconsfield G.C., Buckinghamshire – Results
6,584 yards (Black) – Par 72 – Slope Rating 136
119 players / 21 Qualifiers

Medalist – Alexander MAXWELL (AUS)
Qualifiers – Alfie Forisky (ENG), Harry Uzzell (ENG), Eliot Baker (ENG), Louis Sanders (ENG), Carl Banner (ENG), Taylor Paul (ENG), Ollie Brimfield (ENG), Jack Neill (ENG), Sam Russell (ENG), Johns Hayes (ENG), Huxley Howell (ENG), James McLaughlin (ENG), Joss Gosling (ENG), Reis Suart (ENG), Carter Rowe (ENG), Jake Antoun (ENG), George Saunders (ENG), Callum Tibbs (ENG), James Whyte (ENG) and Leyton Hardwick (ENG).
Reserves – Ben Loveard (ENG), Owain Taylor (WAL) and Rory Browne (ENG)

Prizes

The Winner receives the magnificent gold Brabazon Trophy shown below.

The Champion’s Prize and The Brabazon Trophy (Photo: Golf Bible)

Prize vouchers will be awarded to those players finishing in the top five.

Two other prizes are connected to the Brabazon Trophy competition.

The George Henriques Salver is awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20.

The Philip Scruton Jug is awarded to the player returning the best aggregate scores in The Brabazon Trophy and The Berkshire Trophy (which will be played on 18-19 June).

Saunton Golf Club

Saunton G.C. is located amongst the sand dunes of Braunton Burrows in North Devon eight miles west of Barnstaple town centre.

The Club was founded in May 1897 with a 9-hole course. It was then extended to 12 holes in 1906 before a full 18 was opened in 1908. W. Herbert Fowler was employed after World War I to re-design what is now known as the East Course. C.K. Cotton completed a restoration in the early 1950s following World War II.

A West Course, designed by Frank Pennink, was opened in 1974.

Both courses are well renowned and the Club has understandably been invited to host numerous prestigious amateur events over the years by The R&A and England Golf.

This will be the fifth occasion that Saunton has staged the Brabazon Trophy. In 1967 Ronnie SHADE (SCO) won, in 1976 Peter HEDGES (ENG), in 1988 Bobby EGGO (ENG) and in 1997 David PARK (WAL).

The East is the best course in the county of Devon and normally lies inside the top 25 in most rankings for all of England.

Saunton G.C. Aerial Photo (Photo: Saunton G.C.)

The East Course (Blue Tees) includes eight par 4’s at 400+ yards and with only three par 3’s plays to a challenging par of 71 over 6,869 yards.

Saunton G.C. – East Course Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Weather Forecast – last updated at 12.00noon on Tuesday 17th May 2022

The long range weather forecast is looking largely dry at the moment with some sunny spells expected. Fresh breezes, which will increase throughout the day, are also expected to be a feature throughout the week.

Thur 19th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 11 mph W / Temp. Min. 9°C, Max. 18°C.
Fri 20th May – Light Rain / Wind 17 mph SW / Temp. Min. 11°C, Max. 17°C.
Sat 21st May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 13 mph W / Temp. Min. 11°C / Max. 16°C.
Sun 22nd May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 14 mph W / Temp. Min. 11°C / Max. 17°C.

2021 Brabazon Trophy

Left hander Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) from the Hallowes G.C. in Sheffield won the 2021 Brabazon Trophy at Ganton G.C. with a 273 (-11) total. His four under par rounds of 66, 69, 69 and 69 included 18 birdies and just seven bogeys over the 72 holes.

Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) finished strongly with a best of the week 64 in the final round which included seven birdies. Having won the Berkshire Trophy back in June the Essex man secured The Philip Scruton Jug, awarded to the player returning the best aggregate scores in The Brabazon Trophy and The Berkshire Trophy, with ease.

At the close of play only 10 players were able to finish the Championship with under par scores.

Frank KENNEDY (ENG) and Josh HILL (ENG), who both finished on 285 (+1), shared The George Henriques Salver awarded to the leading GB&I player(s) in the Championship under the age of 20.

Leading Brabazon Trophy Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

64 players ultimately made the top 60 and ties 36 hole cut which fell at +6.

Recent Results

Click below to view the results over the last five years: –

Ganton – 2021 Brabazon Trophy Results

Sherwood Forest – 2020 Brabazon Trophy Results

Alwoodley – 2019 Brabazon Trophy Results

Frilford Heath – 2018 Brabazon Trophy Results

Woodhall Spa – 2017 Brabazon Trophy Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The English Amateur International Trophy competition was first played in 1947.

In 1957 the official title was changed to the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship.

The current trophy was donated by Lord Brabazon of Tara in 1948 and the event has come to be widely known as the Brabazon Trophy.

Click here to view the full list of – Brabazon Trophy Past Winners

The first player to successfully defend the title was Ronnie WHITE who won at Birkdale in 1950 and nearby Formby in 1951.

Shortly afterwards Philip SCRUTTON won the Brabazon three times in four years (1952, ‘54 & ‘55).

Other well known British winners of the Brabazon include Gordon BRAND Jnr, Sandy LYLE (2), Peter MCEVOY, Ronan RAFFERTY and Ronnie SHADE(3).

Other notable recent winners include well known pros Ignacio GARRIDO (1992), Peter HANSON (1998) and Charl SCHWARTZEL (2002).

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Brabazon Trophy – 2021 Preview & Results

Posted on 15/08/2021 by Golf Bible

22nd August 2021

Left hander Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) from the Hallowes G.C. in Dronfield, south of Sheffield, won the 2021 Brabazon Trophy at Ganton G.C. with a 273 (-11) total.

The biggest win of his amateur career was built on consistency. His four under par rounds included 18 birdies and just seven bogeys over the 72 holes.

Talking to England Golf afterwards he said “It means a lot. I’ve been feeling like a win has been coming this year. To do it in my last big event feels really good. It’s very special – especially in Yorkshire. I had a lot of people out there supporting me which was nice.”

Bairstow’s victory lifted him to 32nd in the updated Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking.

Sam Bairstow’s 72 Hole Scores (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) kept Bairstow honest with a best of the week 64 in the final round which included seven unblemished birdies.

Having won the Berkshire Trophy back in June the Essex man secured The Philip Scruton Jug, awarded to the player returning the best aggregate scores in The Brabazon Trophy and The Berkshire Trophy, with ease.

Zach Chegwidden’s Round 4 Scores (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

The Final Round commenced at 8.00am after a 30 minute delay due to heavy overnight rain.

At the close of play only 10 players were able to finish the Championship with under par scores.

Leading Brabazon Trophy Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

Frank KENNEDY (ENG) and Josh HILL (ENG), who both finished on 285 (+1), shared The George Henriques Salver awarded to the leading GB&I player(s) in the Championship under the age of 20.

Click here to view the full – 2021 Brabazon Trophy Results

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21st August 2021

Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) will take a 5-shot lead into the fourth round of the Brabazon Trophy after a 69 on Saturday afternoon. For the third day running the Yorkshire player recorded five birdies in his round and now looks down on the field with a 204 (-9) total.

Joshua BRISTOW (ENG) is his nearest challenger on -4 after a 69 in Round 3. It was the Kent player’s steadiest round of the Championship with three birdies offset by a single bogey on the 6th.

Charlie THORNTON (ENG), another local player with some experience of the course, moved up to 3rd place on -3 after a 66, the lowest round of the day.

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), Sam POTTER (ENG) and Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) are all tied 4th on 211 (-2). Edwards-Hill shot a 67 which included 6 straight birdies on the 9th to 14th holes whilst Potter, who leads The George Henriques Salver Under 20 competition, followed him up the leaderboard with a 67.

At the end of 54 holes there were just eight players left under par at Ganton.

Leading Brabazon Trophy Round 3 Scores (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

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20th August 2021

Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) moved into a 2-shot lead after a second round 69. Two late bogeys means his lead could have been even bigger but I am sure he is pleased with his position at the halfway stage.

Harvey BYERS (ENG) -5 and Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) -4 lead the chasing pack after posting a 69 and 71 respectively.

James HYDES (NZL), who won last week’s Welsh Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, bounced back impressively from his first round 79 with a 67 to comfortably make the cut on +4. Callum BRUCE (SCO) also shot a 67 to haul himself up the leaderboard after a disappointing 77 on Thursday. He’ll start the third round in 21st place on +2.

At the end of Friday, which proved to be a tougher scoring day, just nine players remained under par.

64 players ultimately made the top 60 and ties 36 hole cut which fell at +6. They can all now look forward to another two rounds at Ganton over the weekend.

Leading Brabazon Trophy Round 2 Scores (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

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19th August 2021

Matt ROBERTS (WAL) made a great start at Ganton recording eight birdies in his opening round of 65 -6.

Local player Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) is one shot further back after he produced a bogey free 66 -5.

Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG), winner of the Berkshire Trophy earlier his summer, is 3rd after a roller-coaster 67 -4 which saw him offset eight birdies with four bogeys.

At the end of the day just 14 of the 132 players broke par around the difficult Yorkshire course.

Leading Brabazon Trophy Round 1 Scores (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

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15th August 2021

The 75^thEnglish Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy will be played at Ganton Golf Club between Thursday 19th and Sunday 22nd August.

Ganton Golf Club (Photo: Ganton Golf Club )

Format

The competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play golf with 18 holes being played each day.

A 36 hole cut will take place with only the leading 60 competitors and ties progressing to the two remaining rounds.

In the event of a tie for the Championship there will be a sudden death play off.

Field

A final field of 132 has been set for the 2021 Championship.

The majority of the field are exempt with starting places offered to a number of national golf federations and to those players who have performed well in other recent Championships.

The leading players, all from England, are Callan BARROW, Sam BAIRSTOW, Jack BROOKS, Jack DYER, Arron EDWARDS-HILL, John GOUGH, Olly HUGGINS, Haider HUSSAIN and Laird SHEPHERD.

The continuing impact on travel of the COVID-19 pandemic means only a handful of overseas entries are competing. The commencement of the US college academic year and the playing of the Jacques Léglise Trophy next week in Sweden have also damaged the field. The latter means that Jack BIGHAM, winner of The R&A Boys’ Amateur last weekend, and Harley SMITH, winner of the U16 McGregor Trophy and U18 Carris Trophy will sadly both be missing.

Three regional qualifying tournaments have been staged in recent weeks to determine the remainder of the field.

Southern – Brokenhurst Manor G.C. on 3rd August
Medalist – Riccardo Fantinelli (ITA) 63 -7
Qualifiers (24)- Riccardo Fantinelli, Tom Stagg, Reis Suart, Craig Passmore, Ollie Brimfield, James Ellis, Luke Spooner, Max Shirvell, Harry Uzzell, Connor O’Brien, Finlay Szafnauer, Ryan Greenwood, George Johnson, William Green, Ben Quick, Andrew Issacs, Charlie Salter, Lewis Beer, Jacob Kelso, Harvey Byers, Jay Scott, Joseph McDonagh-Brown, Kipp Popert and Rocky Chapman

Midland – Spalding G.C. on 10th August
Medalist – Sam Potter (ENG) 67 -5
Qualifiers (19) – Sam Potter, Hugo Kedzlie, Joel Smith, Andres Acevedo, Ross Macintosh, Sam Hessian, Jordan Boulton, Stuart Easton, Lewis Phillips, Harry Glenn, Max Hayward, Daniel McEvoy, Joshua Austin-Tierney, Harry Coe, Jack Remblance, Alex Ford, Louis Sanders, Jack Diment and Shaun Marshall

Northern – The Oaks GC on 12th August
Medalist – Harry Lord (ENG) 64 -8
Qualifiers (30) – Harry Lord, Thomas Harbord, Andrew Benson, Jamie Roberts, Ryan Tatton, Harry Lee, James Swash, Callum Bruce, George Mason, Dominic Barron Holden, Jack Lampkin, Jamie Gregory, Thomas Pyman, Charlie Daughtrey, Ben Brookes, Max Berrisford, Tom Etridge, Ryan Owen, Andrew Ni, Max Baxendale, Oliver White, Jack McPhail, Tom Hughes, Ben Rhodes, James Stewart, James Holland, Fred Tisdale, Nick Raybould, Will Wilkinson and George Ash

Click here and use the three filters to view the full – Qualifying Results

Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2021 Brabazon Trophy Tee Times

Play will be starting at 7.00am on the opening two days with the final tee time being 2.40pm.

Prizes

The Winner receives the magnificent gold Brabazon Trophy shown in the photo below.

The Champion’s Prize and Brabazon Trophy (Photo: Golf Bible)

Prize vouchers will be awarded to those players finishing in the top five.

Two other prizes are connected to the Brabazon Trophy competition.

The George Henriques Salver is awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20.

The Philip Scruton Jug is awarded to the player returning the best aggregate scores in The Brabazon Trophy and The Berkshire Trophy.

Ganton Golf Club

Ganton G.C. is located in the Vale of Pickering in Yorkshire, 10 miles inland from Scarborough.

The Club was founded in 1891 and Harry Vardon, Ted Ray, James Braid, JH Taylor, Harry Colt and Alistair Mackenzie all had a hand in the development of the course in the early 1900’s.

Ganton G.C. Aerial Photo (Photo: Ganton G.C.)

The Championship course is well known for it’s deep bunkers, gorse and fir trees and plays to 7,016 yards and a challenging par of 71.

Ganton G.C. Scorecard (Photo: Ganton G.C.)

The course has hosted the Ryder Cup (1949), the Amateur Championship (1964, 1977, 1991), the Curtis Cup (2000) and the Walker Cup (2003) in its illustrious history.

Weather Forecast

The weather is looking largely dry at the moment, albeit with little sun, with fresh breezes picking up throughout the week.

Thur 19th Aug – Light Cloud / Wind 8 mph W / Temp. Min. 13°C, Max. 18°C.
Fri 20th Aug – Light Cloud / Wind 10 mph SE / Temp. Min. 14°C, Max. 18°C.
Sat 21st Aug – Light Cloud / Wind 14 mph SE / Temp. Min. 15°C / Min 19°C.
Sun 22nd Aug – Light Rain Showers / Wind 17 mph E / Temp. Min. 14°C / Max. 19°C.

2020 Brabazon Trophy

David RAVETTO (FRA) won the 2020 Brabazon Trophy at Sherwood Forest G.C.

David Ravetto (Photo: Leaderboard Photography / FFGolf)

Ravetto secured the title on the second sudden death play-off hole (the 2nd) with a birdie after he and Christoffer BRING (DEN) and Mark POWER (IRL) couldn’t be separated after 72 holes. Power fell out of the play-off on the 1st extra hole after he could only par it – Bring and Ravetto both birdied.

English pair Barclay BROWN and Jack DYER -8 finished tied for 4th with compatriots Enrique DIMAYUGA and Sam BAIRSTOW one shot further back in tied 6th.

Barclay Brown won The George Henriques Salver, awarded to the leading GB&I player under the age of 20.

Northern Ireland’s Tom MCKIBBIN -6 finished 8th after a consistent tournament, Joe LONG -5 9th delivered another strong result and Jack COPE -4 backed up his English Amateur victory with a tied 10th place alongside Josh BRISTOW from Kent.

Here are the leading scores from 2020: –

Leading Results (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

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Recent Results

Click here to view the full: –

Sherwood Forest – 2020 Brabazon Trophy Results

Alwoodley – 2019 Brabazon Trophy Results

Frilford Heath – 2018 Brabazon Trophy Results

Woodhall Spa – 2017 Brabazon Trophy Results

London G.C. – 2016 Brabazon Trophy Results

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History, Past Winners and Records

The English Amateur International Trophy competition was first played in 1947.

In 1957 the official title was changed to the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship.

The current trophy was donated by Lord Brabazon of Tara in 1948 and the event has come to be widely known as the Brabazon Trophy.

Click here to view the full list of – Brabazon Trophy Past Winners

The first player to successfully defend the title was Ronnie WHITE who won at Birkdale in 1950 and nearby Formby in 1951.

Shortly afterwards Philip SCRUTTON won the Brabazon three times in four years (1952, ‘54 & ‘55).

Other well known British winners of the Brabazon include Gordon Brand Jnr, Sandy Lyle (2), Peter MCEVOY, Ronan Rafferty and Ronnie SHADE(3).

Other notable recent winners include well known pros Ignacio GARRIDO (1992), Peter HANSON (1998) and Charl SCHWARTZEL (2002).

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The Brabazon Trophy – 2020 Preview, Reports & Results

Posted on 13/08/2020 by Golf Bible

21st August 2020

David RAVETTO (FRA) won the 74^thEnglish Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy at Sherwood Forest G.C.

David Ravetto (Photo: Leaderboard Photography / FFGolf)

It was clear from today’s weather forecast that the conclusion of the Brabazon Trophy was likely to be far from straight forward and so it proved. Anything can happen when the wind is gusting up to 50mph.

Mark POWER, who had started the day tied for 12th, produced one of the best rounds seen for some time by a GB&I amateur to ask the question of the leaders playing behind him. His 66 (-5) included two eagles and three birdies. To put his score into context just 6 of the 68 players broke par today with the other five all recording 70’s (-1).

Power’s 274 (-11) total initially looked like it would be a little short of the necessary mark but as time passed by it became clear that his work may not be done for the day.

Mark Power’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

David RAVETTO, playing in the penultimate three ball, looked to have stood up to the conditions and Power’s clubhouse pressure when he birdied the 16th to move to -11. However, a bogey on 17 saw him fall back into a tie with the Irishman on -10 with both players left to nervously wait to see how leader Christoffer BRING would finish.

David Ravetto’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

Bring was on -13 after 12 holes when Power completed his round. With a three shot lead and six holes to play the Championship was the Dane’s to win. However, an untidy double bogey on the par 3 15th and a bogey on 17 saw him come back to the two chasers.

Christoffer Bring’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

English pair Barclay BROWN and Jack DYER -8 finished tied for 4th with compatriots Enrique DIMAYUGA and Sam BAIRSTOW one shot further back in tied 6th.

Barclay Brown won The George Henriques Salver, awarded to the leading GB&I player under the age of 20.

Northern Ireland’s Tom MCKIBBIN -6 finished 8th after a consistent tournament, Joe LONG -5 9th delivered another strong result and Jack COPE -4 backed up his recent English Amateur victory with a tied 10th place alongside Josh BRISTOW from Kent.

Leading Results (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

Click here to view the full – 2020 Brabazon Trophy Results

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20th August 2020

Christoffer BRING (DEN) shot a joint best of the day 65 (-6) to move into a share of the lead on Day 3 of the Brabazon Trophy. Two late bogeys, including one on his final hole, shows how good his round could have been. Nevertheless to record just five bogeys in the Championship to date is impressive stuff – just Sam Bairstow has less to his name (4).

Christoffer Bring’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

England’s Enrique DIMAYUGA (-11) continues to enjoy himself at Sherwood Forest. The promising youngster from Walton Heath posted a 66, helped by an eagle and a birdie on the 16th and 17th holes, to join Bring out front.

Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) posted a 67 to move into 3rd place on -10 whilst first round leader David RAVETTO (FRA) matched his opening round 66 to move back into contention alongside Jack DYER (ENG) in tied 4th on -9.

Barclay BROWN‘s (ENG) 66 included two eagles, one on the par 5 5th followed by a hole-in-one on the 7th. Having pared every hole coming home after his 1 the Stanford University student from Sheffield stands well placed in tied 6th (-7) to make a run at the title tomorrow.

English Amateur champion Jack COPE (ENG) took advantage of making the cut on the +1 mark in Round 3. His blemish free 65 (-6) lifted him up to tied 12th on -5.

Jack Cope’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

Harry BUTLER (ENG) joined Cope in tied 12th after producing the other 65 of round 3. His eagle 2 on the 9th the standout in what appears to have been an exciting round of golf.

Harry Butler’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

Here are the leading scores after 54 holes: –

Leading Rd 3 Scores (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

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19th August 2020

Rain arrived in Nottinghamshire in the late morning and stayed until the end of play. Players with an early morning Round 2 tee time clearly had a major advantage over the later starters today.

Jack DYER (ENG) produced the best round of the week this morning to take the 36-hole lead on 134 (-8). His 64 (-7), which included eight birdies, equalled the course record at Sherwood Forest G.C.

Jack Dyer’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

Other morning starters Mark POWER (-7) and Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) (-6) are on hot on Jack’s heels. Enrique DIMAYUGA (ENG) did very well to join Sam on -6 given his afternoon tee time where he played in the worst of the weather.

Andrew NI (SCO) matched David Revatto’s 66 (-5) from yesterday to march up the leaderboard on Day 2.

Experienced performers Tom PLUMB (ENG), Joe LONG (ENG), Tom MCKIBBIN (IRL) -4 and Jake BOLTON (ENG) -4 are all nicely placed to mount an attack on the leaders in the coming days.

Here are the leading scores after 36 holes: –

Leading Rd 2 Scores (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

68 players made the 60th and ties 36 hole cut which drifted out to 143 (+1) as the wet conditions took their toll later on.

Playing together English Amateur champion, Jack COPE (ENG), and the defending Brabazon champion, Ben SCHMIDT (ENG), both fought back after disappointing opening rounds with 69’s (-2) this morning to made it in on the +1 mark.

Conor GOUGH (ENG) +2, Matty LAMB (ENG) +3, Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) +3 and Olly HUGGINS (ENG) +3 were amongst the players to miss the cut.

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18th August 2020

David RAVETTO (FRA), Matt McCLEAN (IRL) and Josh BRISTOW (ENG) all shot opening rounds of 66 (-5) to share the Round 1 lead at Sherwood Forest G.C.

Here are the details of the three leading rounds:-

Ravetto, McClean and Bristow Scorecards (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

At the end of Round 1 there were 68 players on 71 (Ev) or better.

Here are the leading scores after Round 1: –

Leading Rd 1 Scores (Photo: England Golf / Golf Genius Scoring)

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13th August 2020

The 74^thEnglish Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy will be played at Sherwood Forest Golf Club between Tuesday 18th and Friday 21st August.

Sherwood Forest Golf Club (Photo: Sherwood Forest G.C.)

Format

The competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play golf with 18 holes being played each day.

A 36 hole cut will take place with only the leading 60 competitors and ties progressing to the two remaining rounds.

In the event of a tie for the Championship on Friday, there will be a sudden death play off.

Click here to view the full – 2020 Brabazon Trophy Terms of Competition

Field

A 144 competitors will start the 2020 Championship.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic no regional qualifying tournaments have been staged this year. The field has therefore been determined by exemptions and a handicap ballot.

With the exception of those players who have been competing in the U.S. Amateur all of Great Britain and Ireland’s leading amateurs will be on show. A number of players from the Continent of Europe have also made the effort to travel over to Nottinghamshire.

Last year’s Brabazon Trophy was ranked as the 20th best amateur event by the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR) based on the strength of its field. This represented a jump from 41st in 2018 but a fall from 17^thin 2017.

Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2020 Brabazon Trophy Rounds 1 and 2 Drawsheet – use Menu filter

Play will start at 7.00am on the opening two days with the final tee time being 3.30pm.

Prizes

The Winner receives the magnificent gold Brabazon Trophy shown in the photo below.

The Champion’s Prize and Brabazon Trophy (Photo: Golf Bible)

Prize vouchers will be awarded to those players finishing in the top three.

Two other prizes are connected to the Brabazon Trophy competition.

The George Henriques Salver is awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20.

The Philip Scruton Jug is normally awarded to the player returning the best aggregate scores in The Brabazon Trophy and The Berkshire Trophy. However, this year it won’t be presented as the latter event has been cancelled.

Sherwood Forest Golf Club

Sherwood Forest G.C. is located on heathland to the east of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire.

The Club can trace its roots back to 1895 and moved to its current location in 1911. The course was designed by Harry Colt and revised by James Braid in the 1920s. Further changes to the greens and tees were made in the 1980s by Cotton, Pennink, Steel and Hawtree.

Sherwood Forest G.C. Course Map (Photo: Sherwood Forest G.C.)

The course can be stretched to 6,800 yards with the front nine situated on more open land and the longer back nine tree lined.

Sherwood Forest G.C. Scorecard (Photo: Sherwood Forest G.C.)

Whilst the back nine is a little shorter it delivers a good finish with six strong finishing holes. The inward nine has the lower par of 35 and generally plays into the prevailing westerly wind.

Weather Forecast

The weather is looking a little mixed at the moment (as at 17th August) with fresh breezes expected to pick up throughout each day.

Tues 18th Aug – Light Showers / Wind 12 mph SW / Temp. Min. 21°C, Max. 14°C.
Wed 19th Aug – Thundery Showers / Wind 15 mph SE / Temp. Min. 21°C, Max. 16°C.
Thur 20th Aug – Sunny Intervals / Wind 15 mph S / Temp. Min. 23°C / Min 15°C.
Fri 21st Aug – Sunny Intervals / Wind 20 mph SW / Temp. Min. 21°C / Max. 13°C.

2019 Brabazon Trophy

Rotherham’s Ben SCHMIDT (ENG), just 16 at the time, won the 2019 English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship by 5-shots with a 271 (-13) finishing total.

Ben was the youngest ever winner of the Brabazon Trophy which was being played for the 73rd time at Alwoodley G.C.

The Schmidt Family (Photo: Yorkshire Golf / Jonathan Plaxton)

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Ben Schmidt’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

Harry HALL (ENG) -8 finished second, Euan WALKER (SCO) -7 third and Ben FIRTH (ENG) -4 fourth

Click here to view the full – 2019 Brabazon Trophy Results

Click these links to view other recent results: –

Frilford Heath – 2018 Brabazon Trophy Results

Woodhall Spa – 2017 Brabazon Trophy Results

London G.C. – 2016 Brabazon Trophy Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The English Amateur International Trophy competition was first played in 1947.

In 1957 the official title was changed to the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship.

The current trophy was donated by Lord Brabazon of Tara in 1948 and the event has come to be widely known as the Brabazon Trophy.

Click here to view the full list of – Brabazon Trophy Past Winners

The first player to successfully defend the title was Ronnie WHITE who won at Birkdale in 1950 and nearby Formby in 1951.

Shortly afterwards Philip SCRUTTON won the Brabazon three times in four years (1952, ‘54 & ‘55).

Sir Michael BONALLACK has four wins to his name. The first came at Royal Cinque Ports in 1964 and the last at Hillside in 1971. At Moortown in 1969, with play-offs having been discarded at this time, he shared the title with Rodney FOSTER.

Other well known British winners of the Brabazon include Gordon Brand Jnr, Sandy Lyle (2), Peter MCEVOY, Ronan Rafferty and Ronnie SHADE (3).

Other notable European winners include well known pros Ignacio GARRIDO (1992) and Peter HANSON (1998).

ME.

The Brabazon Trophy – 2019 Preview, Reports & Results

Posted on 19/05/2019 by Golf Bible

2nd June 2019

Rotherham’s Ben SCHMIDT (ENG) won the 2019 English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship finishing the competition with another hugely impressive under par round.

The Schmidt Family (Photo: Yorkshire Golf / Jonathan Plaxton)

When Schmidt took the lead on Friday night very few people would have expected the 16 year old to see out such a prestigious event with apparent ease.

In the end two 69’s over the weekend took him to a 271 (-13) finishing total and a 5 shot victory. He is believed to be the youngest ever winner of the Brabazon Trophy which was being played for the 73rd time.

To drop only 6 shots over the 72 holes at Alwoodley G.C. clearly shows the potential of the Yorkshireman who seemed to thrive on being the hometown favourite.

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Ben Schmidt’s Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

Schmidt and Harry HALL (ENG) were tied on -11 after 11 holes of the final round but it was the teenager who showed nerves of steel over the closing holes. He picked up birdies on the 12th and 17th and calmly pulled away from the experienced Cornishman in what was always going to be an 18 hole shoot out. Three late bogeys from the now chasing Hall helped make the tough Alwoodley finish relatively straight forward for the champion elect.

Talking to England Golf afterwards Schmidt said “It’s amazing. I played great. It’s good to get my name on the trophy and to be the youngest ever one to do it makes it even more special.”

Hall finished 2nd on -8 one shot ahead of a fast finishing Euan WALKER (SCO) whose 66 was the joint best score of the day and lifted him into 3rd place. Caolan RAFFERTY (IRE) matched the Scotsman’s -5 round earlier in the afternoon.

Ben FIRTH, also from Yorkshire, finished 4th on 280 (-4) for the best finish of his career.

In what proved to be a largely disappointing tournament for International players Kyle DE BEER (RSA) benefited from a 7-under weekend to finish tied 5th alongside David LANGLEY (ENG).

Here’s a screenshot of the leading players with a link to the full results beneath.

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Click here to view the full – 2019 Brabazon Trophy Results

Round 4 saw an average score of 72.30 (+1.30). The average front nine score today was 35.83 (-0.17 to par) whilst the back nine score was 36.47 (+1.47).

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1st June 2019

Ben SCHMIDT (ENG) moved on to -11 after a third round 69 (-2) at Alwoodley. He showed no sign of nerves with a 3-under par front nine but may live to regret a final hole bogey which took the edge of a steady back nine and saw his 54 hole lead reduced to just 1 shot.

Harry HALL (ENG), who produced a new course record 63 (-8), moved back up the leaderboard and into 2nd place on -10.

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Harry Hall’s Round 3 Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

Jake HAPGOOD (WAL) continues to impress in Yorkshire. Three under par rounds of 69, 68 and 70 will see him enter the final day in 3rd place on -6.

Charlie THORNTON (ENG) 70 and David LANGLEY (ENG) 71 are on -5 and are tied 4th.

Luca FILIPPI (RSA) and Robin WILLIAMS (ENG) both enjoyed good days too. Their 66’s (-5) lifted them up to 7th and tied 14th respectively.

Leading Round 3 Scores (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

Round 3 saw the average score lowered to 71.74 helped by a reduction to 63 competing players. 64 players made the cut but Alex Dixon +4 WD before play started. The average front nine score today was 35.57 (-0.43 to par) whilst the back nine score was 36.14 (+1.17).

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31st May 2019

16 year old Ben SCHMIDT (ENG) backed up his good opening round with a 64 (-7) in Round 2. He tied the Alwoodley course record with an unblemished card and 7 birdies. He now leads the Brabazon Trophy by 3-shots on 133 (-9).

Talking to England Golf afterwards Ben said “I got off to a good start, birdieing the first three holes. Front nine was really solid, quite a few birdies. I hit a lot of good iron shots in today. I hit a couple really stiff for tap in birdies. A couple of long irons which were key for me. It’s my lowest ever round, 7-under. I’m just looking for the same again for the next few days. It’s probably not going to be 7-under again but I can’t go out with the mindset of like I’m leading. I’ve just got go out, refresh and start again. I’ve played well and putted well, key putts and long birdie putts.”

Ben Schmidt’s Round 2 Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

Charlie STRICKLAND (ENG) recorded a 70 in Round 2 and will go into the weekend in 2nd place on -6.

Day 2 saw much lower scoring. There were 21 rounds in the 60’s compared with just 6 yesterday.

David LANGLEY (ENG) 67, Jake HAPGOOD (WAL) 68, Jamie STEWART (SCO) 65, Charlie THORNTON (ENG) 67, Ben FIRTH (ENG) 66, Ben HALLAM (ENG) 68, Ben JONES (ENG) 68, Ben CATON (SCO) 69, Euan WALKER (SCO) and Josh MCMAHON (ENG) all moved nicely into contention.

Of particular note Jamie Stewart’s 65 included a 29 (-7) on the front nine whilst Ben Firth’s 69, a 30 (-5) on the back nine.

Leading Round 2 Scores (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

The Round 2 scores followed a similar pattern to Round 1 but with easier playing conditions and more experience the scoring was better. The average front nine score today was 35.91 (-0.09 to par / Rd 1 36.70) whilst the back nine score was 37.04 (+2.04 / Rd 1 38.29). The average Round 2 score by the field was 72.95 (+1.95 / Rd 1 74.99).

64 players made the top 60 and ties cut which fell at 146 (+4). Amongst those to miss out were Jayden SCHAPER (RSA) +5, John MURPHY (IRE) +5, Oliver FARRELL (ENG) +6, Daniel O’LOUGHLIN (ENG) +7, Tom THURLOWAY (ENG) +7, David HAGUE (ENG) +8 and Kieran CANTLEY (ENG) +9.

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30th May 2019

Charlie STRICKLAND (ENG) leads the Brabazon Trophy at the end of Day 1. Charlie has shown good form in 2019 and will be delighted with an opening bogey-free 66 (-5) around the tough Alwoodley course.

Charlie Strickland’s Round 1 Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

Harry HALL (ENG) is second on 68 (-3), two shots further back. Harry, who recently graduated from UNLV, travelled back from the NCAA Division I National Championship in Arkansas earlier this week and I am pleased to see he has quickly re-acclimatised to the UK.

James WILSON (SCO), Ben SCHMIDT (ENG), Jake HAPGOOD (WAL) and Jake BOLTON (ENG) are all tied 3rd on 69 (-2).

Ben Schmidt is unsurprisingly not the only Yorkshireman to be featuring at home. Bailey GILL 70 (-1), Sam BAIRSTOW 70 (-1), Charlie THORNTON 71 (Ev), winner at Alwoodley of the 2018 North of England Amateur Open, and Charlie DAUGHTREY 71 (Ev) are all in the top 15 too.

Irish pair Caolan RAFFERTY 70 (-1) and Conor PURCELL 71 (Ev) are both nicely placed despite disappointing finishes today. Both continue to be travelling nicely down the path to Walker Cup selection in my eyes.

The Round 1 scores clearly highlighted the fact that the front nine at Alwoodley is much easier than the back. As the table below shows the average front nine score was 36.70 (+0.70 to par), helped by the prevailing wind, whilst the back nine played to 38.29 (+3.29). The closing holes proved to be very challenging and their rankings show why so many of today’s rounds were ruined in the latter stages. The average round by the field was 74.99. (+3.99).

Round 1 Course Stats (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

As you can also see there were 9 eagles on Day 1, all on the front nine. Interestingly three of them came on par 4’s. I assume Cameron LOMBARD (ENG) and Tom THURLOWAY (ENG) both chipped in on the 305 yard 2nd but Alexander HERMANN (GER) must have holed a longer shot on the 370 yard 5th.

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27th May 2019

The 73^rdEnglish Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy will be played at Alwoodley Golf Club between 30th May and 2nd June.

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Alwoodley Golf Club in October 2018 (Photo: Golf Bible)

Format

The competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play golf with 18 holes being played each day.

A 36 hole cut will take place with only the leading 60 competitors and ties progressing to the two weekend rounds.

In the event of a tie for the Championship on Sunday, there will be a sudden death play off.

Field

164 competitors will start the 2019 Championship, an increase of 8 on last year at Frilford Heath.

England has 94 entries with 10 other countries represented.

The start sheet for Rounds 1 and 2 can be viewed here – 2019 Brabazon Trophy Draw

98 players were exempted into the field based on their previous accomplishments with a further 66 progressing from two qualifiers held on 14th May 2019.

Charlie DAUGHTREY (Rotherham G.C.) and Blair MORTON (Royal Troon G.C.) shot 68’s (-2) at Lindrick to lead the way in the North Qualifier. Ben HALLAM (Wychwood Park G.C.) was one of 10 players to shoot 73 (+3) but the only one to progress as he picked up the 33rd spot on count back.

James NEWTON (ENG) finished T56 at Lindrick after a 74 (+4) to miss out. I mention this as just a few days later he easily won the Irish Amateur Open Championship at County Sligo G.C.

Click here to view the full North Qualifier Results

Liam PHIPPS (Olton G.C.) and George LEVERSUCH (Wanstead G.C.) led the qualifiers at Hindhead G.C. in the South Qualifier after both posted 66 (-4). 73 (+3) was again the cut mark with Josh DAVIS (Sedlescombe G.C.), James EARL (Tandridge G.C.) and Matt KIPPEN (Enmore Park G.C.) taking the final qualifying spots. A further 8 players missed out after the count back was applied.

Phipps went on to win The Lagonda Trophy at Gog Magog G.C. on 23rd May so is clearly confident and in form.

Click here to view the full South Qualifier Results

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9th Hole, Alwoodley Golf Club in October 2018 (Photo: Golf Bible)

19 of the 26 players included in the Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) Walker Cup Squad will be competing at Alwoodley. These are Jake BURNAGE (ENG), Kieran CANTLEY (SCO), Ben CHAMBERLAIN (WAL), Bailey GILL (ENG), David HAGUE (ENG), Harry HALL (ENG), Jake HAPGOOD (WAL), Ben JONES (ENG), Euan MCINTOSH (SCO), John MURPHY (IRE), Tom PLUMB (ENG), Conor PURCELL (IRE), Caolan RAFFERTY (IRE), Tom SLOMAN (ENG), Jamie STEWART (SCO), James SUGRUE (IRE), Tom THURLOWAY (ENG), Euan WALKER (SCO) and Robin WILLIAMS (ENG).

Other players who have shown good form in 2019 and are therefore worth keeping an eye on include Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG), Jake BOLTON (ENG), Joe BRYCE (SCO), Harvey BYERS (ENG), Stuart EASTON (SCO), Callum FARR (ENG), Oliver FARRELL (ENG), Harry GODDARD (ENG), Marc HAMMER (GER), Ben HUTCHINSON (ENG), Matty LAMB (ENG), David LANGLEY (ENG), Joe LONG (ENG), Josh MCMAHON (ENG), Wilco NIENABER (RSA), Daniel O’LOUGHLIN (ENG), Laurie OWEN (ENG), Jayden SCHAPER (RSA), Ben SCHMIDT (ENG), Charlie STRICKLAND (ENG) and Charlie THORNTON (ENG).

Last year’s Brabazon Trophy was ranked 41st by the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR) based on the strength of its field. This represented a significant fall from 17^thin 2017. Hopefully it will recover some of its prestige this year when the field analysis is completed.

Interestingly Alwoodley G.C. will also be broadcasting live coverage of the first round on their YouTube channel and sharing highlights across their other social media channels.

Prizes

The Winner receives the magnificent gold Brabazon Trophy shown in the photo below.

The Champion’s Prize and Brabazon Trophy (Photo: Golf Bible)

Prize vouchers will be awarded to those players finishing in the top three.

Two other prizes are connected to the Brabazon Trophy competition.

The George Henriques Salver is awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20.

The Philip Scruton Jug is awarded later in the year to the player returning the best aggregate scores in The Brabazon Trophy and The Berkshire Trophy (which will be played on 22nd and 23rd June).

Alwoodley Golf Club

Alwoodley G.C. is located on heathland a few miles north of Leeds city centre in Yorkshire.

The first design by renowned architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie, one of the founders of the Club, it was opened in 1907. Alwoodley is nowadays rightly considered one of the finest courses in Great Britain.

The recent addition of new championship tees has stretched the course to over 6,900 yards so whilst the players are in for a treat they are hopefully going to be challenged too given the par of 71.

Alwoodley G.C. Scorecard (Photo: Alwoodley G.C.)

Whilst the back nine is a little shorter it delivers a good finish with six strong finishing holes. The inward nine has the lower par of 35 and generally plays into the prevailing westerly wind.

Weather Forecast

The weather is looking good; generally dry with a modest breeze over the four days.

Thu 30th May – Showers / Wind 17 mph W / Temp. Min. 13°C, Max. 19°C.
Fri 31st May – Light Cloud / Wind 14 mph SW / Temp. Min. 13°C, Max. 21°C.
Sat 1st June – Light Cloud / Wind 10 mph SW / Temp. Min. 15°C / Min 23°C.
Sun 2th May – Light Cloud / Wind 12 mph SW / Temp. Min. 11°C / Max. 19°C.

It is worth remembering that Rounds 1 and 2 will see players tee off the 1st from 7.00am right through until 3.40pm.

2018 Brabazon Trophy

Nick POPPLETON (ENG) won the 2018 Brabazon Trophy at Frilford Heath G.C.

Poppleton and Wilco NIENABER (RSA) both finished the 72 holes on the Red Course with 272 -16 totals.

The par 3 9^thhole was used for the sudden death play-off. On the second playing of it Poppleton chipped in to take the famous title.

Click here to view the – 2018 Brabazon Trophy Results

Nick Poppleton (Photo: Golf Bible)

Click these links to view the other recent results: –

Woodhall Spa – 2017 Brabazon Trophy Results

London G.C. – 2016 Brabazon Trophy Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The English Amateur International Trophy competition was first played in 1947.

In 1957 the official title was changed to the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship.

The current trophy was donated by Lord Brabazon of Tara in 1948 and the event has come to be widely known as the Brabazon Trophy.

Click here to view the full list of – Brabazon Trophy Past Winners

The first player to successfully defend the title was Ronnie WHITE who won at Birkdale in 1950 and nearby Formby in 1951.

Shortly afterwards Philip SCRUTTON won the Brabazon three times in four years (1952, ‘54 & ‘55).

Other well known British winners of the Brabazon include Gordon Brand Jnr, Sandy Lyle (2), Peter MCEVOY, Ronan Rafferty and Ronnie SHADE (3).

Other notable European winners include well known pros Ignacio GARRIDO (1992) and Peter HANSON (1998).

ME.

The Brabazon Trophy – 2018 Preview, Reports & Results

Posted on 28/05/2018 by Golf Bible

Sunday 3rd June 2018

Nick POPPLETON (ENG) today won the 2018 Brabazon Trophy after a sudden death play-off with Wilco NIENABER (RSA).

Both players had started the day on 6-under, 3 shots back of overnight leader Jeong Weon KO (FRA).

Nick shot two rounds of 67 on the final day recording just two bogeys while Wilco posted a 65 and 69. Both players posting an impressive aggregate score of -10 for their final two rounds, played in glorious sunshine on Frilford Heath’s Red Course.

Nick Poppleton (Photo: Golf Bible)

Play-Off

The play-off took place on the 9th hole of Frilford’s Red Course. The 9th is a 180 yard par 3 played over a valley to an elevated green that slopes from back to front and is protected by two short bunkers. The flag was in the front right portion of the green.

Nick teed off first and finished short right in front of the bunker. Wilco followed him and finished in roughly the same area, a little closer to the bunker. Nick chipped up and watched in anguish as his well judged shot hit the flag and stayed out. Wilco followed and saw his chip finish an inch to the right of the hole. Both tapped-in quickly and returned to the tee to try again.

Despite now playing the hole for the fourth time on the day both players again missed the green short right. Nick was further away, perhaps as much as 30 feet. This time his chip ran up perfectly and dropped into the hole beside the flag. A magnificent shot played under the most extreme pressure. Wilco then chipped up from just in front of the green and amazingly lipped out, the ball finishing stone dead. The gallery had seen four difficult chips to a raised green and from reasonable distance in the play-off; three hit the hole and one stayed on the lip. It was some exhibition of the skills these elite amateurs have.

Nick had won the 2018 Brabazon Trophy in some style on the second extra hole. It was a great win for the likeable Yorkshireman.

Wilco should be disappointed he lost. This was my first viewing of him and he certainly looked the part, a professional in all but name. He hits the ball miles, has a beautiful short game and his temperament was first class. He clearly has a big future in the game, a prediction I wouldn’t normally make but feel confident of doing so with him. I am sure he will learn from this loss.

Click here to view the final – 2018 Brabazon Trophy Results

Round 4

I set off with the Wilco NIENABER and Jack COPE pairing this afternoon, keeping a close eye on Nick POPPLETON who was playing ahead of them with David LANGLEY.

Not for the first time this season I would end up watching a relatively comfortable leader grasp defeat from the jaws of victory.

Wilco seemed very relaxed and despite leaking most of his tee shots to the right took advantage of his power and beautiful short game. He seemed to escape with pars or earn birdies on most of the holes on the front nine. The exception being the downhill 500 yard 6th where he eagled after a long drive and iron shot to 10 feet. When he followed it with a birdie on the 7th he was 5-under for his final round and -18 for the Championship, leading Nick by 4 shots.

Jack was playing very well but simply couldn’t get anything to drop on the greens on the front nine. Up ahead Nick was continuing his good form and was 3-under on the front nine for his own round.

Wilco was a bit lose around the turn dropping shots on 8 and 11 but doing well to get one back on the 12th where his towering approach from the deepish rough was judged perfectly.

After a solid par on the strategic right-to-left dogleg 13th, where he hit an iron off the tee and a nice approach to the difficult back pin position, the South African Number 1 was -4 for the round and -17 for the event. He was leading Nick by 3 shots.

As the small gallery walked up the 354 yard par 4 – what appeared to be the tightest, most penal hole on the course – we discussed how Wilco would surely play an iron. Jack, who had birdied the 12th and was therefore playing first, did just that and found the centre of the fairway, leaving himself a wedge in.

This was the point at which the Championship was undoubtedly lost.

Wilco, who was confidently being advised and caddied for throughout by a Golf RSA coach / manager, proceeded to smash his drive well into the gorse, again long right. This was not a surprise; he had done the same thing on most of the proceeding holes, the difference being they had all been much wider, allowing short ‘recovery’ shots to be played to the green. Aggressive play is great and clearly Wilco’s preferred approach but certain situations – e.g. when you have a 3 shot lead with 5 holes to play and are facing a hole bordered by gorse on both sides – require a bit more subtlety and the removal of big numbers from the potential equation.

If I had been caddying for him neither his woods, or for that matter his long irons, would have gone within 100 yards of the tee box. After all this is a lad that probably hits his 7-iron 200 yards. Surprisingly he hit his provisional with his driver too. To be fair this time he came up 20 yards short of the green. His chip was poor by the high standards of earlier in his round and before he knew it he was writing down 6 on his scorecard. He may not of known it at the time but his lead was now just 1 shot.

On the 421 yard 15th Wilco smashed his ball to within 30 yards of the green. Even allowing for the perfect playing conditions this was a massive hit. However, he couldn’t get up and down for birdie. Playing from the semi-rough he misjudged the lack of spin he would be able to generate and ran well past the hole.

As he putted out Nick was waiting on the nearby 16th with his caddie, friend and professional Alex Stubbs.

This was the point where the Championship was won.

England Golf had pushed the tee up for the final round and as such the hole was playing as a drivable 295 yard par 4. Nick hit a superb drive that found a path up the narrow right side of the green to a pin perched on the right ledge. When he holed the 15 foot putt for eagle he led by 1 shot.

With the green clear Jack found the putting surface whilst Wilco bounced into the left hand bunker. Jack proceeded to three putt for par whilst Wilco played a superb long bunker shot to a few feet but to everyone’s surprise missed his short birdie putt.

I quickly scampered after the Yorkshireman who by this time was finishing off on the 17th. Nick held his nerve to par in. He did give himself a 20 footer on the last for the outright win but the putt lipped out.

Wilco missed a relatively short downhill putt on 17 to draw back level. Hitting driver – perfectly justifiable given he was now chasing – on the 324 yard par 4 18th he flirted with the members car park before coming up just short of pin high on the left hand side. His chip was well played but ran out four feet passed the hole which was on the right edge of the green. To his credit he bravely slotted the downhill right to lefter for birdie, thus gaining a chance for redemption in a play-off.

With four groups still to come in it took almost an hour before the play-off could commence.

The Leading Brabazon Trophy Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

As can be seen from the above screenshot England’s Bailey GILL and Jack COPE (-13 / tied 3rd), Andrew WILSON (-11 / tied 6th), Mitch WAITE (-11 / tied 6th), Arun SINGH BRAR (-9 / 8th), Max MARTIN, David LANGLEY and Ben JONES (-8 / all tied 9th) all enjoyed Top 10 finishes.

Jack COPE (ENG) seemed to gain confidence from Wilco’s back nine difficulties coming home in 33 with four birdies and one bogey. His -13 total and tied 3rd finish helped him win The George Henriques Salver, a prize awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20. Arun SINGH BRAR (-9) finished second in these supplementary standings.

Jack Cope (Photo: GolfBible)

Round 3

Play commenced at 7.30am with the leaders, Messrs. Ko and Waite, heading off at 9.09am. Unfortunately they recorded a 73 and 72 respectively from which they were unable to recover in the afternoon despite posting much improved rounds of 68 and 69.

However, the two main stories from Round 3 concerned South African protege Wilco NIENABER (RSA) and Darlington’s Andrew WILSON.

Wilco started on the 10th being one of the leading players. His halves of 33 and 32 included six birdies and one eagle. His -13 total after 54 holes gave him a 2 shot lead over Nick POPPLETON who had also impressed with his own 6 birdie 67 to move into second on -11.

Andrew started on the 1st at 8.15am and shot a sparkling best of the tournament course record 63 which he told me could have been better; a bogey on three and with four birdie opportunities all passed up over the closing holes. He was now right in the mix but would need to go low again in the afternoon.

Andrew Wilson’s 3rd Round Scorecard (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

ME.

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Saturday 2nd June 2018

Round 2

Jeong Weon KO (FRA) leads Mitch WAITE (ENG) by 1 shot at the end of Round 2. Ko shot a 69 to move onto -9 whilst Waite posted a joint best of the day 67 (-5), including 7 birdies, to move on to -8.

Jeong Weon Ko (Photo: Leaderboard Photography / England Golf)

Charlie STRICKLAND (ENG), whose season has been interrupted with health issues, is pleasingly in a three way tie for third on -7; he’s joined by Stuart EASTON (SCO) and Ferdinand MUELLER (GER).

Thomas BEASLEY (ENG) was the other player to shoot 67 on Day 2. His bogey free round included 4 birdies in his last 6 holes. Thomas will start the final day on -2 and in tied 28th place.

The cut fell at -1 with 46 players progressing.

With 21 players within 5 shots of the lead Sunday’s 36 holes should provide an exciting race to the title.

ME.

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Friday 1st June 2018

Round 1

Round 1 was concluded by early afternoon with the scoring bar lowered even further.

Jeong Weon KO (FRA), Nick POPPLETON (ENG) and Jay BEISSER (ENG) all posted 66’s (-6) on Day 2 to tie the Round 1 lead.

Beisser birdied every par 3 and par 5 to hand in an unusual card made up solely of 2’s and 4’s.

The Leading Round 1 Scorecards (Photo: England Golf / GolfBox)

Frederic LACROIX (FRA) joined Wilco NIENABER (RSA), Jack COPE (ENG) and Ferdinand MUELLER (GER), yesterday’s clubhouse leaders, by recording a 67 (-5). The four of them are all tied for fourth at this early stage.

Round 1 scoring has been good with 42 players under par from the 155 who started the event.

England Golf have announced that the 36 hole cut will now be set at the top 45 and ties, rather than the normal top 60 and ties; the higher level having also been reaffirmed yesterday after the suspension in play.

With 59 players tied 45th or better and 78 players at tied 60th or better after Round 1, and with only another 18 holes to be played before the cut is made, I assume a fear of having too big a field for the final 36 holes on Sunday has driven this decision.

After disappointing first rounds Matt SAULEZ (RSA) 74 +2, Chris WOOLLAM (RSA) 74 +2, Sam LOCKE 75 (SCO) +3, Andrew WILSON (ENG) 75 +3, Lewis GEORGE (ENG) 76 +4 and Robin WILLIAMS (ENG) 77 +5 are amongst the more notable players that will require a strong bounce back tomorrow to make the final day.

ME.

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Thursday 31st May 2018

Round 1

Play started at 8.00am but was brought to a premature close around 3.00pm by thunderstorms which left the Frilford Heath course flooded.

The Practice Putting Green (Photo: Frilford Heath G.C.)

74 players managed to complete their first rounds before play was abandoned. The leaders in the clubhouse being Wilco NIENABER (RSA), Jack COPE (ENG) and Ferdinand MUELLER (GER) who all shot 67’s (-5).

Sadly Todd CLEMENTS (ENG), one of the highest ranked competitors, had to withdraw before his 9.05am tee time with a back injury. In an event already lacking some of the field depth seen in previous years this was a blow from a ranking perspective.

England Golf have now decided to complete Round 1 tomorrow before playing Round 2 on Saturday.

The Top 60 and Ties cut will still take place after 36 holes meaning the leading players will now have to play 36 holes on Sunday.

ME.

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28th May 2018

The English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy will be played at Frilford Heath Golf Club this week.

The 72nd playing of this event takes place between Thursday 31st and Sunday 3rd June on the Oxfordshire Club’s Red Course.

Frilford Heath Golf Club (Photo: Frilford Heath G.C.)

Format

The competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play golf with 18 holes being played each day.

A 36 hole cut will take place with only the leading 60 competitors and ties progressing to the two weekend rounds.

In the event of a tie for the Championship on Sunday, there will be a sudden death play off.

Field

156 competitors will start the 2018 Championship. Whilst England dominates the entries players from 12 other countries are also represented.

The start sheet for Rounds 1 and 2 can be viewed here – 2018 Brabazon Trophy Start Sheet

78 players were exempted into the field based on their previous accomplishments with 78 coming through a qualifying process.

Callan BARROW (-2) of Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. was the medalist at neighbouring Fairhaven in the North Qualifier, pipping Lincolnshire’s Sam DONE on count back. Click here to view the full North Qualifier Results

Cameron PHILLIPS (-6) from Hindhead G.C. led the qualifiers at Camberley Heath G.C. in the South Qualifier. Click here to view the full South Qualifier Results

13 of the 20 recently announced Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) St. Andrews Trophy Squad will be competing at the Brabazon. These are Todd CLEMENTS (ENG), Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG), Calum FYFE (SCO), David HAGUE (ENG), Ben JONES (ENG), Matthew JORDAN (ENG), Sam LOCKE (SCO), Billy MCKENZIE (ENG), Gian-Marco PETROZZI (ENG), Jamie STEWART (SCO), Euan WALKER (SCO), Robin WILLIAMS (ENG) and Andrew WILSON (ENG).

Of those missing the event Harry HALL (ENG), Ryan LUMSDEN (SCO) and Sandy SCOTT (SCO) were unable to enter due to the conflicting NCAA Division I National Championships which is currently being played in Oklahoma.

Rowan LESTER (IRE) and Caolan RAFFERTY (IRE) are playing in the East of Ireland Amateur Championship. The two leading Irish players Robin DAWSON (IRE) and Alex GLEESON (IRE) appear to be taking the week off.

To put the event in context the 2017 Brabazon was ranked the 17th most important amateur competition in the world last year based on the strength of it’s field by the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR). Unfortunately a scheduling clash with the East of Ireland Championship means a much lower event ranking can be expected in 2018.

Prizes

The Winner receives the magnificent gold Brabazon Trophy shown in the photo below.

The Champion’s Prize and Brabazon Trophy (Photo: GolfBible)

Prize vouchers will be awarded to those players finishing in the top six.

Two other prizes are connected to the Brabazon Trophy competition. The George Henriques Salver is awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20. The Philip Scruton Jug is awarded later in the year to the player returning the best aggregate scores in The Brabazon Trophy and The Berkshire Trophy (which will be played on 23rd and 24th June).

Frilford Heath Golf Club

Frilford’s first course, the Red, was designed by J.H. Taylor, the five times Open Champion, in 1908 and opened in the following year. Club professional J.H. Turner undertook some later tweaks but it largely remains as originally planned.

This predominantly heathland course measures around 7,000 yards depending on which tees are selected. A par of 72 is split 36-36, albeit as you can see from the scorecard below the hole configurations are different on the two nines.

frilford_red_combo_alt_grid

Red Course Scorecard (Photo: Frilford Heath G.C.)

Weather Forecast

The weather forecast (as at Wednesday 30th May) is broadly positive for all four competition days, albeit the modest winds are expected to move around from day to day.

Thu 25th May – Thundery Showers / Wind 8 mph E / Temp. Min. 15°C, Max. 21°C.
Fri 26th May – Light Rain / Wind 11 mph SW / Temp. Min. 13°C, Max. 21°C.
Sat 27th May – Sunny / Wind 9 mph W / Temp. Min. 10°C / Min 21°C.
Sun 28th May – Cloudy / Wind 8 mph NE / Temp. Min. 13°C / Max. 23°C.

It is worth remembering that Rounds 1 and 2 will see players tee off the 1st from 8.00am right through until 2.35pm.

The 2017 Brabazon Trophy

South Africa’s Kyle MCCLATCHIE celebrated his 20th birthday by winning the 2017 English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Woodhall Spa Golf Club.

Kyle shot rounds of 70, 66, 75 and 71 for a 282 (-10) total and a 1-shot victory. He was the fifth South African to win the Brabazon Trophy, following in the footsteps of Neville Sundelson (1974), Richard Kaplan (1986), Craig Rivett (1989T) and Charl Schwartzel (2002).

Kyle McClatchie (Photo: Ernest Blignault)

Jamie STEWART (SCO), Jake BURNAGE (ENG) and Jack SINGH BRAR (ENG) all finished on -9 to tie for second place.

Jamie Stewart had a superb weekend shooting the lowest two scores on both days. He followed a 67 (-6) with a 68 (-5) in the final round.

Matthew JORDAN (ENG) (-7) finished 5th, Dan BROWN (ENG) (-5) 6th and David BOOTE (WAL) (-4) 7th.

Click here to see the full – 2017 Brabazon Trophy Results

Click here to see the full – 2016 Brabazon Trophy Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The English Amateur International Trophy competition was first played in 1947.

In 1957 the official title was changed to the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship.

The current trophy was donated by Lord Brabazon of Tara in 1948 and the event has come to be widely known as the Brabazon Trophy.

Click here to view the full list of – Brabazon Trophy Past Winners

The first player to successfully defend the title was Ronnie WHITE who won at Birkdale in 1950 and nearby Formby in 1951.

Shortly afterwards Philip SCRUTTON won the Brabazon three times in four years (1952, ‘54 & ‘55).

Other well known British winners of the Brabazon include Gordon Brand Jnr, Sandy Lyle (2), Peter MCEVOY, Ronan Rafferty and Ronnie SHADE (3).

Other notable European winners include well known pros Ignacio GARRIDO (1992) and Peter HANSON (1998).

ME.

Rodney Foster

Posted on 12/10/2016 by Golf Bible

13th October 2016

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

As Rodney is 75 today I thought I would produce ‘an everything you need to know ‘list to record his more notable achievements in the amateur game.

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

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

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

Rodney Foster competing in 1966 (Photo: Getty Images / Ed Lacey)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

Golf Bible

The Home of Great British & Irish Amateur Golf

Tag Archives: Brabazon Trophy

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Rodney Foster