U.S. Amateur Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 07/08/2024 by Golf Bible

18th August 2024

Match Play – Final

Jose Luis BALLESTER (ESP), who is celebrating his 21st birthday today, won the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.

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Jose Luis Ballester with the Havemeyer Trophy (Photo: Chris Keane / USGA)

The senior at Arizona State University beat Noah KENT (USA), 19, a sophomore at the University of Iowa, by 2 Holes in the 36 hole Championship match.

Ballester took the lead on the 2nd hole and was 4Up at lunch. Still 4Up after 30 holes it appeared the Spaniard would win comfortably but a few loose shots and a lot of fight from Kent saw the match eventually go down the 18th for the second time. Ballester played this final hole superbly to win the hole and take the title.

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Kent v. Ballester Match Play Final Scoreboard (Graphic: USGA)

Click here to view the – 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship Match Play Results

Ballester, the 2023 European Amateur champion, who is coached by Victor Garcia, Sergio’s father, became the first Spanish champion.

By reaching the Final both players earned exemptions into next year’s Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and into the U.S. Open at Oakmont.

Ballester, the champion, also earned an exemption into The 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Noah Kent and Jose Ballester (Photo: Chris Keane / USGA)

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Match Play – Semi-Finals

19 year old Noah KENT (USA) ranked 560th in WAGR surprised Jackson BUCHANAN (USA), 22, ranked 17th in the first Semi-Final game, winning the tie by 2 Holes. Buchanan made four bogeys over the first six holes of their game which gave Kent all the encouragement he needed.

The all-Spanish affair between Jose Luis BALLESTER (ESP), 20, ranked 10th in WAGR, and Luis MASAVEU (ESP), 21, ranked 23rd went the way of Ballester. The Arizona State man scrambled superbly and over the 16 holes he required for victory recorded four birdies and no bogeys.

All four Semi-Finalists earned exemptions into the next two U.S. Amateur Championships which will be played at The Olympic Club in San Francisco and at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore.

The losing semi-finalists receive bronze medals for their efforts.

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Semi-Finals Results (Graphic: USGA)

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16th August 2024

Match Play – Round 4 (Quarter Finals)

Noah KENT (USA) made six birdies and an eagle on his way to beating Ethan FANG (USA) in the opening Quarter Final match. Showers during the morning had softened the course up making scoring a little easier.

Jackson BUCHANAN (USA) beat Jacob MODLESKI (USA) by 4&3 not needing to play all 18 holes for the first time in match play.

Jose Luis BALLESTER (ESP) eventually got the better of 36 year old Bobby MASSA (USA), a personal trainer from Texas, over the closing holes and was grateful for a 3&1 victory over the 2,969th WAGR ranked player.

Luis MASAVEU (ESP) ensured there would be two Spanish players in the Semi-Finals by overcoming Brendan VALDES (USA) by 3&2 in the final Quarter Final tie. Masaveu fought back well from being 2Down after four holes.

It was the first time that two Spaniards had reached the Quarter Finals in the U.S. Amateur. Sergio Garcia reached the Semi-Finals in 1998.

All eight Quarter Finalists are exempt into the 125th U.S. Amateur Championship which will be played at The Olympic Club in San Francisco.

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Quarter Finals Results (Graphic: USGA)

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15th August 2024 – Afternoon

Match Play – Round 3 (Last 16)

This morning’s conquerors of Calum Scott and James Ashfield, Omar MORALES (MEX), seeded 61st, and Phichaksn MAICHON (THA) 46, both lost in the Round of 16.

Jose Luis BALLESTER (ESP) and Luis MASAVEU (ESP) both played very well to continue their runs at the Championship.

In a game where neither player ever led by more than one hole Bobby MASSA (USA) birdied the 23rd (5th) from 25 feet to finally beat Ashton MCCULLOCH (CAN).

Here are the Last 16 results: –

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Round of 16 Results (Graphic: USGA)

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15th August 2024 – Morning

Match Play – Round 2 (32)

Here are the Round of 32 results: –

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Round of 32 Results (Graphic: USGA)

Jackson BUCHANAN (USA), seeded 53rd, ended the hopes of WAGR No. 1 Luke CLANTON (USA) 21 with a narrow 1 Hole victory in the Round of 32.

European Amateur champion Tommy MORRISON (USA) 52 was also a casualty on Thursday morning, losing by 3&2 to Jacob MODLESKI (USA) 20 who led from the 2nd hole.

Whilst GB&I interest ended in this round (see below) Bastian AMAT (FRA) 17, Jose Luis BALLESTER (ESP) 47 and Luis MASAVEU (ESP) 3 kept European fires burning with solid wins.

Despite getting off to an excellent start which saw him 2Up after four holes Calum SCOTT (SCO) 36 succumbed to Omar MORALES (MEX) 61, a rising senior at UCLA 2023, by 3&2. Morales produced four birdies in a row from the 6th hole to completely turn the contest around. Scott immediately bounced back with two birdies of his own to tie the match up after 11 holes. However, two badly timed bogeys by the Nairn man on 12 and 13 handed back the initiative to the Mexican and ultimately proved to be insurmountable for him.

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Morales v. Scott Match Play Round of 32 Scoreboard (Graphic: USGA)

Phichaksn MAICHON (THA) 46, a rising senior at Texas A&M and WAGR ranked 25th, beat James ASHFIELD (WAL) by 4&2 in their Round of 32 game. 2-under after six holes Maichon sped into a 4Up lead and never looked back as his consistent play ended GB&I interest in this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship.

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Maichon v. Ashfield Match Play Round of 32 Scoreboard (Graphic: USGA)

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14th August 2024

Match Play – Round 1 (64)

Here are the Round of 64 results: –

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Round of 64 Results (Graphic: USGA)

Conditions were tougher on Day 3 of the Championship with winds gusting up to 20mph and temperatures a little cooler.

13 of today’s 64 games went the full 18 holes with seven of these requiring extra holes.

Medalist Jimmy ELLIS (USA) lost to compatriot Ethan FANG by 2 Holes after the Oklahoma State student had come through the early morning play-off.

WAGR top 15 ranked players David FORD (USA), Ben JAMES (USA), Christiaan MAAS (RSA), Gordon SARGENT (USA), Preston SUMMERHAYS (USA) and Jackson VAN PARIS (USA) were all knocked out in the opening match play round.

Ominously for the rest of the field man-of-the-moment Luke CLANTON (USA), who became the WAGR No. 1 prior to going out, is through to the Round of 32 after a 4&3 win against Dylan MCDERMOTT (USA).

Calum SCOTT (SCO), seeded 36th, required 21 holes to beat Mahanth CHIRRAVURI (USA) 29, who is a rising junior at Pepperdine University and ranked 67th in WAGR. The Nairn man battled back well after a slow start which saw him 2Down after both four and nine holes. A par 5 on the 3rd hole, second time around, finally got the job done with Scott taking the lead for the first time in the game.

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Chirravuri v. Scott Match Play Round of 64 Scoreboard (Graphic: USGA)

The other remaining GB&I player, James ASHFIELD (WAL) 51, beat Matthew MANGANELLO (USA) 14, who has recently graduated from Fresno State University and is ranked 211th in WAGR, by 3&2. Like Calum Scott Ashfield got off to a poor start before consecutive birdies on 7, 8 and 9 enabled him to restore parity. Bogeys on 12 and 13 from the American handed the Welshman the advantage which he saw out comfortably.

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Manganello v. Ashfield Match Play Round of 64 Scoreboard (Graphic: USGA)

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14th August 2024

Stroke Play Qualifying – Play-Off

The 14-for-11 spots play-off commenced at 7.30am CDT (1.30pm BST) on the 10th and 17th holes at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Luke COLTON (USA), Algot KLEEN (SWE) and Joseph LENANE (USA) were eliminated.

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Stroke Play Qualifying – Play-Off Results (Graphic: USGA)

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13th August 2024

Stroke Play Qualifying – Round 2

39 year old Floridian Jimmy ELLIS (USA) was the surprise medalist at the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship. The Florida State Amateur champion shot a 61 (-9) at Chaska Town Course in Round 2 to post an impressive 132 (-10) total.

Ethan EVANS (USA) -9 earned the 2nd seeding, Luis MASAVEU (ESP) -7 the 3rd, David FORD (USA) -7 the 4th and overnight co-leader Paul CHANG (CHN) -7 the 5th.

After posting a 2-under 70 at Hazeltine Luke CLANTON (USA) finished on 139 (-3) to comfortably progress.

With conditions largely unchanged the two qualifying courses played similarly on both days. The average Round 2 score at Hazeltine was 76.2 (Round 1: 76.1) and at Chaska Town it was 71.5 (70.9).

The leading 64 player match play cut fell at 142 (Ev) with 14 competitors required to play-off for the final 11 spots tomorrow morning.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Calum SCOTT (SCO) were the only two GB&I players to advance to the Match Play Stage. They both finished on 141 (-1), tied 32nd, but as a blind draw is used to decide ties in the Stroke Play Qualifying were eventually seeded 15 places apart. The R&A use a combined back nine count back approach to ties where two qualifying courses are used in their Championships.

Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) produced one of the best rounds of the Stroke Play Qualifying competition, a 2-under 70 at Hazeltine National which included four birdies. Sadly he had left himself too much to do and missed out by 1-shot on the play-off.

Connor GRAHAM (SCO) got off to a bad start at Hazeltine National in Round 2, dropping 3-shots in his opening four holes, but despite battling back well for a 75 missed out.

Rhode-Island based Bobby LEOPOLD (ENG) shot a 1-under 69 at Chaska Town Course but his +2 aggregate total always looked like being too high.

Ireland’s Matt MCCLEAN and Max KENNEDY, who both started the day tied 24th, will be disappointed to have missed out after making too many mistakes at Hazeltine National in Round 2.

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GB&I Stroke Play Qualifying Results (Graphic: USGA)

Click here to view the – 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship Stroke Play Qualifying Results

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12th August 2024

Stroke Play Qualifying – Round 1

On a perfect day for golf Paul CHANG (CHN), 23, and Tom FISCHER (USA), 20, both shot 6-under 64’s at Chaska Town Course to take the Round 1 lead in the Stroke Play Qualifying.

Only 19 of the 156 competitors beat the par of 72 at Hazeltine National G.C. in Round 1 whilst 63 of the other 156 did so at Chaska Town Course, which is nearly 700 yards shorter than it’s big brother. The stroke average at Hazeltine was 76.1 on Day 1 whilst at Chaska Town it was 70.9.

Luke CLANTON (USA) who finished 5th at the Wyndham Championship after playing 39 holes in North Carolina on Sunday and flew overnight up to Minnesota showed no ill effects carding a 69 (-1) at Chaska Town.

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Leading Stroke Play Qualifying Round 1 Scores (Graphic: USGA)

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Calum SCOTT (SCO), who are tied 11th, were both amongst a small group of three players that recorded a 69 (-3), the best score, on the tougher Hazeltine National course.

Irish pair Matt MCCLEAN (-2 at Chaska) and Max KENNEDY (-2 at Hazeltine), tied 24th, Scotland’s Connor GRAHAM (-1 at Chaska), tied 49th, and England’s Jack BIGHAM (Ev at Hazeltine), tied 83rd, also laid strong foundations for qualification on Day 1.

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GB&I Stroke Play Qualifying Round 1 Scores (Graphic: USGA)

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7th August 2024

Introduction

The 124th U.S. Amateur Championship is being played at Hazeltine National Golf Club and Chaska Town Course in Chaska, Minnesota on 12th-18th August 2024.

Administered by the United States Golf Association (USGA) the U.S. Amateur is the most important and prestigious individual competition in the amateur golf calendar.

2024 Field

4,970 entries were received by the USGA for this year’s Championship.

312 players from 36 different countries will be competing. 143 were exempt with the remaining 169 coming through qualifying.

Exemptions are granted based on past performances in previous amateur championships, selection for the Walker Cup teams and World Amateur Golf Rankings.

In a change to previous years 45 Local Qualifying events, all played over 18 holes, were staged between 4th June and 3rd July before 19 Final Qualifying competitions, again over 18 holes, took place between 25th-31st July.

Click here to view the – 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship Local Qualifying Results

Click here to view the – 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship Final Qualifying Results

The youngest player is Jade Soong (USA) who is 14 years old and the oldest Rusty Strawn (USA) who is 61.

There are ten Great British & Irish (GB&I) players in the 2024 field. They are: –

James ASHFIELD (WAL) 23 – Exemption: Walker Cup GB&I Team 2023 / WAGR Top 100 May 2024
Jack BIGHAM (ENG) 20 – Exemption: Walker Cup GB&I Team 2023 / WAGR Top 100 May 2024
Harry CROCKETT (ENG) 22 – Final Qualifying: Lake Forest G.&C.C. Missouri
Connor GRAHAM (SCO) 17 – Exemption: Walker Cup GB&I Team 2023
Max KENNEDY (IRL) 23 – Exemption: WAGR Top 100 May 2024
Bobby LEOPOLD (ENG) 39 – Exemption: Rhode Island Amateur champion 2024
Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) 31 – Exemption: U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion 2022 / Top 8 WATC 2023 / Walker Cup GB&I Team 2023 / WAGR Top 100 May 2024
Calum SCOTT (SCO) 20 – Exemption: Walker Cup GB&I Team 2023 / WAGR Top 100 May 2024
Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) 19 – Final Qualifying: Bend G.C., Oregon
Tyler WEAVER (ENG) 19 – Exemption: WAGR Top 100 May 2024

Sam EASTERBROOK (ENG), who just missed out in Final Qualifying at Aldeen G.C. in Illinois, was an Alternate but was not called up by the USGA.

There were 8 GB&I players at Cherry Hills last year, 9 at Ridgewood in 2022, 5 at Oakmont in 2021, 11 at Bandon Dunes in 2020, 11 at Pinehurst in 2019, 7 at Pebble Beach in 2018, 9 at Riviera in 2017 and 11 at Oakland Hills in 2016.

Stroke Play Qualifying Tee Times (Round 1 / Round 2)

1 – 1st hole / 10 – 10th hole / C – Chaska Town Course / H – Hazeltine National G.C
Time Difference – Chaska, Minnesota BST – 6 hours

Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) – 10C 7.22am / 1H 12.52pm
James ASHFIELD (WAL) -1H 7.44am / 10C 1.14pm
Calum SCOTT (SCO) – 1H 7.55am / 10C 1.25pm
Jack BIGHAM (ENG) – 10H 8.17am / 1C 1.36pm
Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) – 1C 8.17am / 10H 1.47pm
Max KENNEDY (IRL) – 10C 8.28am / 1H 1.58pm
Harry CROCKETT (ENG) – 10C 12.30pm / 1H 7.00am
Tyler WEAVER (ENG) – 1H 12.52pm / 10C 7.22am
Connor GRAHAM (SCO) – 1C 1.58am / 10H 8.28am
Bobby LEOPOLD (ENG) – 10H 2.09pm / 1C 8.39am

Click here to view the full – 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship SP Qualifying Tee Times

Format / Schedule

36-holes of stroke play (SP) will determine the top 64 match play (MP) qualifiers. Ties for the last qualifying place will be resolved by a sudden death play-off.

Six 18 hole MP rounds will then be played culminating in a 36-hole Championship Final. Extra holes will be played to resolve any halved games.

Monday 12th August – SP Qualifying Round 1 (Hazeltine and Chaska – 18 holes)
Tuesday 13th August – SP Qualifying Round 2 (Hazeltine and Chaska – 18 holes)
Wednesday 14th August – SP Qualifying Play-Off / MP Round of 64 (Hazeltine – 18 holes)
Thursday 15th August – MP Rounds of 32 and 16 (Hazeltine – 18 holes)
Friday 16th August – MP Quarter Finals (Hazeltine – 18 holes)
Saturday 17th August – MP Semi-Finals (Hazeltine – 18 holes)
Sunday 18th August – MP Championship Final (Hazeltine – 36 holes)

Host Courses

Both courses, which are 3 miles apart, are located north of Chaska in the mid-west state of Minnesota.

Hazeltine National Golf Club – stroke play and match play
7,552 yards / Par 72

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Located in Chaska it opened in 1962.
Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. with recent renovations by Rees Jones and Love Design.
It has previously hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 1966 and 1977, the U.S. Open in 1970 (Tony Jacklin) and 1991 (Payne Stewart), the U.S. Senior Open in 1983, the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 1994, the PGA Championship in 2002 and 2009, the U.S. Amateur in 2006 (Richie Ramsay), the Ryder Cup in 2016 and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2019.

Chaska Town Couirse – stroke play co-host
6,804 yards / Par 70

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Located in Chaska it opened in 1997.
Designed by Arthur Hills.
In the Stroke Play Qualifying at the 2006 U.S. Amateur medalist Billy Horschel (USA) shot a USGA 18-hole record 60 (-10) at Chaska.

Weather Forecast (as at 7th August 2024)

The weather forecast looks ideal for the whole Championship week with sunny conditions and no wind to speak of.

Stroke Play Qualifying
Mon 12th August – Sunny / Wind 4mph NE / Temp. Min. 13°C, Max. 25°C.
Tues 13th August – Sunny Intervals / Wind 6mph SE / Temp. Min. 15°C, Max. 25°C.

Match Play Stage
Weds 14th August – Sunny Intervals / Wind 6mph SE / Temp. Min. 16°C, Max. 26°C.
Thurs 15th August – Showers / Wind 7mph SE / Temp. Min. 17°C, Max. 27°C.
Fri 16th August – Cloudy / Wind 7mph SE / Temp. Min. 17°C, Max. 26°C.
Sat 17th August – Cloudy / Wind 4mph SE / Temp. Min. 16°C, Max. 26°C.
Sun 18th August – Sunny Intervals / Wind 6mph SE / Temp. Min. 16°C, Max. 27°C.

Prizes

The 2024 U.S. Amateur champion will receive the following: –

a) A gold medal and custody of the Havemeyer Trophy for the following year;
b) An exemption to play in the 2025 U.S. Open which is being staged at Oakmont C.C.;

and assuming they remain amateur,
c) An invitation to play in the 2025 Masters at Augusta National G.C.;
d) An exemption to play in the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush G.C.;
e) An exemption to play in the 2025-2034 U.S. Amateur Championships;

and unofficially

f) Various invitations to play in PGA Tour and DP World Tour events.

A Silver Medal is awarded to the runner-up and Bronze Medals to the two losing semi-finalists.

A Silver Medal is also awarded to the stroke play medalist(s).

The original silver Havemeyer Trophy was presented to the U.S.G.A. on March 1895 in honour of the Association’s first President Theodore A. Havemeyer. This was lost in a fire at Bobby Jones’ home club, East Lake, in 1925.

A new gold trophy was produced in 1926. This was retired in 1992 with a copy of the trophy being produced and passed from champion to champion ever since. Sadly the original gold trophy was stolen from the U.S.G.A. Museum in 2012 and has never been seen since.

US Amateur Information

Click here to view the – 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship Official Website

Spectators / Television Coverage

Some highlights of the SP Qualifying will be shown on the USGA website and social media channels.

In the USA Peacock and Golf Channel will be covering the MP stage.

In the UK Sky Sports Golf normally takes the U.S. television feed, via the Red Button, over the final match play weekend.

2023 U.S. Amateur Championship

Nick DUNLAP (USA), who was 19 at the time, won the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship in Denver beating Neal SHIPLEY (USA) by 4&3 in the 36-hole Final at Cherry Hills G.C.

Nick Dunlap with the Havemeyer Trophy (Photo: USGA)

Dunlap became only the second player to win both the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur Championships, following in the footsteps of Tiger Woods. Of course Woods amazingly won each Championship three times in six consecutive years between 1991-96.

Calum SCOTT (SCO) was the most successful GB&I player. He lost on the 20th Hole to the eventual runner-up Neal SHIPLEY (USA).

Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) was the only other GB&I player to make the Match Play Stage. He lost by 1 Hole to China’s Andi XU in the Round of 64.

Click here to view the full – 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship Match Play Results

Scott 139 (-4) finished tied 10th in the Stroke Play Qualifying to secure the 15th match play seeding whilst McClean 143 (Ev) tied for 50th place, taking the 58th seed.

Barclay BROWN (ENG) 147 (+4), Mark POWER (IRL) 148 (+5), Conor GOUGH (ENG) 151 (+8), Jonathan BALE (WAL) 152 (+9), John GOUGH (ENG) 154 (+11) and Hugh FOLEY (IRL) 155 (+12) all missed the cut after their rounds at Cherry Hills G.C. and Colorado Golf Club.

Click here to view the full – 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship Stroke Play Qualifying Leaderboard

U.S. Amateur Championship History

The U.S. Amateur is the oldest golf championship in America and 2024 will see its 124th playing.

It was first played in 1895, the winner being Charles B. Macdonald.

It has always been decided by match play save for an 8 year period between 1965 and 1972 when the winner was determined solely by stroke play.

Former U.S. winners include Walter Travis (1900-01-03), Jerome Travers (1907-08-12-13), Bobby Jones (1924-25-27-28-30), Francis Ouimet (1914-31), W. Lawson Little (1934-35) Arnold Palmer (1954), Jack Nicklaus (1959-61), Deane Beman (1960-63), Lanny Wadkins (1970), Craig Stadler (1973), Mark O’Meara (1979), Hal Sutton (1980), Phil Mickelson (1990), Justin Leonard (1992), Tiger Woods (1994-95-96), Matt Kucher (1997), Ryan Moore (2004) and Bryson DeChambeau (2015).

The last five winners, 2023-2019, have been Nick Dunlap (USA), Sam Bennett (USA), James Piot (USA), Tyler Strafaci (USA) and Andy Ogletree (USA).

British players have won the Championship on six occasions but just twice in the last 100 years – H.J. Whigham (1896-97), Findlay Douglas (1898), Harold Hilton (1911), Richie Ramsay (2006) and Matthew Fitzpatrick (2013).

Matthew Fitzpatrick (Photo: U.S.G.A.)

Italy’s Edoardo Molinari (2005) and Norway’s Viktor Hovland (2018) are the only players from the Continent of Europe to have lifted the Havemeyer Trophy.

Click here to view the full list of past – U.S. Amateur Champions

Future U.S. Amateur Venues

For reasons I have never understood the USGA continue to allocate their Championship venues far out into the future: –

125th – 11-17 August 2025 – The Olympic Club, San Francisco, California
126th – 10-16 August 2026 – Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pennsylvania
127th – 09-15 August 2027 – Oak Hill Country Club, Pittsford, New York
128th – TBD August 2028 – Whistling Straits Golf Club, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
129th – 13-19 August 2029 – Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio
130th – 12-18 August 2030 – Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Georgia
131st – 11-17 August 2031 – Honors Course, Ooltewah, Tennessee
132nd – 09-15 August 2032 – Bandon Dunes, Bandon, Oregon
133rd – 15-21 August 2033 – Chambers Bay, University Place, Washington
134th – TBD August 2034 – The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts
135th – TBD
136th – TBD August 2036 – Scioto Country Club, Upper Arlington, Ohio
137th – TBD
138th – TBD August 2038 – Pinehurst Resort No. 2, Pinehurst, North Carolina
139th – TBD
140th – TBD
141st – TBD August 2041 – Bandon Dunes, Bandon, Oregon
147th – TBD August 2047 – Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
151st – TBD August 2051 – Saucon Valley Country Club, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

ME.

The St. Andrews Trophy – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 17/07/2024 by Golf Bible

26th July 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Screenshot 2024-07-26 at 18.26.44

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

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

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

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

Friday PM Singles (9)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Friday AM Foursomes (4)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

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25th July 2024

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

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

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

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

Thursday PM Singles

The Day 1 Singles series was tied 4.0-4.0.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_____________________________________

Thursday AM Foursomes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

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17th July 2024 (Updated 23rd July 2024)

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

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

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

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

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

2024 Teams

Each team has nine players.

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

Great Britain & Ireland Team

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Continent of Europe

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

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

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

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

Bastian AMAT (22) – France, #24

Pablo EREÑO PÉREZ (20) – Spain, #60

Filip JACUBČIK (20) – Czech Republic, #36

Jerry JI (24)- Netherlands, #213

Luis MASAVEU RONCAL (21) – Spain, #32

Jacob Skov OLESEN (25) – Denmark, #23

Richard TEDER (19) – Estonia, #85

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

Tim WIEDEMEYER (19) – Germany, #68

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

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

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

Match Format

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

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

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

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

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

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

Venue – Royal Porthcawl Golf Club

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2022 Match – Penati Golf Club, Slovakia

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

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

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

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

Past Results

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

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

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

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

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

2025 Match – Puerta De Hierro, Spain

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

ME.

The European Amateur Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 21/06/2024 by Golf Bible

29th June 2024

Tommy MORRISON (USA) won the 2024 European Amateur Championship at The Scandinavian G.C. after finishing the three hole aggregate play-off on -2, one better than Ireland’s Max KENNEDY and three better than his compatriot Preston SUMMERHAYS.

Morrison is the first American to win the European Amateur in its 37th playing.

Morrison’s victory comes with an exemption into The Open Championship in a few weeks time at Royal Troon G.C. The USGA also grants the winner exemptions into the U.S. Amateur Championship (which he won’t require based on his existing WAGR) and into Final Qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Open Championship (subject to him remaining an amateur).

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Tommy Morrison (Photo: European Golf Association)

Calum SCOTT (SCO) will join the Texan at The Open in Scotland after winning The Open Championship Amateur Series. Scott finished 2nd in the St. Andrews Links Trophy, reached the Quarter Finals of the Amateur Championship and came 4th in this week’s European Amateur Championship to earn the most WAGR points.

Screenshot 2024-06-29 at 19.14.04

My Unofficial Open Amateur Series Results

Play-Off

Max KENNEDY (IRL), Tommy MORRISON (USA) and Preston SUMMERHAYS (USA) played the 9th, 10th and 18th holes on the New Course in a three hole aggregate play-off to decide the 2024 European Amateur.

Morrison birdied the 10th and 18th to win the Championship. He critically got up and down from a tough lie beside the par 5 18th green.

Kennedy matched Morrison’s birdie on the 10th but missed an 18 foot birdie on 18.

Summerhays bogeyed the 10th, sandwiched between two pars, to effectively fall out of the battle.

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Play-off Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Round 4

Max KENNEDY (IRL), Tommy MORRISON (USA) and Preston SUMMERHAYS (USA) all finished on 279 (-9) at The Scandinavian G.C. in Denmark.

Kennedy shot a bogey free 5-under 67 in the final round whilst Morrison also matched this score in typically a more colourful effort. Summerhays birdied the 15th, 16th and 18th holes in regulation to post a 69 and force his way into the shootout.

Max Kennedy’s Scorecard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Calum SCOTT (SCO) finished strongly with a 68 to secure 4th place on -7.

Amateur champion Jacob Skov OLESEN (DEN) showed no hangover from his exertions last week, finishing tied 5th alongside Santiago de la FUENTE (MEX) and Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) on -6.

After four consecutive birdies Wiedemeyer had stood on the 18th tee in the lead on -10. However, after putting three balls in the water on his final hole his 4-over nine sent him tumbling back down the leaderboard.

From a GB&I perspective Liam NOLAN (IRL) -4 11th and Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO), Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) & Charlie FORSTER (ENG) -1 tied 16th also finished in the top 20.

28 of the 69 players who played the final round completed the Championship on even par or better.

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Round 4 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Click here to view the – EGA / Golfbox 2024 European Amateur Championship Leaderboard

ME.

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28th June 2024

Round 3

Preston SUMMERHAYS returned to the top of the European Amateur leaderboard at The Scandinavian G.C after he posted a level par 72 on Day 3.

Summerhays’ 210 (-6) total is one better than Daniel SVÄRD (SWE), Charlie FORSTER (ENG), Alfons BONDESSON (SWE), Santiago De La FUENTE (MEX) and Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER).

Liam NOLAN (IRL) jumped up 47 places on the leaderboard to tied 7th after he recorded a 7-under 67 which included nine birdies; the best round of the week by 2-shots.

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Liam Nolan’s Scorecard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Amateur champion Jacob Skov OLESEN (DEN), Phoenix CAMPBELL (AUS), Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO), Jaime MONTOJO (ESP), Jonathan NIELSEN (DEN) and Tyler WEAVER (ENG) all shot 5-under 67’s in Round 3 to move up the standings.

15 players are within three shots of the lead and 34 players are on even par or better with 18 holes to play.

69 players made the 60 lowest scores and ties second cut to progress to Saturday’s final round.

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Round 3 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

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27th June 2024

Round 2

Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) shot a seven birdie 67 to move into the 36 hole lead at the European Amateur.

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Tim Wiedemeyer’s Scorecard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Bastian AMAT (FRA), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO), Tommy MORRISON (USA) and Preston SUMMERHAYS (USA) are all tied for 2nd on -6. Amat rose seven places on the leaderboard with a 4-under 68 today.

Like Wiedemeyer Jerry JI (NED), Marcin BOGUSZ (POL) and Lev GRINBERG (UKR) also shot 67 (-5) in Round 2 to match the low round of the week mark.

Max KENNEDY (IRL) -3 is tied 11th and Calum SCOTT (SCO), Hugh FOLEY (IRL) & Charlie FORSTER (ENG) -2 tied 15th. Scott again finished his round strongly, this time with five consecutive birdies, to record a 68 and move up 39 spots.

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Calum Scott’s Scorecard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

On a tight leaderboard 35 players are now on even par or better after 36 holes.

Exactly 96 players made the 36 hole 96 lowest scores and ties cut which fell at 150 (+6).

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Round 2 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

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26th June 2024

Round 1

2023 USA Walker Cup player Preston SUMMERHAYS leads the European Amateur after a 5-under 67 around The Scandinavian G.C.’s New Course.

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Preston Summerhays’ Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Fellow American Tommy MORRISON is tied for 2nd after a bogey free 68. He was the only player in the field of 144 not to drop a shot on Day 1.

Max KENNEDY (IRL), who played the opening tee shot at 7.00am, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) and Charlie FORSTER (ENG) also recorded 68’s to join Morrison in the tie for 2nd place.

Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG), who was 4-over after four holes and who had a triple bogey 8 on the par 5 4th, fought back well to finish on -2 and tied 9th.

Reigning Scottish Amateur champion Cameron ADAM, -1 tied 15th, is the only other GB&I player in the top 20.

37 players shot even par or better in the first round.

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Round 1 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

_________________________________________

21st June 2024 (Last Updated 25th June 2024)

The 37th European Amateur Championship will be played on the New Course at The Scandinavian G.C. in Denmark between 26th-29th June 2024.

This prestigious Championship is run by the European Golf Association (EGA), assisted each year by the host nation; this year being the Danish Golf Union.

This will be the fourth occasion that Denmark has hosted the European Amateur. It has previously been staged at Aalborg G.C. (1990), Odense Eventyr Golf (2001) and Esbjerg G.C. (2008).

Competition Format

The European Amateur is a 72-hole stroke play competition with 18-holes played daily over four days.

In a change to previous years there is going be two cuts applied to the field during the Championship. After 36 holes only players with the 96 lowest scores and ties will progress and then after 54 holes only the 60 lowest scores and ties will qualify for the final round.

A 3 hole aggregate score play off will decide the winner in the event of a tie. If this doesn’t separate the players then a sudden death play-off will commence over the same holes.

A card count-back (last 36, then 18, then 9, etc,) is used to resolve ties for 2nd and 3rd place.

Entries

144 players from 40 countries will contest the 2024 Championship.

All of the players in the field must have handicaps of 0.0 or better with the entry ballot applied based on the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Exemptions were available to the defending champion, a single nomination from each EGA member nation, four nominated players from the host nation, Denmark, competitors in the Bonallack Trophy, St. Andrew’s Trophy and Jacques Léglise Trophy matches, the 2024 South American Amateur champion and the 2024 European Mid-Amateur champion.

There are 32 GB&I entries, namely Cameron ADAM (SCO) WAGR #261 (as at 19th June), James ASHFIELD (WAL) #35, Jack BIGHAM (ENG) #69, Tomi BOWEN (WAL) #243, Oscar CRAIG (ENG) #265, Harry CROCKETT (ENG) #503, Archie DAVIES (WAL) #425, Sam EASTERBROOK (ENG) #647, Hugh FOLEY (IRL) #714, Charlie FORSTER (ENG) #403, Conor GOUGH (ENG) #329, Connor GRAHAM (SCO) #226, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) #156, Thomas HIGGINS (IRL) #508, Monty HOLCOMBE (ENG) #2,185, Will HOPKINS (ENG) #83, Seán KEELING (IRL) #389, Max KENNEDY (ENG) #68, Kris KIM (ENG) #367, Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) #91, Ollie MUKHERJEE (SCO) #1,029, Jack MURPHY (IRL) #846, Liam NOLAN (IRL) #122, Matt ROBERTS (WAL) #429, Calum SCOTT (SCO) #28, Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) #655, Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) #720, Mark STOCKDALE (ENG) #640, Gregor TAIT (SCO) #449, Harry WATKINS (WAL) #3,978, Tyler WEAVER (ENG) #99 and Matthew WILSON (SCO) #671.

Tom OSBORNE (ENG) #624 is currently the 1st Reserve for the Championship.

The leading international entries are Bastian AMAT (FRA) WAGR #34, Jose BALLESTER (ESP) #7, Albert HANSSON (SWE) #84, Tobias JONSSON (SWE) #41, Algot KLEÉN (FRA) #76, Luis MASAVEU (ESP) #43, Michael MJAASETH (NOR) #67, Tommy MORRISON (USA) #58, the new Amateur champion Jacob Skov OLESEN (DEN) #88, Luke SAMPLE (USA) #121, Bård SKOGEN (NOR) #126, Preston SUMMERHAYS (USA) #7, Daniel SVÅRD (SWE) #74, Richard TEDER (EST) #106 and Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED) #73.

The Scandinavia Golf Club, Denmark

Located 25 minutes north of Copenhagen in Farum, North Zealand the New Course was designed, through a forest separated by streams and natural ponds, by Bruce Charlton of the Robert Trent Jones II Golf Architects.

Opened in 2010 it has a par of 72 and plays to 7,088 yards (6,481m). Like last year’s course at Pärnu Bay in Estonia it has an unusual configuration of five par 3’s, eight par 4’s and five par 5’s.

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Course Routing (Graphic: EGA)

Weather Forecast (as at 7.00am 25th June)

Conditions are expected to be good, albeit with the some fairly strong winds on the final two days.

Weds 26th June – Sunny. Wind 8 mph SE. Min. 12°C / Max. 25°C.
Thurs 27th June – Sunny. Wind 10 mph SE. Min. 15°C / Max. 27°C.
Fri 28th June – Sunny. Thundery Showers PM. Wind 15 mph SE. Min. 17°C / Max. 24°C.
Sat 29th June – Sunny Intervals. Wind 20 mph SW. Min. 14°C / Max. 20°C.

Prizes

Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to the top 3 finishers.

The silver Championship Trophy, shown below, is held by the winning player’s national golf authority.

The European Amateur Championship Trophy (Photo: EGA)

The Open Championship

The champion earns an exemption into The Open Championship in a few weeks time, this year being played at Royal Troon G.C. in Scotland.

The Open Championship Amateur Series Winner – the player who gains the most WAGR points in the St. Andrews Links Trophy, the Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship – (as long as they don’t win either the Amateur or European Amateur) will also earn a spot at Royal Troon.

The players finishing 2nd to 4th in this year’s European Amateur will be offered a place in Final Qualifying which takes place on Tuesday 2nd July.

Other Championships

The USGA also grants exemptions to the winner into the U.S. Amateur Championship, the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship (if U19) and into Final Qualifying for the 2025 U.S. Open Championship (subject to remaining an amateur).

Further Information

Click here to view the – EGA European Amateur Championship Website

2023 European Amateur Championship

Jose BALLESTER (ESP) won the 2023 European Amateur Championship with a 267 (-21) total over 72 holes at Pärnu Bay Golf Links in Estonia.

Mads Laage, Jose Ballester and James Ashfield (Photo: European Golf Association)

Jose Ballester’s Scorecard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Mads LAAGE (DEN) finished 2nd and James ASHFIELD (WAL) 3rd on 36 hole count back after they both finished on -19.

The other leading GB&I players were Jack BIGHAM (ENG) and Hugh FOLEY (IRL) -18, who tied 4th, James CLARIDGE (ENG), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) & Mark POWER (IRL) -15, who tied 13th, and Calum SCOTT (SCO) & Will HOPKINS (ENG) -14, who tied 21st.

Click here to view the – EGA / Golfbox 2023 European Amateur Championship Leaderboard

History

The competition was first contested in 1986 at Eindhoven G.C. Initially it was held biennially before moving to an annual fixture from 1990.

Former winners who have gone on to enjoy successful professional careers include Stephen GALLACHER (1994), Sergio GARCIA (1995), Gregory HAVRET (1999), Carl PETTERSSON (2000), Rory MCILROY (2006), Victor DUBUISSON (2009), Nicolai HØJGÅRD (2018) and Matthias SCHMID (2019 & 2020).

In addition to Gallacher and McIlroy other GB&I past winners include Jim PAYNE (1991), Paddy GRIBBEN (1998), Stephen BROWNE (2001), Brian MCELHINNEY (2003), Matthew RICHARDSON (2004), Rhys PUGH (2012) and Ashley CHESTERS (2013 and 2014) and Alfie PLANT (2017).

Ashley Chesters and Matthias Schmid are the only two-time winners and the only players to have retained the trophy.

Click here to view the – European Amateur Championship Past Winners and Venues

Rory McIlroy – 2006 Champion (Photo: European Golf Association)

ME.

The St. Andrews Links Trophy – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 31/05/2024 by Golf Bible

9th June 2024

Seb CAVE (ENG) completed a wire-to-wire victory in the 35th St. Andrews Links Trophy after a final day of play on the Old Course.

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Seb Cave (Photo: St. Andrews Links Trust)

Cave speaking to the St. Andrews Links Trust Media Team afterwards said “It feels amazing. You can’t really get much bigger than this as an amateur. I’ve never really seemed to crack it round here but I came here with a good mindset and I genuinely believe having my girlfriend on the bag has helped massively and I just stayed chilled.”

Round 4

A 1-under par 71 in the final round was good enough to get Seb CAVE (ENG) over the line at St. Andrews.

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Seb Cave’s Championship Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Simon HOVDAL (SWE) was one shot behind Cave playing the 18th but a double bogey, having surprisingly pulled his tee shot left and out of bounds, relieved the pressure on the winner and saw the Swede tumble down to 4th place on -3.

Harley SMITH (ENG), who finished with a 68, came 2nd ahead of Calum SCOTT (SCO) 3rd on count back after they both completed the tournament on 283 (-4).

Paul BEAUVY (FRA) was 5th on count back from Hovdal with Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED) -2 6th. The Dutchman’s 67 this afternoon was the best final round score.

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Lars Van Der Vight’s Round 4 Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Josh HILL (ENG), Will HOPKINS (ENG) and Cameron ADAM (SCO) all finished on -1 to make the top 10.

With the winds receding as play moved into the early evening the average score in Round 4 from the field was an impressive 72.76 (+0.76).

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Results – Top 20 (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2024 St. Andrews Trophy Leaderboard

Round 3

The two overnight leaders did not enjoy their third rounds on a breezy Old Course which made scoring difficult. Seb CAVE (ENG) posted a 75 and Simon HOVDAL (SWE) a 78.

The good news for Cave was that he maintained his 2-shot lead heading into the final round.

Scottish pair Calum SCOTT 69 and Cameron ADAM 71 joined James ASHFIELD (WAL) 73 in tied 2nd place -2, all within striking distance.

Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) -2 tied 5th, Paul BEAUVY (FRA) -2 tied 5th and Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL) -1 7th were the only other players under par after 54 holes.

The best third round score came from 2024 French International Amateur champion Benjamin REUTER (NED) who recorded a 4-under 68.

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Benjamin Reuter’s Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

The average score around the Old Course (par 72) on Sunday morning was 74.85 (+2.85) from the 49 remaining competitiors.

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Round 3 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

ME.

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8th June 2024

Round 2

Play moved across to the Old Course on Saturday with Seb CAVE (ENG) maintaining his lead after recording a 3-under 69.

Simon HOVDAL (SWE) had the best round of the day; his 6-under 66 moved him up to 2nd place just two shots behind our leader.

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Simon Hovdal’s Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

James ASHFIELD (WAL), Josh HILL (ENG), Will HOPKINS (ENG), Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL), Paul BEAUVY (FRA), Cameron ADAM (SCO) and Andrew DAVIDSON (SCO) all finished the day on 141 (-2) and tied 4th.

English pair Josh Hill and Harley SMITH, who is tied 10th on Even par, both posted 68’s for the joint second best score on Day 2.

49 players made the top 40 and ties 36 hole cut which fell at 147 (+4).

Conor GRAHAM (SCO), who birdied his four of his last five holes, and Dominic CLEMONS (ENG), who birdied the 18th, both shot 1-under 71’s to bounce back well from disappointing opening rounds and make the cut on the +4 mark.

The average score around the Old Course (par 72) from the 144 competitors was 75.24 (+3.24). Conditions were better for the early starters with showers and strong winds coming in during the afternoon.

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Round 2 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

ME.

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7th June 2024

Round 1

Seb CAVE (ENG) separated himself from the field with an opening round of 66 (-5) on the New Course which included seven birdies.

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Seb Cave’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Max KENNEDY (IRL), Eliot BAKER (ENG), Luis MASAVEU (ESP) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) are all tied for 2nd place after firing 69’s (-2).

Nine players including Andrew DAVIDSON (SCO), Harry CROCKETT (ENG), Hugh FOLEY (IRL) and Cameron ADAM (SCO) are tied 6th on -1.

Looking forward to the 36 hole top 40 and ties cut 37 players finished the day on +1 or better with a further 13 on +2.

The average score around the New Course (par 71) from the 144 competitors was 74.70 (+3.70).

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Round 1 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

ME.

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31st May 2024 (Updated 4th June 2024)

144 golfers will tee off on Friday 7th June in the 35th St. Andrews Links Trophy.

This three day event has become one of the ‘majors’ in men’s amateur golf helped by its venue and timing.

I will be updating this article with daily reports once play gets underway.

Competition Format

The Links Trophy is a 72 hole scratch stroke play competition played annually over the St. Andrews Links in early June.

The field is primarily determined by reference to the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and finished off with various National Golf Union and St. Andrews Links Trust nominations.

This year Round 1 will be played on the New Course and Round 2 on the Old Course. The Jubilee Course is sometimes used for Round 1 but not this year.

The New Course plays 6,681 yards to a par of 71. The front nine is 3,302 yards long with a par of 36 whilst the tougher back nine is slightly longer at 3,379 yards but has a lower par of 35. It has a Course Rating of 73.3 and a Slope of 132.

The Old Course has been set up at 7,171 yards for the event and has a par of 72. Both nines have a par of 36 and have similar yardages – the front is 3,535 yards long whilst the back is longer at 3,636 yards. It has a Course Rating of 75.6 and a Slope of 143.

Following a top 40 and ties cut on Saturday the leading players will play a final 36 holes on the Old Course on Sunday.

The winner will be the player who returns the lowest 72 hole aggregate score.

In the event of a tie a sudden death play-off will be held over holes 1 and 18 on the Old Course.

Ties for all other places will be decided by the lowest score for the last 18 holes or the last 9 or 6 or 3 or 1 hole if necessary.

The Field

As this is the first event that takes place in Great Britain & Ireland after the U.S. college season has ended the field is stronger than we have seen in recent weeks.

26 different countries will be represented in Fife.

The players I will be following most closely are James ASHFIELD (WAL), Eliot BAKER (ENG), Jack BIGHAM (ENG), Tomi BOWEN (WAL), Dominic CLEMONS (ENG), Harry CROCKETT (ENG), Quinton DEBOVE (FRA), Matty DODD-BERRY (ENG), Charlie FORSTER (ENG), Connor GRAHAM (SCO), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO), Will HOPKINS (ENG), Jack INGHAM (NED), Seán KEELING (IRL), Max KENNEDY (IRL), Luis MASAVEU (ESP), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), Jonathan NIELSEN (DEN), Tom OSBORNE (ENG), Calum SCOTT (SCO), Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG), Benjamin REUTER (NED), Matt ROBERTS (WAL), Harley SMITH (ENG), Gregor TAIT (SCO), Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) and Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED).

The most notable GB&I ‘absentees’ this week are Ben BOLTON (ENG), Barclay BROWN (ENG), James CLARIDGE (ENG) WD, Paul CONROY (IRL) WD, Charlie CROCKETT (ENG), Daniel HAYES (ENG), Conor GOUGH (ENG), Kris KIM (ENG), Liam NOLAN (IRL), Joe SULLIVAN (ENG) and Tyler WEAVER (ENG).

Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2024 St. Andrews Links Trophy Tee Times

Weather Forecast (as at Tuesday 4th June)

The current weather forecast looks just about acceptable with dry mornings and some rain every afternoon. Strong breezes should also make play interesting at times.

Friday 7th June – Sunny AM / Light Rain PM. Wind 23 mph W. Temp. Min. 7°C / Max. 13°C.
Saturday 8th June – Sunny AM / Light Rain PM. Wind 19 mph SE. Temp. Min. 9°C / Max. 15°C.
Sunday 9th June – Sunny AM / Light Rain PM. Wind 15 mph w. Temp. Min. 9°C / Max. 16°C.

Tee times in Rounds 1 and 2 will start at 7.00am and end at 3.10pm so as with any links course the draw could play a part in proceedings.

Prizes

The winner receives The St Andrews Links Trophy and a commemorative medal.

The runner-up and third place finisher also receive medals.

Reducing voucher prizes are also awarded to the top 10 finishers.

In addition to the main prizes The Ian Forbes Memorial Cup is awarded for the best aggregate score on the first two days of the Championship.

The Open Championship

Introduced in 2023 The Open Amateur Series, which offers an exemption into The Open Championship, is again being offered by The R&A.

The player who gains the most WAGR points in the St. Andrews Links Trophy, the Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship will earn a spot at Royal Troon G.C. in July.

Competition Website

For more information click here to view the – 2024 St. Andrews Links Trophy Tournament Website

2023 St. Andrews Links Trophy

Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) won the St. Andrews Links Trophy by 5-shots with rounds of 70, 66, 66 and 64 and a 266 (-21) total.

The Laytown & Bettystown member became the fourth Irish winner following in the footsteps of Alan Dunbar (2009), Connor O’Rourke (2016) and John Murphy (2018).

Alex Maguire (Photo: St. Andrews Links Trust)

Albert HANSSON (SWE) -16 finished 2nd, Calum SCOTT (SCO) -15 3rd, Harry CROCKETT (ENG) -15 4th and Paul BEAUVY (FRA) -12 5th.I

2023 STAL Final Results (Graphic: St. Andrews Links Trust / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2023 St. Andrews Links Trophy Results

Past Winners

Click here to view a full list of the – St Andrews Links Trophy Past Winners

Only Craig WATSON (1992 and 1998), the former GB&I Walker Cup captain, and Barclay HOWARD (1994 and 1996) have won the title twice.

The most famous winner is Justin ROSE who won in 1997.

Interestingly given the normally cosmopolitan nature of the fields the Links Trophy has only been won by players from outside GB&I on four occasions – Australia’s Stuart BOVIER (1990), Daan HUIZING from The Netherlands (2012), Federico ZUCCHETTI from Italy (2015) and Connor MCKINNEY (AUS) from Australia (2022).

Huizing, who had won the 2012 Lytham Trophy by 11 shots just a few weeks earlier, set a scoring record of -23 in 2012 (65 New, 64, 68 and 67 all Old) and won by an astonishing 14 shots.

ME.

Brabazon Trophy – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 16/05/2024 by Golf Bible

26th May 2024

Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) continued his excellent form in 2024 by collecting the prestigious Brabazon Trophy at Hollinwell G.C.

The Blairgowrie man joins Ronnie Shade (1961, ’63, ’67), Sandy Lyle (1975, ’77), Gordon Brand Jr (1978) and Lloyd Saltman (2005) as Scottish winners of the Brabazon.

Talking to England Golf afterwards Graham said “It feels absolutely amazing. It’s great to win such a big event like this. When I knew it was going to be 12 holes on the final day, it felt a bit different and strange but it was a bit of a shootout so I just tried to make as many birdies as possible.”

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Gregor Graham (Photo: England Golf / Leaderboard Photography)

Round 3

With a high probability of thunder and lightening during the day England Golf took the early decision to cancel Round 4 and to play Round 3 over 12 holes. The reduction to 12 holes being made due to the Rules of Golf not permitting the number of holes in a round to be reduced once it has commenced.

Holes 1-8, 15, 16, 17 and 18 at Hollinwell (with a par of 50) were used to ensure that a speedy course evacuation could take place if required.

Gregor GRAHAM (SCO), who started the day 4-shots back and in tied 4th, came through the field to lift the famous gold trophy with a 3-under 47.

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Gregor Graham Championship Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Daniel HAYES (ENG) finished 2nd on -8. Like the winner, who had finished in the group ahead of him, he bogeyed the 460 yard closing hole to miss out on a possible play-off.

Wilhelm RYDING (SWE) was 3rd on -8. His 49 (-1) included an eagle on the 17th but the birdie he then needed on 18 alluded him.

The biggest move of the day came from Wilmer EDERO (SWE) who posted a 45 (-5), which included four closing birdies, to finish 4th on -7.

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Wilmer Edero Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Eliot BAKER (ENG) finished strongly with a 47 to claim 5th place also on -7.

Overnight leader Harry TAKIS (AUS) had a day to forget shooting a 59 (+9) and tumbling down to a 28th place finish. Playing partner Harley SMITH (ENG) didn’t fair much better; his 53 (+3) on the final day seeing him fall to 9th place.

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

There was some consolation for runner-up Daniel HAYES (ENG) in that he won The George Henriques Salver, awarded to the leading GB&I player in the Championship under the age of 20.

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Daniel Hayes (Photo: England Golf)

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

Click here to view the – 2024 Brabazon Trophy Results

ME.

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25th May 2024

Round 2

Harry TAKIS (AUS) backed up yesterday’s 65 with a 69 today to maintain his position at the head of affairs. After going out in a 1-over 37 he birdied four of his last six holes including the two closing ones.

Harley SMITH (ENG) shot a 68, which included eagles on the 3rd and 17th holes, to move into solo 2nd place on -9.

Wilhelm RYDING (SWE) followed his opening 68 with a 69 to move up into 3rd on -7.

Daniel HAYES (ENG) and Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) will head into the final day tied 4th on -4.

Matt ROBERTS (WAL), now tied 8th, bounced back superbly from an opening round 75 with a joint best of the week 65 which included an eagle and six birdies.

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Matt Roberts Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Also noteworthy was Gregor TAIT‘s (SCO) bogey free 66 to make the cut. No mean achievement after he started the day on +5 and just the kind of round selectors like to see.

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Gregor Tait’ Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

41 players made the top 36 and ties 36 hole cut which fell at Even par.

Amongst those to miss out were Benjamin REUTER (NED) +1, Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG), Seán KEELING (IRL) +2, Tomi BOWEN (WAL) +3, Conor GOUGH (ENG) +4, James CLARIDGE (ENG) +4, Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) +6 and Dylan SHAW-RADFORD +9.

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

ME.

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24th May 2024

Round 1

It may have been 24 hours later than originally scheduled but Round 1 didn’t disappoint with a number of players going low at Hollinwell.

18 year old Harry TAKIS (AUS), ranked 606th in the WAGR, took the early lead with a bogey free 65 (-7).

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Harry Takis Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) also shot seven birdies on Day 1 but a bogey on the short par 4 11th meant he had to settle for 2nd place on -6.

Olly ALLISON (ENG), a Midland qualifier, Daniel BENNETT (RSA), Harley SMITH (ENG) and Monty HOLCOMBE (ENG) are all tied 3rd after signing for 67’s.

At the end of the day 38 players were under par and a further 10 finished on even par.

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

ME.

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16th May 2024 (Updated 23rd May 2024)

The 78^thEnglish Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy will be played at Hollinwell, the home of Notts Golf Club, between Friday 24th and Sunday 26th May 2024.

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

Format

The competition traditionally consists of 72 holes of stroke play golf with 18 holes being played over four days. A 36 hole cut reduces the field to the leading 60 competitors and ties for the final two rounds.

However, due to heavy rain on Wednesday 22nd May, which forced the official practice day to be abandoned, the format this year has been changed. The practice round will now be played on Thursday 23rd, Round 1 on Friday 24th and Round 2 on Saturday 25th. A revised cut, taking in only the leading 36 players and ties, will then be made before the final two rounds are played on Sunday 26th.

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 count-back, starting with the final round and working backwards from there.

Tee Times

Play on the opening two days will commence at 7.00am with the final three-ball heading out at 3.30pm.

Click here to view the – 2024 Brabazon Trophy Tee Times

Field

144 competitors from 16 different countries will contest the 2024 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 most highly ranked players are James ASHFIELD (WAL / WAGR #48), Daniel BENNETT (RSA / #262), Tomi BOWEN (WAL / #205), James CLARIDGE (ENG / #199), Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI / #236), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO / #228), Conor GOUGH (ENG / #319), Matthew MCCLEAN (IRL / #76), defending champion Liam NOLAN (IRL / #109), Benjamin REUTER (NED / #169) and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA / #148).

Will HOPKINS (ENG / #101) was a late withdrawal with a minor shoulder injury.

The Championship clashes with the NCAA Division I National Championship in California which means a number of leading GB&I and European players are otherwise engaged with their U.S. colleges.

Just eight of England’s top 20 WAGR-ranked players are competing in their country’s leading amateur event.

Three 18 hole regional Qualifying Tournaments were staged on 14th May 2024. 16 players automatically qualified from each of the Midland, Northern and Southern Qualifiers. 9 more subsequently made the final start sheet after being called up from the Alternates / 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 – Nuneaton G.C., Warwickshire – Results
6,422 yards – Par 71
115 players / 18 Qualifiers

Co-Medalists – Spencer WORLEY (ENG) & Ben A WILLIS (ENG) 68 -3
Other Qualifiers – Tom Matthews (WAL), Alfie Oakes (ENG), Chanon James (ENG), Alex Timms (SCO), Harry English (ENG), Dylan Kayne (RSA), Olly Allison (ENG), Reuben Harvey (ENG), John Kemp (ENG), James Donaldson (SCO), Shreyas Sanmathy (ENG), Rory Bennet (ENG), Spencer Davies (ENG), Maximus Maddocks (ENG), Connor Byers – Alt (ENG), Danny Loveday – Alt (ENG)

NORTHERN – Wetherby G.C., Yorkshire – Results
6,663 yards – Par 73
109 players / 19 Qualifiers

Co-Medalist – Greg HOLMES (ENG) & Noah CAMBRIDGE(ENG) 67 (-6)
Other Qualifiers – George Hanson (ENG), Tom Osborne (ENG), Jamie van Wyk (ENG), Dominic McGlinchey (SCO), Lucas Kuiper (ENG), Jake Sowden (ENG), Ross Laird (SCO), Brodie Cunningham (SCO), Cameron Thoburn (ENG), Alex Boyes (ENG), Adam Giles (SCO), Ben Willis (ENG), Samuel Claypole (ENG), Luke Quint (ENG), Alexander Farmer – Alt (SCO), Aamar Saleem – Alt (SCO), Owen Rafferty – Alt (ENG)

SOUTHERN – Marlborough G.C., Wiltshire – Results
6,348 yards – Par 72
120 players / 20 Qualifiers

Medalist – Ashley MILLINGTON (ENG) 67 -5
Other Qualifiers – Jonathan Exon-Taylor (ENG), Harry Malin (ENG), Jayden Tucknott (ENG), Frederik Dortmans (ENG), George Mills (ENG), Drew Rolfe (ENG) Oscar Lent (ENG), Connor Bell (ENG), Tommy Evans (ENG), Charlie Robb (ENG), Calum Fitzgerald (ENG), Harry Cox (ENG), Sam Russell (ENG), Harry Fairclough (ENG), Joshua Hayes (ENG), Edmund Fry – Alt (ENG), Nate Warren – Alt (ENG), Harry T Butler – Alt (ENG), Callum Hook – Alt (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. The latter was played on 18-19 May and won by Freddie Turnell (ENG), who failed to qualify from the Southern Qualifier at Marlborough (he finished tied 29th).

Hollinwell

Hollinwell, the home of the Notts Golf Club, was formed in 1887 and moved to it’s current site in Kirkby in Ashfield in 1901 inviting twice Open champion Willie Park Jnr to lay out an original 18 hole course.

Tom Williamson and JH Taylor developed the course further in the early 20th Century.

The course is in an outstanding location, mixing heathland, moorland and woodland features. The 11th-13th holes played on the higher ground are particularly memorable. The holy well, which gives the course its name, is located near the 8th tee.

The blue championship course plays to 7,250 yards and a par of 72. It has a Course Rating of 76.2 and Slope of 145.

Hollinwell has hosted numerous amateur and professional Championships over the years and between 2018-2022 was a Final Qualifying venue for the Open Championship.

This will be a record sixth time that it has hosted the Brabazon Trophy. Past winners here include Doug Sewell (1959), Sandy Lyle (1975), Charlie Banks (1983), Ignacio Garrido (1992) and Cormac Sharvin (2015).

Weather Forecast – on Wednesday 22nd May 2024

The weather forecast suggests the Championship will be predominantly dry with some sun and light breezes. Late afternoon showers are possible over the weekend.

Thur 23rd May – Light Cloud / Wind 18 mph SW / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 13°C.
Fri 24th May – Thick Cloud / Wind 9 mph SW / Temp. Min. 8°C, Max. 15°C.
Sat 25th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 8 mph SE / Temp. Min. 10°C / Max. 18°C.
Sun 26th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 7 mph S / Temp. Min. 11°C / Max. 19°C.

England Golf Event Website

Click here to view the – England Golf / Golf Genius Brabazon Trophy Website

2023 Brabazon Trophy

Liam NOLAN (IRL), then 23 years old, won the 2023 Brabazon Trophy on Sunningdale’s New Course after over coming Zach LITTLE (ENG) in a sudden death play-off which lasted three holes.

Both players completed the regulation 72 holes in 277 (-3).

Liam Nolan (Photo: Golf Bible)

Zach LITTLE (ENG) had the consolation of winning the George Henriques Salver awarded to the highest finishing U20 GB&I player.

James CLARIDGE (ENG) -2 finished 3rd, Jack PLUMB (ENG) & Seán KEELING (IRL) Ev tied 4th, John GOUGH (ENG) +1 6th and Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), Will COXON (ENG) & Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI) +2 tied 7th.

Final Results (Graphic: England Golf / Golf Genius)

Click here for more information on the 2023 Championship – Brabazon Trophy – 2023 Preview & Results

Recent Results

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

Sunningdale – 2023 Brabazon Trophy Results

Saunton – 2022 Brabazon Trophy Results

Ganton – 2021 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 winners include well known pros Ignacio GARRIDO (1992), Peter HANSON (1998) and Charl SCHWARTZEL (2002).

ME.

The Lytham Trophy – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 25/04/2024 by Golf Bible

5th May 2024

Play-Off

Will HOPKINS (ENG) won the 58th Lytham Trophy after a three hole play-off with Tomi BOWEN (WAL) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) that took in holes 1 (par 3), 2 (par 4) and 18 (par 4).

Will HOPKINS (ENG) 3, 3, 4 = -1
Tomi BOWEN (WAL) 3, 4, 4 = Ev
James ASHFIELD (WAL) 3, 5, 4 = +1

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Will Hopkins (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C.)

Round 4

Will HOPKINS (ENG), Tomi BOWEN (WAL) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) all finished the 72 holes on 279 (-1).

Hopkins closed his tournament with a superb bogey free 66 (-4) to move up from tied 9th at the start of the afternoon series.

Bowen shot a steady even par 70 which included 16 pars.

Ashfield posted a 69 (-1) but will be rueing his bogey on the last hole of the event particularly as he called a penalty shot on himself for making his ball move while addressing his second shot into the green.

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Will Hopkins’ Round 4 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Matt ROBERTS made it three Welshmen in the top 4 with a 69 and 70 on the final day.

Ukraine’s Lev GRINBERG secured a creditable tied 5th result, alongside South Africa’s Daniel BENNETT and third round leader and Lytham member Jamie VAN WYK (ENG), after following a morning 70 with a bogey free 67.

Young English players Daniel HAYES (+2) and Ben BOLTON (+3) enhanced their growing reputations with 8th and tied 9th place finishes (alongside Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG)).

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Final Results (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

The average score in Round 4 by the 46 remaining players was 72.31 (+2.31).

Click here to view the – 2024 Lytham Trophy Final Results

Round 3

Jamie VAN WYK (ENG) extended his lead to 3-shots after an impressive 1-under 69 this morning.

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Round 3 Leaderboard (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Tomi BOWEN (WAL) moved up into 2nd place after a 68. This was some achievement when one sees that he was 4-over after 8 holes of his third round. To birdie six of his remaining 10 holes takes some doing on this course.

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Tomi Bowen’s Round 3 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Bowen’s Welsh compatriots Matt ROBERTS and James ASHFIELD entered the final round tied 3rd on Even par with Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) and Daniel HAYES (ENG) tied 5th on +1.

Hayes shot the best score in Round 3; his 67 including five birdies.

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Daniel Hayes’ Round 3 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

The average score in Round 3 by the 46 remaining players was 72.53 (+2.53).

ME.

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4th May 2024

Round 2

Home player Jamie VAN WYK (ENG) produced a solid even par 70, which included two birdies and two bogies, all on the front nine, to move into the lead on -3 at the halfway stage of the Lytham Trophy.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) is one shot back on -2 with Andrew HASWELL (ENG), Luis MASAVEU (ESP) and Oscar COUILLEAU (FRA) all tied 3rd on -1.

Haswell, who finished tied 10th last year, recorded the low round of the day with a bogey free 67 (-3).

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Andrew Haswell’s Round 2 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Spain’s Luis Masaveu, who is the lowest ranked player in the field (WAGR #32) and finished tied 2nd last year, must head into tomorrow’s final two rounds as the favourite.

Couilleau’s 69 in Round 2 included the second hole-in-one of the tournament. Having birdied the 3rd and 4th he went one better at the 5th, the same hole as Tim Shin yesterday.

Will HOPKINS (ENG) Ev is tied 6th and Tomi BOWEN (WAL) & Matt ROBERTS (WAL) +1 both tied 10th.

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Round 2 Leaderboard (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

46 players made the top 40 and ties cut which fell at 145 (+5). James CLARIDGE (ENG) +6, Harley SMITH (ENG) +8, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) +9, Caolan RAFFERTY (IRL) +13 and Seán KEELING (IRL) +18 were amongst the higher profile players to miss out.

Round 2 proved to be tougher with the average score rising slightly to 74.73 (+4.73) and only 17 players recording a score of par (70) or better.

ME.

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3rd May 2024

Round 1

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and home player Jamie VAN WYK (ENG) carded 3-under 67’s to take the early lead in the 58th Lytham Trophy.

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James Ashfield’s Round 1 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

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Jamie Van Wyk’s Round 1 Score Card (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Highlighting the international field that has gathered on the Fylde Coast Alvaro PASTOR ROMAN (ESP), Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI) and Sarno TOLLENAIRE (BEL) are all 1-shot further back after they opened their tournaments with 68’s.

Looking at the other GB&I players to make good starts Henry FEATHERSTONE (ENG) & Daniel HAYES (ENG) -1 are tied 6th and Jack MCDONALD (SCO), Will COXON (ENG), Will HOPKINS (ENG), Josef HACKER (JER), Matt ROBERTS (WAL), Max WEAVER (WAL), Paul HOWARD (ENG) and Matthew WILSON (SCO) Even are all tied 10th.

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Round 1 Leaderboard (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

The average score in Round 1 was 74.38 (+4.38) with 24 players recording a score of par (70) or better.

Tim SHIN (ENG) made a great start to his round, birdieing the 4th hole before having a hole-in-one on the 5th. However, he ultimately had to settle for a 73 (+3).

ME.

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25th April 2024 (Updated 1st May 2024)

The 2024 Lytham Trophy will be played between 3rd and 5th May at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club in Lancashire, England.

Traditionally viewed as the first major event in the Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) men’s amateur golf season it is always a privilege for the players to compete on this magnificent championship course.

Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. (Photo: Golf Bible)

Format and Tee Times

144 scratch golfers from 21 different countries will tee off in what will be the 58th playing of this prestigious competition.

The Lytham Trophy is a 72-hole stroke play event. 18 holes are played on the first two days before a top 40 and ties cut is made. 36-holes are then played on the final day by the leading competitors.

In the event of a tie for the lowest score there will be a 3-hole stroke play play-off on holes 1, 2 and 18. If a winner still hasn’t been determined then the play-off moves to sudden death over the same holes.

Click here to view the – 2024 Lytham Trophy Tee Times (use filter for each round)

Players

Whilst most of GB&I’s leading home-based amateurs will be competing the field strength sadly continues to decline.

This is primarily due to the growing popularity of U.S. college golf where the academic year and NCAA playing season only come to a close in late May.

In 2022 the WAGR Event Power Number for this event was 661.0000 and in 2023 it was 566.2711.

This year only 14 players in the field are ranked in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) Top 250 and just 29 are in the Top 500. Over 88 of the competitors are ranked higher than 1,000th in the world.

Connor GRAHAM (SCO) #238, Jose Antonio SINTES (ESP) #329 and Jerry JI (NED) #373 have both withdrawn since the original draw was made.

Here are the 14 leading players based on the WAGR rankings (01/05/24 release): –

Luis MASAVEU (ESP) #32
James ASHFIELD (WAL) #62
Albert HANSSON (SWE) #77
Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED) #79
Matthew MCCLEAN (IRL) #80
Richard TEDER (EST) #108
Andrey BORGES XAVIER (BRA) #125
Will HOPKINS (ENG) #147
Jack INGHAM (NED) #169
Matheus BALESTRIN (BRA) #180
James CLARIDGE (ENG) #185
Caolan RAFFERTY (ENG) #191
Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) #211
Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI) #228

Lytham Trophies

The Lytham Trophy and the Winner’s Replica (Photo: Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C.)

Course

The famous Royal Lytham links course certainly presents a stern test. Playing off the blue championship tees competitors have to meet a 7,091 yard par 70 challenge; the front nine being 3,427 yards, a par 34, and the back nine being 3,664 yards, a par 36 this week.

Players will tee off between 7.30am and 3.30pm on the Friday and Saturday so changes in the weather and wind speeds throughout the first two days can play a big part in scoring.

Weather Forecast

Showers and drizzle seems to be the over-riding weather forecast for this year’s event (as at Wednesday 1st May).

Friday 3rd May – Light Rain / Wind 10 mph W / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 14°C.
Saturday 4th May – Light Rain / Wind 8 mph SW / Temp. Min. 8°C, Max. 14°C.
Sunday 5th May – Drizzle / Wind 9 mph S / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 16°C.

The 2023 Lytham Trophy

Frank KENNEDY (ENG), who had Fanny Sunesson on his bag, won last year’s Lytham Trophy with rounds of 70, 68, 68 and 72 for a 278 (-2) total.

Frank was the only competitor out of a starting field of 144 players to finish under par despite the playing conditions being generally very good, mainly dry with only a modest breeze, for all three days.

Frank Kennedy and Fanny Sunesson (Photo: Golf Bible)

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Luis MASAVEU (ESP) finished tied 2nd on 280 (Ev) and Hugh FOLEY (IRL) and Sam EASTERBROOK (ENG) tied 4th on 282 (+2).

Here are the final results: –

Final Results (Photo: Royal Lytham G.C. / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2023 Lytham Trophy Final Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The competition was first played in 1965 after the Club identified a need for a new top class amateur competition and one that could be played in the North of England.

A date on the first weekend in May was established and a 72 hole stroke play format adopted.

Member’s subscribed to purchase the unique sputnik trophy. This remains at Royal Lytham with a smaller replica handed out annually to the winner.

The event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

As one would expect the list of past winner’s is a who’s who of GB&I and more recently world amateur golf.

Of the older winners the most notable are: –

Michael BONALLACK – 1965 (s), 1972
Rodney FOSTER – 1967, 1968
Geoffrey MARKS – 1970 (s)
Charles GREEN – 1970 (s), 1974
Michael KING – 1973
George MACGREGOR – 1975
Peter MCEVOY – 1978
Ian HUTCHEON – 1980
Roger CHAPMAN – 1981
John HAWKSWORTH – 1984
Paul BROADHURST – 1988
Gary EVANS – 1990, 1991
Stephen GALLACHER – 1995
Graham RANKIN – 1997
Stuart WILSON – 2003
(s) = shared

In 2004 21 year old James HEATH won with a record score of 266 (-18), recording rounds of 67, 68, 66, and 65. Garth McGimpsey, the then Walker Cup captain, described Heath’s performance as ‘the best amateur golf I’ve ever seen’.

No one else has ever come close to this low scoring mark before or after. The next best scores being Matthew JORDAN‘s 272 (-12) in 2018 and Daan HUIZING’s 273 (-11) in 2013.

In 1999 the Lytham Trophy was won by German Tino SCHUSTER, the first time a non-GB&I player had been successful.

The following list of the last 10 winners shows just how international the amateur game has become. However, after a spell of overseas winners the last six have all come from England: –

Daan HUIZING – 2012 (The Netherlands)
Albert ECKHARDT – 2013 (Finland)
Thriston LAWRENCE – 2014 (South African
Marcus KINHULT – 2015 (Sweden)
Alfie PLANT – 2016 (England)
Jack SINGH BRAR – 2017 (England)
Matthew JORDAN – 2018 (England)
Josh MCMAHON – 2019 (England)
John GOUGH – 2022 (England)
Frank KENNEDY – 2023 (England)

Lytham Trophy Honours Board (Photo: GolfBible)

Click here to view the complete list of – Lytham Trophy Past Winners

ME.

Men’s European Nations Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on 15/04/2024 by Golf Bible

20th April 2024

Round 4

IRELAND (+4) held off a fast finishing SWITZERLAND (+5) to win the 2024 Men’s European Nations Championship at R.C.G. Sotogrande.

It was Ireland’s second victory in the competition following with their previous win which came in 2016.

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Ireland Team (Photo: Golf Ireland)

WALES (+6) finished 3rd, SCOTLAND (+7) 4th and ENGLAND (+16) tied 7th.

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Round 4 Team Results (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

James ASHFIELD (WAL) -5 won the Individual title at the European Nations Championship helped by a classy 69 in the final round.

Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) -3 finished 2nd and Lars VAN DER VIGHT (NED), Will HOPKINS (ENG) and Jack HEARN (IRL) -2 tied 3rd.

Tomi BOWEN (WAL) +5 tied 13th, Seán KEELING (IRL) +6 tied 17th and Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) +7 tied 19th all finished in the top 20 from the GB&I contingent.

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James Ashfield (Photo: Golf Wales)

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Round 4 Individual Results (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

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19th April 2024

Round 3

IRELAND (+1) for the second day running delivered the best team score with a +3 total to move into the overall European Nations Championship lead.

WALES (+5) are four shots behind them in 2nd but SCOTLAND (+10), hampered by the withdrawal of Connor GRAHAM due to injury, tumbled down the rankings to 5th with a +17 score on Day 3. The defending champions ENGLAND (+16) continue to disappoint, remaining tied 9th.

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Round 3 Team Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

Jack HEARN (IRL) -5 moved to the top of the Individual leaderboard as he added a 71 (-1) to his consistent body of work in Sotogrande. Will HOPKINS (ENG) -3 moved up to 3rd whilst Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) & James ASHFIELD (WAL) -2 fell to tied 4th.

Spanish U18 Boys’ champion, Sebastian DESOISA +1 tied 11th, who is from Gibraltar and therefore British qualified continued to move up the leaderboard. He is one of the players invited to compete by R.C.G. Sotogrande. Seán KEELING (IRL) sits alongside Desoisa.

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Round 3 Individual Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

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18th April 2024

Round 2

SCOTLAND (-7) moved to the top of the leaderboard with a -2 team score. WALES (-6) are now tied 2nd, IRELAND (-2), who enjoyed a best of the day -7 team score, rose to 4th place whilst ENGLAND (+7) slipped to tied 9th.

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Round 2 Team Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

Michele FERRERO (ITA) shot a 68 in Round 2 to move into 1st place in the Individual standings. James ASHFIELD (WAL) -6 2nd, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) -5 3rd, Jack HEARN (IRL) -4 4th and Seán KEATING (IRL) & Will HOPKINS (ENG) -3 tied 5th are all within striking distance.

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Round 2 Individual Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

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17th April 2024

Round 1

At the end of Day 1 WALES (-6) led SCOTLAND (-5) at the top of the 2024 Men’s European Nations Championship leaderboard. ENGLAND (+4) were 5th and IRELAND (+5) tied 6th.

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Round 1 Team Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Gregor TAIT (SCO) shared the Round 1 Individual lead after opening with 5-under 67’s.

Tomi BOWEN (WAL) & Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) -3 tied 3rd and Jack HEARN (IRL) -2 7th were also in the top 10.

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Round 1 Individual Scores (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

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15th April 2024

The Men’s European Nations Championship (ENC) starts on Wednesday 17th April at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Southern Spain.

R.C.G. Sotogrande is the permanent home of the ENC and this will be the 16th playing of the event.

It is a 72 hole stroke play Team and Individual competition.

I will be providing daily reports once the Championship commences.

Field
21 four-man teams (84 players) will play for the Team prize.

An additional seven players invited by both RCG Sotogrande and the Spanish Golf Federation will contest the Individual competition, making a total field of 91 players.

The following players have been selected to represent the four competing home nations in 2024: –

England – Will HOPKINS, Kris KIM, Dylan SHAW-RADFORD, Harley SMITH

Ireland – Hugh FOLEY, Jack HEARN, Seán KEELING, Matt MCCLEAN

Scotland – Connor GRAHAM, Gregor GRAHAM, James MORGAN, Gregor TAIT

Wales – James ASHFIELD, Tom BASTOW, Tomi BOWEN, Matt ROBERTS

A Women’s ENC, made up of three player teams, also takes place alongside the Men’s competition. Only England from the four home nations is among the ten team field this year.

Tee Times / Scores
Click here to view the – 2024 ENC Men’s Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2024 ENC Men’s Team Scores

Click here to view the – 2024 ENC Men’s Individual Scores

Format and Prizes
72 holes of stroke play, with 18 holes played daily, will be contested by all of the players. There is no cut.

In the Team event the best three 18-hole scores from the four players count towards the overall total.

In the case of a tie for 1st place a team member will be nominated and a sudden death play-off will be contested on the 9th hole. Other ties will be determined by a count back of the team score for the last 18, 27, 36, etc. holes.

The Individual prize is awarded to the lowest scoring player. Ties will be broken in line with the Team approach outlined above.

Winning Team members each receive a replica of the Nations Trophy. The Individual champion receives a trophy and a bright yellow jacket.

Venue and Course
Real Club de Golf Sotogrande was opened in 1964 and was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones. One of the best courses in Continental Europe it first held the Spanish Open in 1966, won that year by Roberto de Vicenzo.

In 1970 The Sherry Cup, the precursor of the European Nations Cup / Championship, was established. Former Individual winners of this include Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia. (see below for the full list of past Individual winners).

In 1973 a Women’s event started to be played alongside the Men’s.

In 1983 Sotogrande hosted the Spanish Amateur Championship with Jose Maria Olazabel victorious.

Sotogrande was awarded royal patronage by HM King Juan Carlos I in 1994.

Between 1996 and 2001, in tandem with nearby San Roque GC, the course hosted the European Tour’s Qualifying School.

In 2006 The Sherry Cup was rebranded as the European Nations Cup and in 2017 become known as the European Nations Championship played for the Sotogrande Cup.

In 2011, ahead of it’s 50th anniversary, the Club decided to embark upon a major course renovation appointing Roger Rulewich and David Fleury. With the work on greens, bunkering and drainage taking place in 2015 and early 2016 the ENC moved temporarily to the nearby La Reserva Club de Golf for two years. Since 2017 the competition has been played on the renovated course.

The Black Tee Championship Course at Sotogrande plays 6,492m with a par of 72. The front nine measures 3,163m and the back 3,329m.

Weather Forecast
The forecast looks good albeit as always the winds will be a factor, particularly during the afternoons. This can cause problems given the numerous water hazards on the course.

Wednesday 17th – Sunny Intervals Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 23°C; Wind E 15mph
Thursday 18th – Sunny Intervals Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 21°C; Wind E 15mph
Friday 19th – Sunny Intervals Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 20°C; Wind E 30mph
Saturday 20th – Sunny Intervals Temp. Min. 15°C / Max. 19°C; Wind SE 40mph

Past ENC Winners

The home nations have an excellent record, particularly in recent years, in this event.

Team Competition

2023 England 2023 ENC Team Results

Dylan Shaw-Radford, Josh Berry, John Gough & Arron Hill-Edwards (Photo: Josh Berry)

2022 Spain 2022 ENC Team Results
2021 Cancelled
2020 Cancelled
2019 England 2019 ENC Team Results
2018 England 2018 ENC Team Results
2017 Wales 2017 ENC Team Results
2016 Ireland 2016 ENC Team Results
2015 England
2014 Scotland
2013 England
2012 France
2011 England
2010 England
2009 England
2008 Scotland
2007 Denmark

Past Sherry Cup Team Winners (started 1998)

2006 Spain
2005 Spain
2004 England
2003 England
2002 Wales
2001 England
2000 England
1999 Germany
1998 Spain

Individual Competition

2023 Albert Hansson (SWE) 2023 ENC Men’s Individual Results

Hansson beat England’s John Gough in a sudden death play-off-to win the Individual title after both players finished on 286 (-2).

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Albert Hansson (Photo: Swedish Golf Federation)

2022 Jaime Montojo (ESP) 2022 ENC Men’s Individual Result

Montojo won the Individual competition beating teammate Luis Masaveu in a play-off after both finished on 288 (Ev).

2021 Cancelled
2020 Cancelled
2019 Tom Sloman (England) 2019 ENC Individual Results

Tom won the Individual competition with a 294 (+6) total. His final round 77 looked like it would cost him the title but an eagle on 14 and three closing pars ended up being sufficient as is nearest challengers faltered on the demanding Sotogrande course.

2018 Todd Clements (England) 2018 ENC Individual Results

Todd secured the Individual title with rounds of 69 73 71 and 70 for a 283 total (-5).

2017 Jack Davidson (Wales) 2017 ENC Individual Results

Jack won the Individual European Nations Cup title by 4-shots last year. Rounds of 70, 70, 70 and 73 (-5), which included 20 birdies and 2 eagles, gave him his second major title in less than a month. He had won the Spanish International Amateur a few weeks before.

2016 Jack Hume (Ireland) 2016 ENC Individual Results

In winning the Individual Jack Hume played one of the best rounds of amateur golf in the world in 2016 at La Reserva. His 64 in Round 2 was an astonishing 8 shots better than any other player in the field.

2015 Mario Galliano (Spain)
2014 Guido Migliori (Italy)
2013 Adrien Saddier (France)
2012 Robin Kind (The Netherlands)
2011 Julien Brun (France)
2010 Nino Bertasio (Italy)
2009 Sam Hutsby (England)
2008 Shane Lowry (Ireland)
2007 Rory McIlroy (Ireland)

Past Sherry Cup Individual Winners

2006 Nigel Edwards (Wales)
2005 Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2004 Francesco Molinari (Italy)
2003 Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2002 Lee Harpin (Wales)
2001 Gary Wolstenholme (England)
2000 Gary Wolstenholme (England)
1999 Marcel Siem (Germany)
1998 Sergio Garcia (Spain)
1997 Sergio Garcia (Spain)
1996 Alvaro Salto (Spain)
1995 José María Zamora (Spain)
1994 Francisco Cea (Spain)
1993 Francisco Valera (Spain)
1992 Frederic Cupillar (France)
1991 Padraig Harrington (Ireland)
1990 Alvaro Prat (Spain)
1989 Diego Borrego (Spain)
1988 Yago Beamonte (Spain)
1987 Yago Beamonte (Spain)
1986 Borja Queipo de Llano (Spain)
1985 José L. Padila (Spain)
1984 John Marks (England)
1983 José L. de Bernardo (Spain)
1982 Borja Queipo de Llano (Spain)
1981 Veit Pagel (Germany)
1980 Jesús López (Spain)
1979 Veit Pagel (Germany)
1978 José L. de Bernardo (Spain)
1977 F. Jiménez (Spain)
1976 Alberto Croze (Italy)
1975 Veit Pagel (Germany)
1974 Veit Pagel (Germany)
1973 Alberto Croze (Italy)
1972 E. de la Riva and J. Gancedo (Spain)
1971 Alberto Croze (Italy)
1970 Henric Adam (England)

ME.

World Amateur Team Championship – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on 17/10/2023 by Golf Bible

Saturday 21st October 2023

Round 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Results (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

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

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

Leading Individual Results (Photo: IGF / Golf Genius)

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

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Friday 20th October 2023

Round 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

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Thursday 19th October 2023

Round 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

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Wednesday 18th October 2023

Round 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

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17th October 2023

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Competition Format

36 teams are competing in the 2023 WATC.

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

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

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

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

GB&I Competitors

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

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

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England (Photo: IGF)

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

Ireland (Photo: IGF)

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

Scotland (Photo: IGF)

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

Wales (Photo: IGF)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Venue

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

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

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

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

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

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

Additional Information

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

2022 WATC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team Results (Graphic: IGF / Golf Genius)

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

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

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

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

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

Individual Results (Graphic: IGF / Golf Genius)

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

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

Historic Results

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

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

Here are the historic Men’s WATC results: –

Screenshot 2023-10-17 at 06.15.58

Future WATC Events

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

34th – 2025 – Singapore

35th – 2027 – Morocco

36th – 2029 – To be determined

ME.

R&A Men’s Home Internationals – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on 04/08/2023 by Golf Bible

11th August 2023

England bounced back from their disappointing defeat against Wales yesterday to beat Ireland on the final day.

The three point margin of victory was also just enough – by 0.5 points – to lift the English in to top spot and therefore against the odds at the start of the day retain the title they won last year at Ballyliffin.

Despite losing to Scotland on the final day Wales finished 3rd. Scotland missed out by 0.5 points and had to settle for 4th place as the final table below shows.

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 20.16.51

2023 Men’s Home Internationals Final Table (Graphic: Golfbox / The R&A)

Here is my assessment of the individual player contributions to the four teams with the star performers for each country highlighted in yellow: –

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 22.21.02

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 22.21.16

GolfBible Individual Player Performance Analysis

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DAY 3

WALES v. SCOTLAND

It was perhaps ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ for the Welsh today at Machynys where the Scottish team were determined to finish off the competition with a win.

After sharing the foursomes the Scots ran away with the singles picking up five of the eight points on offer.

Andrew DAVIDSON, who was unbeaten in singles all week, finished off his competition with a big 7&5 win against Tom MATTHEWS.

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 20.15.35

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Wales v. Scotland (Graphic: Golfbox / The R&A)

IRELAND v. ENGLAND

England bounced back from yesterday’s poor loss to Wales with a resounding tournament winning victory against the Irish.

A 3-1 morning foursomes series win laid the foundation with Charlie CROCKETT and James CLARIDGE securing an important win on the 18th hole with an eagle. It was the pairing’s third win in the format.

Arron EDWARDS-HILL, Matty DODD-BERRY and Zach CHEGWIDDEN secured early singles wins to ensure the match would be won. It was then just a question of whether the team could garner sufficient points to also take the overall win.

Ultimately the responsibility fell to Charlie Crockett who delivered the critical final point, beating Caolan RAFFERTY by 1 Hole, which secured the title.

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 20.16.16

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Ireland v. England (Graphic: Golfbox / The R&A)

Click here to view the – Golfbox R&A Men’s Home Internationals Results

ME.

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10th August 2023

DAY 2

ENGLAND v. WALES

Wales shocked England by winning six of the eight afternoon singles and coming from behind to claim a memorable 7-5 victory.

England went into the singles with a 3-1 lead after coming out on the right side of four tight foursomes games.

James ASHFIELD boosted his Walker Cup chances and set the tone with a good 2&1 win against Jack BIGHAM.

Tomi BOWEN, Matt ROBERTS, Tom BASTOW, James NASH and Tom MATTHEWS then added their names to the Welsh roll of honour which left England’s title hopes in tatters.

Screenshot 2023-08-10 at 18.52.52

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England v. Wales (Graphic: Golfbox / The R&A)

SCOTLAND v. IRELAND

Ireland won the morning foursomes 2.5-1.5 and the afternoon singles 5.0-3.0 to complete a deserved win over Scotland.

With England losing to Wales the Irish are now in the box seat for the 2023 title.

Marc BOUCHER and Robert MORAN led the way for the Irish with two wins in the match.

Connor GRAHAM starred for Scotland with an impressive foursomes win alongside Gregor TAIT and a notable singles win against Liam Nolan.

Screenshot 2023-08-10 at 20.30.50

Screenshot 2023-08-10 at 20.37.21

Scotland v. Ireland (Graphic: Golfbox / The R&A)

Click here to view the – Golfbox R&A Men’s Home Internationals Results

ME.

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9th August 2023

DAY 1

ENGLAND v. SCOTLAND

England took control of the opening match of this year’s Men’s Home Internationals with a 3-1 victory in the morning foursomes.

They also won the singles 5-3 but these were clearly hard fought with six of the eight games requiring all 18 holes to be played.

Jack BIGHAM, Zach CHEGWIDDEN and James CLARIDGE won both of their games on Day 1 for England whilst Tyler WEAVER won his foursomes and tied his singles.

Andrew DAVIDSON was the best of the Scots winning his foursomes alongside Gregor Graham before securing a 0.5 point in his singles against Matt Dodd-Berry. Jack MCDONALD and Niall SHEILS DONEGAN won their two singles beating English Walker Cup hopefuls Arron-Edwards-Hill and Charlie Crockett respectively.

Screenshot 2023-08-09 at 20.53.29

England v. Scotland (Graphic: Golfbox / The R&A)

IRELAND v. WALES

Ireland won the foursomes 3-1 and the singles 5-3 to also record an 8-4 victory in their opening game.

Marc BOUCHER, Liam NOLAN and Caolan RAFFERTY all finished Wednesday with two wins to their name for the Irish.

James ASHFIELD, Tomi BOWEN, Caolan BURFORD and James NASH were all unbeaten on Day 1 for the Welsh who look like they will be competitive this year.

Screenshot 2023-08-09 at 20.53.58

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Ireland v. Wales (Graphic: Golfbox / The R&A)

Click here to view the – Golfbox R&A Men’s Home Internationals Results

ME.

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4th August 2023 (Updated 7th August)

This year’s R&A Men’s Home Internationals will be played at Machynys Peninsula G.C. in Wales on 9th-11th August 2023.

ENGLAND will be defending the Raymond Trophy which they won at Balllyliffin G.C. in Ireland last year.

With the selection of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team expected to take place in the next few weeks this event will be the final opportunity for the players competing to impress.

This article will focus on the Men’s Home Internationals and will be updated with further information once the Championship starts.

Combined Event

In 2022 The R&A and four Home Golf Unions decided to combine the women’s and men’s home internationals into one event.

The R&A first introduced this type of change in August 2021 when they combined both the Boys’ and Girls’ Home Internationals and Senior Men’s and Women’s Home Internationals at Woodhall Spa.

Whilst the R&A Women’s and Men’s Home Internationals are now given primary importance the International Trophy and Raymond Trophy are still presented to the leading country in the women’s and men’s matches.

Whilst I am all for shared venues, which ease administration and add to the overall spectacle, I remain unconvinced about the merits of mixed individual and team events and as such have never been supportive of this change.

In my opinion the separate men’s and women’s competitions, which have a lot of history and tradition, should have remained the priority and if it was felt a combined trophy was necessary this should have been the secondary add-on.

Last year The R&A failed to provides any (public) scoring for the men’s and women’s competitions but I am pleased to report that this year they are intending to do so.

Match Format

Following the move to a combined Home Internationals event the men’s teams were reduced from 11 to 9 players.

Each country plays every other team over the three competition days. Each match starts with a mens game and alternates with a womens game thereafter.

Men’s matches now consist of 4 foursomes and 8 singles. This is 1 foursomes and 2 singles less than the historic format.

One point is awarded for a win in each foursomes and singles with a half point for a tied match. Each team will be awarded one match point for winning an overall match and a half point for a tie.

The final team positions are determined according to the highest number of match points earned. Ties are broken by reviewing the total number of individual game points.

The winning team receives the Raymond Trophy.

The Raymond Trophy

Historically the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh Golf Unions took it in turns to host and run the home internationals. In 2021 The R&A took over responsibility for it with the hosting rota continuing.

The men’s home internationals were first played in 1932 and this year’s ‘staging’ will be the 82nd playing of this prestigious event.

Since 1952 the winning team has received The Raymond Trophy which is named after its donor, the late Raymond Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer was an English administrator, golfer and team captain who was very prominent in the amateur game in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

In the 81 competitions played to date England have won 39, Scotland 21, Ireland 13 and Wales 1. The remaining 7 were tied before it was decided that ties would be resolved by using game points.

The Raymond Trophy (Photo: Ayrshire Golf Blog)

2023 Men’s Players

The four national golf unions have selected the following male players to represent their countries this year. I have added their World Amateur Golf Rankings as at 2nd August 2023 in brackets.

ENGLAND
Jack BIGHAM – Harpenden (95)
Zach CHEGWIDDEN – Ingrebourne Links (760)
James CLARIDGE – Enville (166)
Charlie CROCKETT – Addington Palace (131)
Matthew DODD-BERRY – Royal Liverpool (262)
Arron EDWARDS-HILL – Chelmsford (147)
Will HOPKINS – Belton Park (227)
Dylan SHAW-RADFORD – Huddersfield (345)
Tyler WEAVER – Bury St. Edmunds (341)

Barclay Brown (25) and John Gough (14) are unavailable as they are competing in the U.S. Amateur Championship (14-20 August 2023).

IRELAND
Marc BOUCHER – Carton House (834)
Colm CAMPBELL – Warrenpoint (510)
Paul CONROY – Enniscorthy (405)
Max KENNEDY – Royal Dublin (85)
Alex MAGUIRE – Layton & Bettystown (169)
Robert MORAN – Castle (215)
Liam NOLAN – Galway (156)
Caolan RAFFERTY – Dundalk (65)
David SHIEL – Enniscrone (2,276)

Hugh Foley (133), Matthew McClean (62) and Mark Power (93) are unavailable as they are competing in the U.S. Amateur Championship.

SCOTLAND
Angus CARRICK – Cragielaw (702)
Andrew DAVIDSON – Crail (427)
Connor GRAHAM – Blairgowrie (192)
Gregor GRAHAM – Blairgowrie (485)
Jack MCDONALD – Roxburghe (953)
Oliver MUKHERJEE – Loretto School (470)
Niall SHEILS DONEGAN – Mill Valley (859)
Gregor TAIT – Aldeburgh (270)
Matthew WILSON – Forres (566)

Calum Scott (34) is unavailable as he is competing in the U.S. Amateur Championship.

WALES
James ASHFIELD – Delamere Forest (83)
Theo BAKER – Celtic Manor (3,552)
Tom BASTOW – Isle of Purbeck (1,586)
Tomi BOWEN – Welshpool (335)
Caolan BURFORD – Rhuddlan (455)
Archie DAVIES – Carlisle (113)
Tom MATTHEWS – Aldersley Green (2,349)
James NASH – Ormskirk (498)
Matt ROBERTS – Royal Porthcawl (387)

Jonathan Bale (707) is unavailable as he is competing in the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Since the team selections were announced the English, Scottish and Welsh Closed Amateur Championships have been played. Interestingly the three champions, Ben Brown, Cameron Adam and Max Weaver respectively, are all conspicuous by their absence.

Venue – Machynys

The Monk’s Island course at Machynys opened in 2005 and is located west of Swansea, near Llanelli.

It is a Nicklaus (Gary rather than Jack) designed 7,121 championship links, albeit the front nine has more of a parkland feel.

It plays to a traditional par of 72; two 36’s with two par 3’s and par 5’s on each side.

R&A Home International Websites

R&A Women’s and Men’s Home Internationals

Golfbox R&A Men’s Home Internationals Results

Golfbox R&A Women’s Home Internationals Results

Golfbox R&A Women’s & Men’s Home Internationals Results

2023 Weather Forecast (as at 7th August 2023)

The forecast is looking reasonably good for the opening two days but a little challenging for the decisive final day: –

Wed. 9th Aug. – Cloudy / Wind 11 mph SW / Temp. Min 15º, Max 20º
Thurs. 10th Aug. – Sunny / Wind 15 mph SE / Temp. Min 16º, Max 23º
Fri. 11th Aug. – Light Rain / Wind 22 mph SW / Temp. Min 15º, Max 18º

2022 R&A Men’s Home Internationals

ENGLAND won the Men’s Raymond Trophy last year at Ballyliffin G.C. in Ireland.

England’s Men’s Team (Photo: England Golf)

Day 1 Results
England 9.0 – Wales 3.0
Scotland 3.0 – Ireland 9.0

Day 2 Results
England 7.5 – Scotland 4.5
Wales 3.0 – Ireland 9.0

Day 3 Results
Scotland 7.5 v. Wales 4.5
Ireland 5.5 v. England 6.5

Here’s the final Men’s Home Internationals Results Table.

Screenshot 2022-08-05 at 20.41.48

Here is my Men’s Individual Performance table which confirms that England’s Arron EDWARDS-HILL was the most successful player in the 2022 Raymond Trophy contest.

Screenshot 2022-08-05 at 20.55.04

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ENGLAND also won the inaugural R&A Trophy for the combined Women’s and Men’s Home Internationals match.

IRELAND won the Women’s International Shield.

Click here to view the full – R&A Womens & Mens Home Internationals Results

Historic Results

Click here to view all of the – Men’s Home Internationals Historic Results

ME.

The European Amateur Championship – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on 26/06/2023 by Golf Bible

Saturday 30th June 2023

Jose BALLESTER (ESP) won the 2023 European Amateur Championship with a 267 (-21) total over 72 holes at Pärnu Bay Golf Links in Estonia.

With his wire-to-wire victory Ballester secured an exemption into the forthcoming 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool G.C.

Mads Laage, Jose Ballester and James Ashfield (Photo: European Golf Association)

Alex MAGUIRE (IRL), who took this week off, won the 2023 Open Championship Amateur Series. This new exemption into The Open from The R&A was given to the player who gained the most WAGR points in the St. Andrews Links Trophy, the Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship events.

Round 4

After starting with an eagle 3 on the opening hole Jose BALLESTER (ESP) ultimately had to settle for a final round 1-over 73 and a two shot win.

Jose Ballester’s Scorecard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Mads LAAGE (DEN) finished 2nd and James ASHFIELD (WAL) 3rd on 36 hole count back after they both finished on -19.

James Ashfield’s Scorecard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Beyond Ashfield the other leading GB&I players were Jack BIGHAM (ENG) and Hugh FOLEY (IRL) -18, who tied 4th, James CLARIDGE (ENG), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) & Mark POWER (IRL) -15, who tied 13th, and Calum SCOTT (SCO) & Will HOPKINS (ENG) -14, who tied 21st.

Here are the final results:-

Round 4 Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

The Round 4 average score was 72.73 (+0.73), the first day that par had collectively not been broken by the field. The wind was at its strongest on Saturday with some tricky hole locations adding to the challenge. There were 7 eagles and 703 birdies in Round 4.

Click here to view the – EGA / Golfbox 2023 European Amateur Championship Leaderboard

ME.

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Friday 30th June 2023

Round 3

Jose BALLESTER (ESP) pulled away from the field with a Round 3 66 which took him on to -22. He will now head into tomorrow’s final round with a two shot lead.

Jose Ballester’s Rounds 1, 2 & 3 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Michael MJAASETH (NOR) 67 and Jack INGHAM (NED) 65 are the Spaniard’s nearest challengers on -20.

Zach CHEGWIIDEN (ENG) 68, Jack BIGHAM (ENG) 68, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) 66 and James ASHFIELD (SCO) 71 are all tied 7th on -17 and collectively are the leading GB&I players.

Hugh FOLEY (IRL) -16 tied 13th, Will HOPKINS (ENG) -15 tied 16th and Mark POWER (IRL) -14 tied 18th are also in the top 20.

The 54 hole top 60 and ties cut fell at -9 with 65 players advancing to the final day.

Here is the Round 3 leaderboard showing all the players who made the cut and a few that just missed out: –

Leading Round 3 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

The Round 3 average score was 70.28 (-1.72), a reflection of the stronger winds the blew across the links on Day 3. There were 22 eagles and 658 birdies in Round 3.

Click here to view the – EGA / Golfbox 2023 European Amateur Championship Leaderboard

ME.

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Thursday 29th June 2023 & Friday 30th June 2023

Round 2

A four hour rain and lightening delay in the afternoon meant that despite play continuing until 10.30pm local time the second round had to be completed early on Friday morning.

Tiger CHRISTENSEN (GER), James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Jose BALLESTER (ESP) share the 36 hole lead on 128 (-16).

Ashfield is the leading GB&I player after two rounds of 64 with only one bogey seen.

James Ashfield’s Rounds 1 & 2 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Daniel RODRIGUES (POR) and Michael MJAASETH (DEN) are 1-shot further back from the leaders on -15.

Hugh FOLEY (IRL) is in 6th place after shooting a 9-under 63 in Round 2.

Hugh Foley’s Rounds 1 & 2 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) and Jack BIGHAM (ENG) are tied 7th after recording a 65 and 66 respectively on Thursday.

Will HOPKINS (ENG) is now tied 10th, alongside Mark POWER (IRL) and Matty WILSON (SCO), after matching Foley’s 63 in Round 2.

Will Hopkins’ Rounds 1 & 2 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Sam EASTERBROOK (ENG) 66 and Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) 69 are tied 16th, meaning there are nine GB&I players in the top 20.

The low round of the day belonged to James CLARIDGE (ENG) who shot a bogey-free 62 to bounce back strongly from his opening 72 and move up 83 places on the leaderboard to tied 21st.

James Claridge’s Rounds 1 & 2 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Here are the leading players after Round 2: –

Leading Round 2 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

The Round 2 average score was slightly lower than Round 1 at 69.41 (-2.59). There were 36 eagles and 673 birdies.

Click here to view the – EGA / Golfbox 2023 European Amateur Championship Leaderboard

ME.

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Wednesday 28th June 2023

Round 1

Alejandro AGUILERA (ESP), Paul BEAUVY (FRA), Jose BALLESTER (ESP) and Jack INGHAM (NED) all shot bogey-free 62’s (-10) to share the Round 1 lead.

Alejandro Aguilera, Paul Beauty, Jose Ballester & Jack Ingham Round 1 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

As expected the 6,717 yards par 72 Pärnu Bay Golf Links proved to be far from a Championship test with 103 players from a starting field of 144 breaking par in the opening round. 58 players achieved -4 or better.

There was a two hour rain delay for the afternoon starters but thankfully the EGA were still able to complete the round. However, there were some concerns amongst the players affected that the re-start was scheduled too soon with thunder and lightening still evident in the area.

Michael MJAASETH (NOR) -9 is 5th and Quentin DEBOVE (FRA), Daniel RODRIGUES (POR), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO), Tiger CHRISTENSEN (GER) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) -8 tied 6th.

Jack BIGHAM (ENG) & Matty WILSON (SCO) -7 tied 11th, Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) -6 tied 17th and Angus CARRICK (SCO), Sam EASTERBROOK (ENG), Mark POWER (IRL) & Hugh FOLEY (IRL) -5 tied 27th are the other leading GB&I players at the end of Day 1.

Here are the leading players after Round 1: –

Leading Round 1 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

The Round 1 average score was 69.63 (-2.36). There were 32 eagles and 674 birdies.

Click here to view the – EGA / Golfbox 2023 European Amateur Championship Leaderboard

ME.

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26th June 2023

The 36th European Amateur Championship will be played at Pärnu Bay Golf Links in Estonia between 28th June and 1st July 2023.

This prestigious Championship is run by the European Golf Association (EGA), assisted each year by the host nation; this year, the Estonian Golf Association.

This will be the second occasion that Estonia has hosted the European Amateur. The Estonian Golf & Country Club staged the event in 2016.

Competition Format

The European Amateur is a 72-hole stroke play competition with 18-holes played daily over four days.

A cut takes place after 54 holes with the 60 lowest scores and ties qualifying for the final round.

A 3 hole aggregate score play off will decide the winner in the event of a tie. If this doesn’t separate the players then a sudden death play-off will commence over the same holes.

A card count-back (last 36, then 18, then 9, etc,) is used to resolve ties for 2nd and 3rd place.

Entries

144 players from 37 countries will contest the 2023 Championship.

All of the players in the field must have handicaps of 0.0 or better with the entry ballot applied based on the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Exemptions were available to the defending champion, a single nomination from each EGA member nation, four nominated players from the host nation, Estonia, competitors in the Bonallack Trophy, St. Andrew’s Trophy and Jacques Léglise Trophy matches, the 2023 South American Amateur champion and the 2023 European Mid-Amateur champion.

There are 32 GB&I entries, namely James ASHFIELD (WAL), Josh BERRY (ENG), Jack BIGHAM (ENG), Tomi BOWEN (WAL), Jack BROOKS (ENG), Angus CARRICK (SCO), Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG), James CLARIDGE (ENG), Paul CONROY (IRL), Will COXON (ENG), Enrique DIMAYUGA (ENG/PHI), Sam EASTERBROOK (ENG), Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), Hugh FOLEY (IRL), Connor GRAHAM (SCO), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO), Jack HEARN (IRL), Joshua HILL (IRL), Will HOPKINS (ENG), Seán KEELING (IRL), Max KENNEDY (ENG), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), Robert MORAN (IRL), Ollie MUKHERJEE (SCO), Liam NOLAN (IRL), Mark POWER (IRL), Calum SCOTT (SCO), Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG), Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO), Harley SMITH (ENG), Gregor TAIT (SCO) and Matthew WILSON (SCO).

Europe’s highest WAGR-ranked player John GOUGH (ENG) is playing in the British Masters at The Belfry this week.

Noteworthy overseas entries include Jose Luis BALLESTER BARRIO (ESP), Jonas BAUMGARTNER (GER), Pietro BOVARI (ITA), Mats EGE (NOR), Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI), Albert HANSSON (SWE), Tobias JONSSON (SWE), Frederik KJETTRUP (DEN), Luis MASAVEU (ESP), Michael MJAASETH (NOR), Daniel DA COSTA RODRIGUES (POR), Bard SKOGEN (NOR) and Richard TEDER (EST).

Pärnu Bay Golf Links, Estonia

Pärnu Bay is a links style course designed by Finnish architect Lassi Pekka Tillander which opened for play in 2015.

As you can see from the photos it is located on a narrow coastal site and features wide fairways, expansive sandy waste areas and undulating greens.

The course is a relatively short 6,720 yards long and plays to a par of 72. It has five par 3’s, eight par 4’s and five par 5’s.

Weather Forecast

Weather conditions are generally expected to be good, albeit with the risk of afternoon showers.

Weds 28th June – Sunny / PM Showers. Wind 7 mph SE. Min. 13°C / Max. 24°C.
Thurs 29th June – Sunny / PM Showers. Wind 8 mph W. Min. 12°C / Max. 25°C.
Fri 30th June – Sunny. Wind 10 mph W. Min. 12°C / Max. 25°C.
Sat 1st July – Sunny / PM Showers. Wind 10 mph SW. Min. 12°C / Max. 22°C.

Prizes

Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the top 3 finishers.

The silver Championship Trophy, shown below, is held by the winning player’s national golf authority.

The European Amateur Championship Trophy (Photo: EGA)

The Open Championship

The champion earns an exemption into the Open Championship in a few weeks time, this year being played at Royal Liverpool G.C. in England.

The Open Championship Amateur Series Winner – the player who gains the most WAGR points in the St. Andrews Links Trophy, the Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship – (as long as they don’t win the Amateur or European Amateur) will also earn a spot at Royal Liverpool.

The players finishing 2nd to 5th in this year’s European Amateur will be invited to compete in Final Qualifying.

Further Information

Click here to view the – EGA European Amateur Championship Website

Click here to view the – EGA / Golfbox 2023 European Amateur Championship Tee Times

Click here to view the – EGA / Golfbox 2023 European Amateur Championship Leaderboard

2022 European Amateur Championship

Filippo CELLI (ITA) won the 2022 European Amateur Championship at El Saler Golf Club in Spain after rounds of 64, 74, 73 and 69. His 280 (-8) total gave him a 1-shot victory.

He became the fourth Italian winner of this prestigious trophy following in the footsteps of Massimo Scarpa (1992), Stafano Mazzoli (2015) and Luca Cianchetti (2016).

Rasmus NEERGAARD-PETERSEN (DEN) finished 2nd on 281 (-7), Calum SCOTT 3rd on 282 (-6) 3rd and Javier BARCOS GARBAYO (ESP) 4th on 283 (-5).

Calum Scott, Filippo Celli and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Photo: European Golf Association)

The other GB&I players to finish in the top 50 in 2022 were Harley SMITH (ENG) -1 tied 9th, Rob MORAN (IRL) Ev tied 18th, Callum BRUCE (SCO) +1 T23, James ASHFIELD (WAL) +2 tied 23rd and Josh HILL (ENG), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) & Frank KENNEDY (ENG) +5 tied 44th.

Leading Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Click here to view the full – EGA / Golfbox 2022 European Amateur Championship Leaderboard

History

The competition was first contested in 1986 at Eindhoven G.C. Initially it was held biennially before moving to an annual fixture from 1990.

Former winners who have gone on to enjoy very successful professional careers include Stephen GALLACHER (1994), Sergio GARCIA (1995), Gregory HAVRET (1999), Carl PETTERSSON (2000), Rory MCILROY (2006), Victor DUBUISSON (2009) and Nicolai HØJGÅRD (2018).

Ashley Chesters is the only two-time winner and the only player to have retained the trophy.

Click here to view the – European Amateur Championship Past Winners and Venues

Rory McIlroy – 2006 Champion (Photo: European Golf Association)

ME.

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