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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

Daniel Hayes (Photo: England Golf)

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

Click here to view the – 2024 Brabazon Trophy Results

ME.

_______________________________________

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.

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.

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.

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

ME.

_______________________________________

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).

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.

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

ME.

_______________________________________

16th May 2024 (Updated 23rd May 2024)

The 78^th English 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.

18th Hole & Clubhouse, Hollinwell (Photo: Kevin Murray)

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).

Par 3 13th Hole, Hollinwell (Photo: Kevin Murray)

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.

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