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Men’s Home Internationals – 2026 Preview & Results

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Tuesday 4th August 2026

Click here to view the – 2026 Men’s Home Internationals Match Results

Click here to view the – 2026 Men’s Home Internationals Standings

All Graphics, Tables and Scoring shown will be shared courtesy of Golf Ireland and Golf Genius.

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Monday 3rd August 2026

This year’s Men’s Home Internationals will be played at Woodbrook Golf Club in Ireland on 5th-7th August 2026.

ENGLAND will be defending the Raymond Trophy which they won at Woodhall Spa G.C. in Lincolnshire last year.

This article will focus on the Men’s Home Internationals and will be updated with score links and daily reports once the competition 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 mixed event.

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

Whilst the mixed 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.

The R&A stepped back from running all of the Home Internationals in 2024 returning their organisation to each host nation in turn.

I hope the organisers look to remove the mixed element completely in due course and return to the separate men’s and women’s competitions which have a lot of history and should never have been interfered with.

2026 Men’s Players

The four national golf unions have selected the following players to represent their countries this year. I have added their World Amateur Golf Rankings as at 29th July 2026 in brackets.

ENGLAND
Ben BOLTON – Enville (100)
Jenson BULL – Remedy Oak (488)
Ed FEATHERSTONE – Sheringham (231)
Dan HAYES – Bramhall (126)
Greg HOLMES – Royal Birkdale (832)
Lewy HAYWARD – Marlborough (369)
Max HOPKINS – Bishop Stortford (611)
Harley SMITH – The Rayleigh Club (120)
Jamie VAN WYK – Royal Lytham & St. Annes (673, won the English Amateur last week)

Tyler Weaver (2), Luke Poulter (4), Eliot Baker (18), Freddie Turnell (74), Sam Easterbrook (79), Jack Whaley (93), Zach Little (94), Josh Hill (96), Seb Cave (123), Tom Osborne (131), Matthew Dodd-Berry (163), Jack Bigham (174) and Frazer Jones (221) are WAGR top 250 English players who are not competing. 

IRELAND
Fionn DOBBIN – Malone (966)
John DOYLE – Fota Island (192)
Gerard DUNNE – County Louth (1,837)
Keith EGAN – Carton House (986)
Thomas HIGGINS – Roscommon (211)
David HOWARD – Fota Island (900)
Dylan KEATING – Seapoint (1,579)
David KITT – Athenry (1,116)
Gavin O’NEILL – Malahide (875)

Stuart Grehan (22), Caolan Rafferty (183) and Gavin Tiernan (205) are WAGR top 250 Irish players who are not competing.

SCOTLAND
George CANNON – Glenbervie (626)
Andrew DAVIDSON – Crail (355)
Alexander FARMER – Kilmacolm (1,564)
Finlay GALLOWAY – St. Andrews (2,130)
Ross LAIRD – Glenbervie (909)
Oliver MUKHERJEE – Gullane (2,254)
Sam MUKHERJEE – Gullane (1,436)
Ben MURRAY – Portlethan (2,681)
Chris SOMERS – Murcar Links (948)

Niall Sheils Donegan (19) and Connor Graham (23) are WAGR top 250 Scottish players who are not competing.

WALES
Theo BAKER – Celtic Manor ()
Jonathan BALE – Royal Porthcawl (300)
Tomi BOWEN – Welshpool (232)
Caolan BURFORD – Rhuddlan (951, won the Welsh Amateur last week)
Sean DAVID – Pyle & Kenfig (727)
Alex JAMES – Royal Lytham & St. Annes (1,957)
Tom PEET – Pyle & Kenfig (NR)
Ioan ROWE – Royal Porthcawl (1,055)
Bryn THOMAS – Cardigan (NR)

Venue – Woodbrook G.C.

Woodbrook, a parkland course located next to the sea in Bray to the south of Dublin, is celebrating it’s centenary this year.

Peter McEvoy re-designed the course in 1998 when USGA standard greens were laid in preparation for the Irish Seniors Open being staged there.

It plays to a maximum distance of 7,016 yards and has a par of 72. It has a Course Rating of 74.3 and a Slope Rating of 131 off these back tees.

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.

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

The Men’s Home Internationals were first played in 1932 and this year’s staging will be the 84th 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 84 competitions played to date England have won 41, Scotland 21, Ireland 14 and Wales 1. The remaining 7 were tied before it was decided that ties would be resolved by using game points.

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The Raymond Trophy (Photo: Ayrshire Golf Blog)

2026 Weather Forecast (as at 3rd August 2026)

The forecast is currently looking very good for the three competition days: –

Wed. 6th Aug. – Sunny / Wind 9 mph W / Temp. Min 13º, Max 22º
Thurs. 7th Aug. – Sunny Intervals / Wind 14 mph SW / Temp. Min 13º, Max 24º
Fri. 8th Aug. – Sunny / Wind 11 mph W / Temp. Min 12º, Max 24º

2025 R&A Men’s Home Internationals

ENGLAND won the 2025 Men’s Home Internationals completing a clean sweep against the other home nations over the three days.

England Men’s Team (Photo: England Golf)

Individual Performances

Eliot BAKER (ENG), Alexander FARMER (SCO), Caolan BURFORD (WAL) and Gavin TIERNAN (IRL) were the leading performers for each home nation at Woodhall Spa G.C.

Click here to view the – 2025 Men’s and Women’s Home Internationals Scores

Historic Results

Click here to view all of the – Men’s Home Internationals Historic Results

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2026, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Irish Amateur Open Championship – 2026 Preview & Results

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Sunday 10th May 2026

Round 4

Patrick KEELING (IRL), 21, birdied his 72nd hole to secure a 1-shot victory in the Flogas-sponsored Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship.

After a fine up and down, which included a winning 12 foot putt, from behind Seaport’s home green the Roganstown golfer finished with a 277 (-11) total.

Photo: Golf Ireland / Inpho / Laszlo Geczo 

The reigning East of Ireland champion David HOWARD (IRL) finished 2nd on -10 with Stuart GREHAN (IRL) 3rd, on final round count-back, and GERARD DUNNE (IRL) 4th after they both finished on -9. Greg HOLMES (ENG) who finished 4th last year had to settle for 5th this.

Final Results (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2026 Irish Amateur Open Results

ME.

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Saturday 9th May 2026

Round 3

Patrick KEELING (IRL) will take a 1-shot lead over Darragh FLYNN (IRL) and Thomas ABOM (IRL) into tomorrow’s final round after he shot a 73 in the third round. In much tougher conditions Flynn moved nicely up into tied 2nd place with a well timed 70 whilst Abom had to settle for a 75.

Gerard DUNNE (IRL), 73, and Stephen COULTER (IRL), 75, are tied 4th on -7.

Nine further players are tied 6th 0n -4 but now appear too far away to challenge for the title.

52 players made the top 50 and ties 54 hole cut at Seapoint which fell at 219 (+3).

Round 3 leaderboard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

ME.

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Friday 8th May 2026

Round 2

Thomas ABOM (IRL) shot a second round 64, which included a hole-in-one on the 17th, to move into the lead at the Irish Amateur Open on -11.

Thomas Abom’s Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

However, Patrick KEELING (IRL) took the round of the day with a sensational Seapoint course record 10-under 62. He finished the day tied 2nd with overnight leader Stephen COULTER (IRL) on -10.

Patrick Keeling’s Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Gerard DUNNE (IRL) and Liam ABOM (IRL) are tied 4th on -8 with Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG), Darragh FLYNN (IRL), David REDDAN (IRL), Tom HUGHES (ENG) and defending champion Stuart GREHAN (IRL) all 2-shots further back heading into the weekend.

After 36 holes 33 players are under par with a further 16 on even par.

Round 2 leaderboard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

ME.

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Thursday 7th May 2026

Round 1

Stephen COULTER (IRL) took the early lead at Seapoint with a sparkling 8-under 64 in Round 1.

Stephen Coulter’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

After an opening back nine of 30 Liam ABOM (IRL) ultimately had to settle for a 65 (-6) and 2nd place.

Liam Abom’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Defending champion Stuart GREHAN (IRL) is 3rd, well placed on -5, with Mark MULDOON (IRL), Gerard DUNNE (IRL), Thomas ABOM (IRL), John DOYLE (IRL) and Tom HUGHES (ENG) all tied 4th on -3 after 18 holes.

29 players finished Day 1 with an under par score.

Round 1 leaderboard (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

ME.

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Preview

The Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by Flogas, starts on Thursday 7th May 2026 at Seapoint Golf Links near Drogheda, County Louth on Ireland’s east coast.

It will be the 87th playing of this prestigious Championship and the second successive year that it has been staged at Seapoint.

Seapoint’s 2nd Hole (Photo: Seaport Golf Links)

Format

Organised by Golf Ireland the Irish Amateur Open is a 72-hole stroke play event played over four days.

18 holes will be played on each of the first three days before a top 50 and ties cut is made. A final 18 holes will then be played by the leading competitors on Sunday.

A tie for the Championship will be resolved by a sudden death play-off. All other ties will be resolved by a last eighteen and then last nine countback.

The Irish Amateur Open Champion Golfer is awarded a superb silver trophy. Irish winners are allowed to take the trophy back to their Club for the year whereas overseas winners must return it to the organisers after the prize presentation.

Players

132 golfers will contest the 2026 Championship with 111 of these being from Ireland.

I expect the following players to do well (in alphabetical order): Mark CADDEN (IRL), Quentin CAREW (IRL), Paul COUGHLAN (IRL), John DOYLE (IRL), Gerard DUNNE (IRL),  Stuart GREHAN (IRL), Tom HUGHES (ENG), Dylan KEATING (IRL), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), Jack MCDONNELL (IRL) and Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG).

Like all events played before June the field quality isn’t helped by the large number of GB&I and European players now playing on the U.S. college circuit. This year the inclusion of the Austrian International Amateur Championship, which starts on 8th April, on the newly established European Amateur Order of Merit hasn’t helped either.

Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2026 Irish Amateur Open Tee Times

Players will tee off, from the 1st and 10th tees, between 8.00am and 2.50pm in three-balls on each of the first three days so changes in the weather and wind speeds throughout each day could play a big part in scoring.

Course

Seapoint is a modern championship links course designed by Des Smyth in the early 1990s and opened for play in June 1993.

Located adjacent to Termonfeckin Beach the course will this week play at 7,041 yards and to a par of 72.

Over the last 30 years it has hosted a number of professional events, the Irish Amateur Close Championship in 2014 (JR Galbraith) as well as last year’s Irish Amateur Open (Stuart Grehan).

Weather Forecast (as at Thursday 7th May)

The weather forecast for the competition looks good – cool but dry with moderate winds expected.

Thu 7th May – Cloudy / Wind 10 mph S / Temp. Min. 8°C / Max. 13°C.
Fri  8th May – Cloudy / Wind 9 mph NE / Temp. Min. 7°C / Max. 12°C.
Sat  9th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 14 mph N / Temp. Min. 6°C / Max. 13°C.
Sun 10th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 12 mph N / Temp. Min. 6°C / Max. 12°C.

The 2025 Irish Amateur Open Championship

Stuart Grehan (Photo: Golf Ireland / Infosports)

Stuart GREHAN (IRL) beat Lewy HAYWARD (ENG) on the third play-off hole to win the 2025 Flogas-sponsored Irish Amateur Open Championship at Seapoint Golf Links. Both players finished the 72 holes on 273 (-15) after bogey-free final rounds of 66 and 69 respectively.

Defending champion Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) finished 3rd on -13, Greg HOLMES (ENG) -11 4th, Matt ROBERTS (WAL) -11 5th and Gerry DUNNE (IRL) -11 6th on final round count back.

Final Results (Graphic: Golf Ireland / Golf Genius)

Click here to view the – 2025 Irish Amateur Open Results

History, Past Winners and Records

The Irish Amateur Open Championship was first played in 1892 with early winners including the English amateur greats John Ball and Harold Hilton.

Between 1894 and 1901 (6 years) the competition was played as part of the Irish Championship Meeting alongside a professional tournament.

The Championship was not played during both World Wars.

It was also not played between 1960 and 1994 due to a lack of interest from overseas players amidst concerns over safety.

Prior to 1958 it was a match play event but since returning to the amateur calendar in 1995 it has been 72 holes of stroke play.

To view a list of past winners click here – Irish Amateur Open Past Champions

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2026, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.