Tag Archives: Matthew Wilson

Men’s Home Internationals – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on by

Friday 9th August 2024

Ireland won the Raymond Trophy at the 2024 Men’s Home Internationals winning all three of their games and accumulating 25.5 points. 

img_9666-1

Ireland Women and Men’s Mixed Team (Photo: Chris Young / Scottish Golf)

Each match consisted of four morning Foursomes and eight afternoon Singles.

Screenshot 2024-08-09 at 20.58.03

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

Here is my analysis of the individual performances which highlights the star men from each team: –

Screenshot 2024-08-09 at 21.19.00Screenshot 2024-08-09 at 21.21.08

All Scoring and Tables shown in this article for the 2024 competition are shared courtesy of Scottish Golf.

Day 3

Scotland v. Wales

Wales beat Scotland 8.0-4.0.

After the Foursomes series was halved Wales pulled away from the host nation in the opening five Singles, winning four and halving the other. It appears that the final three pairs were called off once the result became undoubted.

img_9656-1

img_9658-1

Ireland v. England

In the winner-takes-it all final match Ireland beat England by 8.0-4.0. 

The Irish took a nice advantage into the singles and ultimately finished off the match in style by edging a number of close Singles.

img_9657-1

img_9662-1

ME.

_________________________________________

Thursday 8th August 2024

Day 2

Ireland and England both finished Day 2 unbeaten albeit Ireland sit top of the table with 2.5 more match points.

img_9652-1

England v. Scotland

England beat Scotland 7.5-4.5.

A superb Singles performance, where they secured 6.5 points out of the 8.0 available, helped England to a bounce-back win against Scotland who had them on the ropes after the morning Foursomes.  

England’s Charlie FORSTER and Will HOPKINS remain unbeaten from their four games.

Cormac SHARPE was unbeaten for the Scots on the day and enjoyed his second big Singles win.

img_9628-1

img_9631-1

Wales v. Ireland 

Ireland thrashed Wales 10.0-2.0.

A clean sweep in the four foursomes for Ireland was followed by five Singles wins as they outclassed their opponents today.

Liam NOLAN and Seán KEELING took their tournament win records to four out of four.

Tom MATTHEWS bounced back well with the sole Singles win for the Welsh.

img_9630-1

img_9649-1

ME.

_________________________________________

Wednesday 7th August 2024

Day 1

England and Ireland were the winning teams on Day 1 and are tied at the top of the 2024 Men’s Home Internationals table. 

img_9617-1

England v. Wales

England beat Wales 7.5-4.5.

Wales will be pleased to have tied the afternoon Singles series but disappointed to let the earlier Foursomes get away from them. 

Seb CAVE, Charlie FORSTER and Will HOPKINS secured maximum points for the English in this match.

img_9611-1

img_9613-1

Ireland v. Scotland 

Ireland beat Scotland 7.5-4.5.

Ireland got off to the best possible start with a win against the host nation albeit Scotland will be disappointed with the contribution from their leading players. 

Liam NOLAN and Seán KEELING were both unbeaten for the Irish in the match whilst Andrew DAVIDSON and Jack MCDONALD picked up two points for the Scots.

img_9612-1

img_9618-1

ME.

_________________________________________

6th August 2024

This year’s Men’s Home Internationals will be played at Murcar Links G.C. in Aberdeen, Scotland on 7th-9th August 2024.

ENGLAND will be defending the Raymond Trophy which they won at Machynys Peninsula G.C. in Wales last year.

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

For reasons that haven’t been communicated – at least not to me – The R&A appear to have stepped back from running all of the Home Internationals in 2024 returning their organisation to each host nation. 

Hopefully this means that in due course we can remove the mixed element completely and return to the separate men’s and women’s competitions which have a lot of history and tradition and in my opinion should not have been interfered with.

2024 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 31st July 2024 in brackets.

ENGLAND  
Seb CAVE – Coxmoor (294)
Dominic CLEMONS – Gog Magog (142)
Matthew DODD-BERRY – Royal Liverpool (125)
Charlie FORSTER – Basingstoke (239)
Daniel HAYES – Bramhall (507)
Josh HILL – Trump Dubai (412)
Will HOPKINS – Belton Park (57)
Tom OSBORNE – Lindrick (386)
Harley SMITH – The Rayleigh (428)

Jack Bigham (35) and Tyler Weaver (74) are unavailable as they are competing in the U.S. Amateur Championship on 12-18 August 2024. 

IRELAND 
Colm CAMPBELL – Warrenpoint (1,045)
Paul COUGHLAN – Castleknock (1,531)
Hugh FOLEY – Royal Dublin (779)
Ryan GRIFFIN – Ballybofey & Stanoriar (825)
Thomas HIGGINS – Roscommon (497)
Josh HILL – Galgorm Castle (952)
Seán KEELING – Roganstown (277)
Liam NOLAN – Galway (80)
Luke O’NEILL – Connemara (719)

Max Kennedy (28) and Matthew McClean (75) are unavailable as they are competing in the U.S. Amateur Championship.   

SCOTLAND 
Cameron ADAM – Royal Burgess (184)
Andrew DAVIDSON – Crail (654)
Gregor GRAHAM – Blairgowrie (101)
Ross LAIRD – Glenbervie (1,174)
Jack MCDONALD – Roxburghe (879)
James MORGAN – Longniddery (755)
Cormac SHARPE – Blairgowrie (2,193)
Gregor TAIT – Aldeburgh (418)
Matthew WILSON – Forres (673)

Connor Graham (134), Calum Scott (12) and Niall Shiels Donegan (365) are unavailable as they are competing in the U.S. Amateur Championship.  

WALES
Theo BAKER – Celtic Manor (1,458)
Jonathan BALE – Royal Porthcawl (296)
Tom BASTOW – Isle of Purbeck (790)
Tomi BOWEN – Welshpool (178)
Caolan BURFORD – Rhuddlan (668)
Archie DAVIES – Carlisle (560)
Tom MATTHEWS – Aldersley Green (369)
Matt ROBERTS – Royal Porthcawl (369)
Max WEAVER – Bury St. Edmunds (1,873)

James Ashfield (25) 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. The three champions were Harley Smith, Alexander Farmer and Jamie Dean. In 2023 none of the three champions, Ben Brown, Cameron Adam and Max Weaver, competed in the Home Internationals. This year Harley Smith makes it one out of the three.  

Venue – Murcar Links Golf Club

Murcar Links G.C. was established in 1909 and lies to the north of Royal Aberdeen G.C.

It was originally designed by Archie Simpson with James Braid refining the layout in the 1930s. More recent improvements have been made by Graeme J. Webster’s Team Niblick Ltd.

Murcar’s championship course (black tees) plays to 6,516 yards, has a par of 71, a course rating of 72.8 and a slope rating of 136.

Murcar hosted the inaugural Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Match Play competition on the European Tour in 2016. It has also staged the European Girls Team Championship (2009), the Scottish Amateur Stroke Play (2009), the European Boys Team Championship (2013) and the Amateur Championship – SPQ (2018).

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 83rd 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 82 competitions played to date England have won 40, 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.

img_8282

The Raymond Trophy (Photo: Ayrshire Golf Blog)

2024 Weather Forecast (as at 6th August 2024)

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

Wed. 7th Aug. – Sunny Intervals / Wind 21 mph SW / Temp. Min 11º, Max 19º
Thurs. 8th Aug. – Sunny Intervals / Wind 15 mph SE / Temp. Min 13º, Max 19º
Fri. 9th Aug. – Light Rain / Wind 16 mph W / Temp. Min 11º, Max 19º

2023 R&A Men’s Home Internationals

ENGLAND successfully defended the Men’s Raymond Trophy last year at Machnys Peninsula Ballyliffin G.C. in Ireland.

England beat Ireland on the final day by 3.0 points to snatch the title from their opponents by just 0.5 points scored.

Despite losing to Scotland on the final day Wales finished 3rd. Scotland also missed out by 0.5 points scored.

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 20.16.51

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

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

Historic Results

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

ME.

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

The European Amateur Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on by

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).

img_8948-1

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.

img_8943-1

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.

img_8938-1

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.

img_8944-1

Round 4 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

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

ME.

_________________________________________

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.

img_8936-1

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.

img_8935-1

Round 3 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

_________________________________________

27th June 2024

Round 2

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

img_8926-1

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.

img_8925-1

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).

img_8924-1

Round 2 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

_________________________________________

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.

img_8915-1

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.

img_8916-1

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.

img_8853-1

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.

img_5625

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.

img_5673

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

img_5668

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.

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

Scottish Men’s Open Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

Posted on by

2nd June 2024

Round 4

Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) has won the Scottish Men’s Open Championship with a 260 (-24) total.

He is the 11th English winner and the fourth in the last five playings.

img_8637-1

Dominic Clemons (Photo: Scottish Golf)

I was impressed with his 65 this morning in the circumstances but clearly Mr. Clemons was not. A bogey free 9-under 62 in the final round this afternoon saw him run off into the distance and ultimately win by an amazing 17 shots.

21 year old  – he’s 22 on 14th June – Clemons has just finished his senior fourth year at Stetson University having transferred there from Hutchinson two years ago. He arrived home to Cambridge in good form having finished 87th in the 2024 Clipped Scoreboard Men’s Division I Individual Ranking. Whilst I tipped him to do well in my Preview below I’m sure neither he nor certainly I were expecting a performance of this magnitude.

Talking to Scottish Golf afterwards he said “When it’s your day, it’s your day. When I was out there, I wasn’t thinking about what it means to win around Muirfield, but now it’s sinking in.”

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 19.03.52

Dominic Clemons Round 4 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Jordan BURNAND (RSA) -7 finished 2nd on last round count back, Kai KOMULAINEN (AUS) -7 3rd, Jamie NIELSEN (DEN) -6 4th and Matteo CRISTONI (ITA), who had a final round hole-in-one on the 16th, -4 5th.

Jack MCDONALD -1 8th was the highest finishing Scot with Charlie FORSTER (ENG) Ev also finishing in the top 10.

Just eight of the 44 players who made the cut finished under par.

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 19.08.36

Round 4 Scoreboard – Leaders (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Click here to view the – 2024 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Leaderboard

_______________________________________

Round 3

Overnight leader Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) showed few nerves in producing a second consecutive 6-under 65 at Muirfield in this morning’s third round.

He now leads the Scottish Men’s Amateur Open Championship by 5-shots going into this afternoon’s final round.

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 14.05.53

Dominic Clemons Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Australian Kai KOMULAINEN, playing in the penultimate three-ball, produced a bogey-free 68 to move into 2nd place on -10.

Clemons’ playing partners Jordan BURNAND (RSA) 71 and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) 72 just about stayed in touch with him, albeit four and five bogeys respectively on their cards were always going to hold them back.

Jamie NIELSEN (DEN) and Matteo CRISTONI (ITA) finished the round on -5 and tied 5th. Cristoni’s 67 was the second best third round score behind the leader.

Screenshot 2024-06-02 at 14.05.40

Round 3 Scoreboard – Leaders (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

ME.

_______________________________________

1st June 2024

Round 2

Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) moved into the lead at the Scottish Men’s Open Championship after shooting a 6-under 65 around Muirfield on Day 2.

Screenshot 2024-06-01 at 22.30.55

Dominic Clemons Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Jordan BURNAND‘s (RSA) 7-under 64, the best round of the day, lifted him 12 places on the leaderboard into 2nd place. He will start the final day 1-shot behind Clemons.

Screenshot 2024-06-01 at 22.30.42

Jordan Burnand Round 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Kai KOMULAINEN (AUS) and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) -7 are tied 3rd after they both recorded 67’s.

Overnight leader Jamie NIELSEN (DEN) fell back to 5th after his even par 71.

The other big movers towards the top of the leaderboard on Saturday were Maxime LAM (FRA) 66, up 48 spots and now tied 6th on -3, and Rory MCDONALD-O’BRIEN (ENG) 67, up 43 places and now tied 11th on -2.

Screenshot 2024-06-01 at 22.30.20

Round 2 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

44 players made the top 40 and ties cut which fell at +2.

ME.

_______________________________________

31st May 2024

Round 1

Jamie NIELSEN (DEN) took the early lead in the Scottish Open Amateur after a seven birdie 65 (-6) around the famous Muirfield links.

Screenshot 2024-05-31 at 21.49.48

Jamie Nielsen Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

David LUNDGREN (SWE), Eli RIEGGER (USA), Charlie FORSTER (ENG), Khaled ATTIEH (SAU), Kai KOMULAINEN (AUS), Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) are all tied 2nd on -3.

On a lovely day for golf in East Lothian 23 players broke par at Muirfield with a further 11 finishing their opening rounds on Even par.

Screenshot 2024-05-31 at 21.49.29

Round 1 Scorecard – Leaders (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

ME.

_______________________________________

28th May 2024

The 57th Scottish Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship starts on Friday 31st May at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian.

I will be updating this article throughout the week.

img_8484-1

Format

This open scratch amateur competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play.

18 holes will be played on both Friday 31st May and Saturday 1st June.

A 36 hole cut will then take place with only the leading 40 competitors and ties qualifying for the final two rounds which will be played on Sunday 2nd June.

In the event of a tie for the Championship there will be a sudden death play off. All other ties will be resolved via card count back.

Field

144 competitors will start the 2024 Championship.

The field will be made up of (1) the 55 entrants with the highest WAGRs, (2) the next 55 players with the lowest WHS Handicap Index, (3) 10 Scottish Golf nominations and (4) a minimum of 24 players via the Pre-Qualifying event (see below).

The busy amateur schedule means that despite hosting the Championship at Muirfield, one of the best courses in the world, Scottish Golf have again struggled to attract a top class field for its Open Amateur. The NCAA U.S. college season, which only ends on Wednesday 29th May, and the conflicting East of Ireland Men’s Open Amateur and PGA Tour Americas Q-School events have attracted some players. Others are resting with the Scottish Open falling between the Brabazon Trophy and St. Andrews Links Trophy & Amateur Championship in a few weeks time.

The defending champion Connor GRAHAM (SCO), still recovering from a wrist injury, and his brother Gregor GRAHAM, one of GB&I’s best players this year, are both skipping the event.

On paper Cameron ADAM (SCO), Eliot BAKER (ENG), Jordan BURNAND (RSA), Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG), Dominic CLEMONS (ENG), Brodie CUNNINGHAM (SCO), Andrew DAVIDSON (SCO), Charlie FORSTER (ENG), Andrew HASWELL (ENG), Jack INGHAM (NED), Jack MCDONALD (SCO), Benjamin REUTER (NED), Matt ROBERTS (WAL), Gregor TAIT (SCO), Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) and Matthew WILSON (SCO) seem the most likely to feature highly on the leaderboard.

Pre-Qualifying

Scottish Golf, for the third time, held an 18 hole Pre-Qualifying event. This year it took place on Tuesday 28th May at Gullane No. 2.

Jack DRURY (ENG) and Charlie GILLESPIE (SCO), who both posted 65’s (-6), were the co-medalists leading 36 guaranteed players into the main event. The top 36 cut off fell at -1 with II players on the number. Seven made it through on count back with Ellis WILLOT (ENG) taking the final spot and the four remaining players making up a reserve list.

Click here to view the – 2024 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Pre-Qualifying Results

Muirfield

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (HCEG) was formed in 1744 with Muirfield becoming their home in 1891.

The original links was laid out by Old Tom Morris before Harry Colt redesigned it; his course, now on a larger site, opening for play in 1924. Martin Hawtree undertook further refinements in 2011.

Muirfield has staged the Open Championship (16 times), Amateur Championship (11), Curtis Cup (2), Walker Cup (2), Vagliano Trophy (2) and Ryder Cup (1).

It staged the inaugural Scottish Open Amateur in 1967 when Bernard Gallacher won and then again in  1977 when Paul McKellar (SCO) was victorious.

Unusually for a links course the opening nine holes circle clockwise around the edge of the property before the back nine plays in an anti-clockwise direction on the inside. The fairways are generally flat and visible, and despite their being 148 deep bunkers, the test has always been considered a fair one.

The Championship course plays to 7,245 yards and a par of 71. It has a Course Rating of 73.8 and a Slope Rating of 142.

Prizes

The Winner receives the distinctive silver Championship Trophy and a Crystal Award.

Crystal Awards are also given to the runner-up and third place finisher.

Weather Forecast (last updated Friday 30th May)

The weather forecast suggests the Championship will be played largely in sunny conditions with only light breezes expected throughout.

Fri 31st May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 10 mph NE / Temp. Min. 10°C / Max. 16°C,
Sat 1st June – Sunny /  Wind 8 mph NE / Temp. Min. 8°C / Max. 17°C
Sun 2nd June – Sunny Intervals / Wind 20 mph W / Temp. Min. 12°C / Max. 18°C

2023 Results

A 16 year old Connor GRAHAM (SCO) won the 2023 Scottish Men’s Open Championship at Meldrum House in Aberdeenshire.

img_5197

Conor Graham (Photo: Scottish Golf)

Graham produced four under par rounds for a 265 (-15) total. This included a final round 63 (-7), the low round of the Championship, to storm to a 4-shot victory.

Experienced South African, Altin VAN DER MERWE -11, finished 2nd, Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) -8 was 3rd, Jordan BURNAND (RSA) -7 4th and Max HOPKINS (ENG) -6 5th on count back (last 3 holes) from Connor MCDADE (AUS) -6 who had to settle for 6th.

img_5191

Final Results (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Click here to view the – 2023 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Leaderboard

Past Winners

The Scottish Men’s Open Amateur was first contested in 1967 and has an impressive list of past winners. Here are some of them: –

2011 – Andy Sullivan (ENG)
2009 – Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
2004 – Richie Ramsay (SCO)
2003 – Gary Wolstenholme (ENG)
1997 – Barclay Howard (SCO)
1996 – Alastair Forsyth (SCO)
1995 – Stephen Gallacher (SCO)
1992 – Dean Robertson (SCO)
1991 – Andrew Coltart (SCO)
1985 – Colin Montgomerie (SCO)
1981 – Philip Walton (IRE)
1980 – Gordon Brand Jr (ENG)
1975 and 1984 – Charlie Green (SCO)
1971, 1974 and 1979 – Ian Hutcheon (SCO)
1970 – Dale Hayes (RSA)
1968 – Ronnie Shade (SCO)
1967 – Bernard Gallacher (SCO)

A full list of the past winners can be viewed here – Scottish Open Amateur Winners

ME.

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

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

Posted on by

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 

____________________________________________

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

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 20.15.50

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

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 20.16.33

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

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

ME.

____________________________________________

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

Screenshot 2023-08-10 at 18.53.09

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.

____________________________________________

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 20.53.29Screenshot 2023-08-09 at 20.53.08

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

Screenshot 2023-08-09 at 20.54.17

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

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

ME.

____________________________________________

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.

img_8282

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.

img_6259

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.

img_2606

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

Screenshot 2022-08-05 at 20.41.35

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.

Copyright © 2014-2023, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The European Amateur Championship – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on by

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.

img_5673

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.

img_5668

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.

img_5666

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:-

img_5664

img_5665

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.

____________________________________

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.

img_5654

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: –

img_5647

img_5648

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.

____________________________________

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.

img_5628

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.

img_5630

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.

img_5631

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.

img_5632

James Claridge’s Rounds 1 & 2 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Here are the leading players after Round 2: –

img_5627

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.

____________________________________

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.

img_5601

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: –

img_5600

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.

____________________________________

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.

img_5625

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).

img_2127

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.

img_2041

 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).

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 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.

Copyright © 2014-2023, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Scottish Men’s Open Championship – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on by

4th June 2023

Connor GRAHAM (SCO) produced a final round 63 (-7), the low round of the Championship, to win the Scottish Men’s Open Championship at Meldrum House.

img_5197

Conor Graham (Photo: Scottish Golf)

Graham produced four under par rounds for a 265 (-15) total to secure the biggest win of his young, but already very impressive, amateur career.

It was another very good performance for the Blairgowrie man after his tied 10th place finish in last week’s Brabazon Trophy and obviously a further boost to his Walker Cup hopes.

Screenshot 2023-06-04 at 19.32.25

Connor Graham’s Championship Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Rounds 4

Connor GRAHAM (SCO) showed no sign of final round nerves and took control of the Championship over the front nine. Five birdies saw him go out in 30 and after he eagled the 564 yard par 5 11th the trophy was very much his to lose.

He offset two bogeys with two birdies over his remaining eight holes to record a sparkling 63 and ultimately a four shot victory.

Experienced South African, Altin VAN DER MERWE, kept the pressure on Graham through out with his own 66 on the final loop but despite his efforts never had a sniff of the title.

Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) was rewarded for making the long trip north from Essex with a good third place finish and will be pleased with his final day rounds of 67 and 68.

Jordan BURNAND (RSA) -7 took the 4th place prize with Max HOPKINS (ENG) -6 5th on count back (last 3 holes) from Connor MCDADE (AUS) -6 who had to settle for 6th.

Seb CAVE (ENG) completed a brilliant final three rounds with a second Sunday 66 to finish 7th on -5.

img_5191

Final Results (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Click here to view the – 2023 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Leaderboard

Round 3

Sunday’s morning round saw Connor GRAHAM (SCO) take the solo lead on -8 after a 2-under 68.

Playing partner Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) was 1-shot back on -7 and fellow South African Jordan BURNAND tied 3rd, alongside Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) 67, after his 65 lifted him nicely up the leaderboard.

Connor’s older brother Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) fell back into 4th on -5 after a 71.

David LUNDGREN (SWE), Seb CAVE (ENG), Darren STRACHAN (FRA), Nathan LEGENDRE (FRA) all posted 66’s to move into the top 10 heading into the afternoon’s final round.

ME.

_____________________________________

3rd June 2023

Round 2

Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) from Bellville G.C. in Cape Town shot a joint best of the day 66 to move into a tie for the 36 hole lead at the Scottish Men’s Open Championship. Van Der Merwe started with three birdies in his opening four holes and added a further one on the short par 4 17th.

Screenshot 2023-06-04 at 07.21.27

Altin Van Der Merwe’s Round 1 & 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Brothers Connor GRAHAM (SCO) 67 and Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) 69 both enjoyed solid rounds and head into the final day also tied for the lead on 134 (-6) after 36 holes.

Jamie VAN WYK (ENG) 67, Tom BASTOW (ENG) 68, Lewis IRVINE (SCO) 71 and Zach CHEGWWIDDEN (ENG) 72 are all tied 4th, three shots behind the trio of leaders.

Jason BRUCE (SCO) moved up 38 places into a four-way tie for 8th after he also produced his own 66 on Saturday.

Screenshot 2023-06-04 at 07.22.10

Jason Bruce’s Round 1 & 2 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

England’s Mason ESSAM and Jack MCPHAIL moved into contention on -2 and -1 respectively after they recorded 67’s.

47 players made the 36 hole top 40 and ties cut which fell at +3.

Seb CAVE (ENG) and Ruben LINDSAY (SCO) both shot 67’s and Ben CARBERRY (SCO) a 68 in Round 2 to make the cut on the mark.

Scoring at Meldrum House was better in Round 2 with 26 players breaking par and 14 players shooting level par 70’s.

img_5173

img_5174

Round 2 Leaderboard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

ME.

_____________________________________

2nd June 2023

Round 1

Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG) and Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) lead the Scottish Men’s Open Championship after both player’s posted a 65 (-5) on Day 1.

Both players enjoyed seven birdies but also bogeyed two holes in their impressive opening rounds.

Screenshot 2023-06-02 at 20.38.25

Zach Chegwidden’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Screenshot 2023-06-02 at 20.38.38

Gregor Graham’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

Lewis IRVINE (SCO) -4 is 3rd, Connor GRAHAM (SCO) & Phoenix CAMPBELL (AUS) -3 tied 4th and Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) -2 6th.

There were 15 under par rounds and 13 even par rounds today from a starting field of 144 players.

img_5163-1

Round 1 Leaderboard (Graphic: Scottish Golf)

ME.

_____________________________________

1st June 2023

The 56th Scottish Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship starts on Friday 2nd June at Meldrum House Country Hotel & Golf Course near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire.

Format

This open scratch amateur competition consists of 72 holes of stroke play.

18 holes will be played on both Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd June.

A 36 hole cut will then take place with only the leading 40 competitors and ties qualifying for the final two rounds which will be played on Sunday 4th June.

In the event of a tie for the Championship there will be a sudden death play off. All other ties will be resolved via card count back.

Field

144 competitors will start the 2023 Championship.

The field is made up of entries based on highest WAGRs and lowest handicaps and players that came through a Pre-Qualifying event that took place earlier this week (see below).

A combination of factors means this year’s Championship has disappointingly not attracted a top class field. The parkland venue, Meldrum House, is not easily accessible being 100 miles north of St. Andrews and a good two hour drive north from there. It comes in the middle of the main amateur season and therefore a number of players have chosen to use it as a rest week. Finally it clashes with the East of Ireland Men’s Open Amateur at County Louth which is a more attractive option for the majority of Ireland’s best players.

I expect Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG), Will COXON (ENG), Andrew DAVIDSON (SCO), Hugh FOLEY (IRL), Matt GAUNTLETT (ENG), Connor GRAHAM (SCO), Lewis IRVINE (SCO), Zach LITTLE (ENG), David LUNDGREN (SWE), Darren STRACHAN (FRA), Gregor TAIT (SCO) and Matthew WILSON (SCO) to feature highly on the leaderboard.

Long time Scottish International Matthew CLARK (SCO) is a member at Meldrum House and has been afforded the honour of hitting the opening tee shot. 2022 Scottish Boys champion Fraser LAIRD (SCO) is another local player who should be comfortable in his surroundings.

Liam Johnston was the last Scottish winner back in 2017.

Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are all going through transition periods so their touring players are not as strong as we have seen in previous years.

Pre-Qualifying

Scottish Golf held their first 18 hole Pre-Qualifying event in 2022 and repeated it this year on Tuesday 30th May at Kemnay G.C. just down the road from Meldrum House.

Ruben LINDSAY (SCO) earned medalist honours with a course record round of 66 (-5).

45 players from a pre-qualifying field of 64 are now in the Championship’s starting line-up with others added to the Reserve List.

Click here to view the – 2023 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Pre-Qualifying Results

Meldrum House Golf Club

Located relatively close to last year’s venue, Cruden Bay G.C., Meldrum House is about 20 miles north west of Aberdeen.

The Knights course was designed by Graeme Webster and features tree line fairways and numerous water features. A modern layout it is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

The course has been set up to play to 6,884 yards and with three par 5’s and five par 3’s it has a challenging par of 70.

img_5150

(Photo: Meldrum House)

Tee Times / Scores

Click here to view the – Scottish Men’s Open Championship Web Page 

Prizes

The Winner receives the distinctive silver Championship Trophy and a Crystal Award.

Crystal Awards are also given to the runner-up and third place finisher.

Weather Forecast (last updated Thursday 1st June, 3.00pm)

The current weather forecast is excellent with a dry weekend forecast and relatively light breezes expected throughout.

Fri 2nd June – Sunny / Wind 10 mph E / Temp. Min. 5°C / Max. 15°C,
Sat 3rd June – Sunny Intervals /  Wind 9 mph E / Temp. Min. 5°C / Max. 16°C
Sun 4th June – Sunny / Wind 9 mph SE / Temp. Min. 6°C / Max. 17°C

2022 Results

Charlie THORNTON (ENG) won the 2022 Scottish Men’s Open Championship at Cruden Bay G.C. with a total of 278 (-2).

img_1706

Charlie Thornton (Photo: Thornton Family)

Thornton, who has now turned pro, overturned a 3-shot deficit with a superb bogey-free final round of 66 to secure the biggest win of his amateur career.

John GOUGH (ENG), who finished on 279 (-1) was 2nd, Ireland’s Hugh FOLEY (+4) 3rd after final day rounds of 71 and 68, Scotland’s Ben MURRAY (+4) 4th on countback and David LUNDGREN (SWE), who came through the field in Round 4 with a best of the week 65 which included six birdies, 5th on +5 .

img_1694

Round 4 Scoreboard (Graphic: Scottish Golf / OCS Sport)

Click here to view the – 2022 Scottish Men’s Open Championship Live Scores

Past Winners

The Scottish Men’s Open Amateur was first contested in 1967 and has an impressive list of past winners. Here are some of them: –

2011 – Andy Sullivan (ENG)
2009 – Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
2004 – Richie Ramsay (SCO)
2003 – Gary Wolstenholme (ENG)
1997 – Barclay Howard (SCO)
1996 – Alastair Forsyth (SCO)
1995 – Stephen Gallacher (SCO)
1992 – Dean Robertson (SCO)
1991 – Andrew Coltart (SCO)
1985 – Colin Montgomerie (SCO)
1981 – Philip Walton (IRE)
1980 – Gordon Brand Jr (ENG)
1975 and 1984 – Charlie Green (SCO)
1971, 1974 and 1979 – Ian Hutcheon (SCO)
1970 – Dale Hayes (RSA)
1968 – Ronnie Shade (SCO)
1967 – Bernard Gallacher (SCO)

A full list of the past winners can be viewed here – Scottish Open Amateur Winners

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2023, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Men’s European Nations Championship – 2023 Preview & Results

Posted on by

22nd April 2023

Congratulations to Josh BERRY, Arron EDWARDS-HILL, John GOUGH and Dylan SHAW-RADFORD who steered ENGLAND to victory in the 2023 European Nations Championship at RCG Sotogrande.

img_4658

England Celebrate Their Team Win (Photo: Josh Berry)

After an even par final round ENGLAND finished with an 872 (+8) total with ITALY (+11) 2nd and SPAIN (+14) 3rd.

SCOTLAND (+16) were 4th, IRELAND (+47) 13th and WALES (+48) 14th in the 17 team event.

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

img_4657

Final Team Results (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

Albert HANSSON (SWE) beat John GOUGH (ENG) in a sudden death play-off-to win the Individual title after both players finished on 286 (-2). The consolation for Gough was that it was his 69 (-3), the joint best round of the day, that went a long way to lifting England to the Team win.

Angel AYORA (ESP) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) finished two shots further back on Even par and in tied 3rd place.

The other leading GB&I players were Gregor TAIT (SCO) +7, who was tied 11th, Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) +8 tied 15th, Josh BERRY (ENG) and Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) +9 tied 19th and Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO) +10 tied 24th.

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

img_4656

Final Individual Results (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

ME.

_________________________________________

21st April 2023

SPAIN (+6) lead the Men’s European Nations Championship after 54 holes but with ENGLAND (+8), SCOTLAND (+8), ITALY (+9) and FRANCE (+10) all within 4-shots we can expect an exciting finale at RCG Sotogrande tomorrow.

IRELAND (+29) are 12th and WALES (+37) 15th heading into the final round.

img_4641

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

Reigning Boys’ Amateur champion Albert HANSSON (SWE) -5 holds a 3-shot lead over Angel AYORA (ESP) in the Individual competition.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) and John GOUGH (ENG) +1 are tied 3rd, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) +2 tied 6th, Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) and Gregor TAIT (SCO) +4 tied 11th, Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) +5 tied 16th and Matthew WILSON (SCO), Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) and Josh BERRY (ENG) +7 tied 25th at the end of Day 3.

img_4644

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

ME.

_________________________________________

20th April 2023

At the top of the Team leaderboard SCOTLAND (-1) lead ITALY and FRANCE (Ev) by 1-shot after the second round of the Men’s European Nations Championship at RCG Sotogrande.

ENGLAND (+3) are 6th, IRELAND (+15) 12th and WALES (+16) 13th with two rounds still to play.

img_4632

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

Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI), Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) and James ASHFIELD (WAL) -5 lead the Individual competition after all three shot under par rounds on Day 2.

Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) and John GOUGH (ENG) Ev are tied 12th, Josh BERRY (ENG), Gregor TAIT (SCO) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO) +2 T17, Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) +3 tied 22nd and Josh HILL (IRL) and Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) +5 tied 33rd.

img_4631

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

ME.

_________________________________________

19th April 2023

At the end of Day 1 SCOTLAND (-5) lead the 2023 Men’s European Nations Championship by 1-shot from FRANCE with the CZECH REPUBLIC (-3) 3rd, ENGLAND (-2) 4th and FINLAND (+1) 5th.

WALES (+6) are 11th and IRELAND (+12) 14th with both teams having work to do over the next three days.

img_4613

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

John GOUGH (ENG) shot a five under 67 in Round 1, which included six birdies, to take a 2-shot lead in the Individual competition.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) -3 is second, Gregor TAIT (SCO) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO) -2 tied 5th, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) and Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) -1 tied 12th, Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) +1 tied 24th and Josh BERRY (ENG) and Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) +2 tied 31st.

img_4614

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

ME.

_________________________________________

14th April 2023

The Men’s European Nations Championship (ENC) starts on Wednesday 19th April at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande in Southern Spain.

RCG Sotogrande is the permanent home of the ENC and this will be the 15th playing of the event.

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

Field
17 four-man teams (68 players) will play for the Team prize. An additional six players invited by both RCG Sotogrande and the Spanish Golf Federation will contest the Individual competition, making a total field of 74 players.

The following players have been selected to represent the four competing home nations in 2023: –

England – Josh BERRY, John GOUGH, Arron EDWARDS-HILL, Dylan SHAW-RADFORD

Ireland – Joshua HILL, Matt MCCLEAN, Robert MORAN, Peter O’KEEFFE

Scotland – Connor GRAHAM, Gregor GRAHAM, Gregor TAIT, Matthew WILSON

Wales – James ASHFIELD, Caolan BURFORD, Paddy MULLINS, Matt ROBERTS

A Women’s ENC, made up of three player teams, also takes place alongside the Men’s competition. Only Ireland have entered from the four home nations this year.

Tee Times / Scores
Click here to view the – 2023 ENC Men’s Tee Times

Click here to view the – 2023 ENC Men’s Team Scores

Click here to view the – 2023 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, 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 great albeit as always the winds will be a factor, particularly in the afternoon. This can cause problems given the numerous water hazards on the course.

Wednesday 19th – Sunny Intervals Min. 14°C / Max. 21°C; E 22mph
Thursday 20th – Sunny Min. 15°C / Max. 22°C; SE 17mph
Friday 21st – Sunny Min. 15°C / Max. 21°C; E 18mph
Saturday 22nd – Sunny Min. 15°C / Max. 22°C; SE 16mph

Past ENC Winners

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

Team Competition

2022  Spain     2022 ENC Men’s Team Results

SPAIN (+13) completed a wire-to-wire victory last year at RCG Sotogrande.

ENGLAND (+35) finished 2nd, 22-shots behind the home team, with ITALY (+40) coming in 3rd.

WALES (+49) tied 8th, IRELAND (+50) 10th and SCOTLAND (+65) 13th.

img_1094

Team Results (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

2021  Cancelled
2020  Cancelled

2019  England     2019 ENC Team Results

Defending champions England (+14) retained the European Nations Championship in Spain. Their 878 total was 8 shots better than The Netherlands (+22).

Ireland (+23) were third and Wales (+29), who recorded the lowest final day score (213), were an encouraging 4th. Scotland (+37) had a poor final day and fell away into 8th.

img_0537

Gareth Jenkins (Manager), Tom Plumb, Tom Sloman, Bailey Gill and Ben Jones
(Photos: @EnglandGolf)

2018  England     2018 ENC Team Results

img_9075

England – l-r Gareth Jenkins (Manager), David Hague, Gian-Marco Petrozzi, Todd Clements, Graham Walker (Coach) and Matthew Jordan (Photo: Graham Walker)

2017  Wales    2017 ENC Team Results

img_7370-2

Wales – l-r Josh Davies, David Boote, Jack Davidson and Owen Edwards (Photo: GUW)

2016  Ireland    2016 ENC Team Results

Ireland European Nations Cup 2016

Ireland – l-r Stuart Grehan, Alex Gleeson, Jack Hume and Dermot McElroy (Photo: GUI)

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

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).

img_1120

Jaime Montojo (Photo: RFE Golf)

This year it was the turn of Denmark’s Hamish BROWN (+2) to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory at Sotogrande – almost an annual occurrence. With a five shot lead and six holes to play he bogeyed five of his remaining holes to finish on +2 and in 3rd place.

Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) was GB&I’s leading player in the competition, finishing in 5th on +6.

James ASHFIELD (WAL) +10 was 7th, Olly HUGGINS (ENG) +14 tied 10th, Rob MORAN (IRL) +15 13th, Liam NOLAN (IRL) +18 tied 16th and Matt ROBERTS (WAL) and Lewis IRVINE (SCO) +18 both tied 16th.

img_1093

Leading Individual Results (Graphic: RCG Sotogrande / Golfbox)

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.

img_0536

Tom Sloman (Photos: @Golfing4Life_)

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)

img_5738

Rory McIlroy (Photo: RCG Sotogrande)

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)

img_5737

Sergio Gracia (Photo: RCG Sotogrande)

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.

Copyright © 2014-2023, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The European Amateur Championship – 2022 Preview & Results

Posted on by

25th June 2022

Filippo CELLI (ITA) won the 2022 European Amateur Championship at El Saler Golf Club after rounds of 64, 74, 73 and 69.

Celli is from Rome and is a rising junior at Texas Christian University in USA.

img_2048

Filippo Celli (Photo: European Golf Association)

The 2023 European Amateur Championship will be played at Pärnu Bay Golf Links in Estonia.

Round 4

A final round 69 gave Filippo Celli a 280 (-8) total and a one shot victory. Celli started nervously with a bogey 5 on his opening hole but recovered his poise quickly with four birdies following on his front nine. An even par back nine saw him safely home albeit a bogey 5 on the par 4 16th made things interesting down the stretch.

He is the fourth Italian winner of this prestigious trophy following in the footsteps of Massimo Scarpa (1992), Stafano Mazzoli (2015) and Luca Cianchetti (2016).

The victory also provides Celli with an exemption into the 150th Open Championship being played at St. Andrews in a few weeks time.

Rasmus NEERGAARD-PETERSEN (DEN) produced one of three 67’s on the final day to take 2nd place on 281 (-7). Whilst he too bogeyed the first he followed it was six unblemished birdies in what was a strong finish for the Dane.

Scotland’s Calum SCOTT (-6) finished 3rd after a final round 68, which also included six birdies, lifted him up three places. Scott has enjoyed a good Freashman season at Texas Tech University and continues to trend upwards. This is the best result of his career to date.

img_2127

Calum Scott, Filippo Celli and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Photo: European Golf Association)

Neergaard-Petersen, Scott and Javier BARCOS GARBAYO (ESP), who finished 4th on 283 (-5), all earned exemptions into Final Qualifying for the Open Championship as a result of their top 4 finishes.

The other GB&I players to finish in the top 50 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.

img_2041

 Leading Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Click here to view the full – EGA / Golfbox Leaderboard

ME.

____________________________________________

24th June 2022

Round 3

Filippo CELLI (ITA) recaptured the lead from compatriot Pietro BOVARI (ITA) on Day 3 after they recorded rounds of 73 and 75 respectively. Celli will start the final day on -5 with Bovari tied for 2nd, one shot further back, alongside Javier BARCOS (ESP), Sam SLATER (AUS), whose 66 was the low round of the day, Michael MJAASETH (DEN) and Yannick MALIK (GER).

South African Casey JARVIS, who has largely disappointed on Golf RSA’s European tour, crept into contention with a 68. He is now tied 6th in a group of four players which includes Calum SCOTT (SCO), GB&I’s leading player, on 214 (-2).

The other leading GB&I players are James ASHFIELD (WAL) -1 tied 10th, Harley SMITH (ENG) Ev tied 14th, Rob MORAN (IRL) +1 tied 18th and Frank KENNEDY (ENG), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), Olly HUGGINS (ENG) and Rory FRANNSEN (SCO), all +2 tied 27th.

There are now just 17 players on even par or better. The average score in Round 3 was 74.41, the lowest we have seen to date.

Welshman James ASHFIELD is tied 1st for the ‘most pars or better’ with 48 whilst Ben QUINNEY (ENG) leads the field in ‘most birdies or better’ with 15. In terms of the standings that matter Quinney is tied 55th on 222 (+6).

67 players made the top 60 and ties cut which fell at +6.

img_2037-1

Leading Round 3 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

____________________________________________

23rd June 2022

Round 2

Pietro BOVARI (ITA) shot a bogey free 66 in Round 2, the best round of the day by two shots, to move into the lead of the European Amateur.

Overnight leader and compatriot Filippo CELLI (ITA) slipped into 2nd place after recording a 2-over 74.

Jack INGHAM (NED) followed his opening 70 with a 69 to move up 16 places to 3rd place. For the second day running he helped his cause with an eagle on the back nine.

Calum SCOTT (SCO) is now the leading GB&I player. After rounds of 71 and 70 he sits on -3 in tied 5th place.

The other leading home players are Frank KENNEDY (ENG), Robert MORAN (IRL) and Connor GRAHAM (SCO). On 143 (-1) for the first 36 holes they are all tied 15th.

There are now 34 players on even par or better, down from the 45 seen after Round 1 had been completed. The average score in Round 2 was 75.35 (par 72), half a shot higher than the 74.84 posted by the field on Wednesday.

img_2027-1

Leading Round 2 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

____________________________________________

22nd June 2022

Round 1

Italy’s Filippo CELLI shot a spectacular 64 (-8), which included an eagle, seven birdies and surprisingly a  bogey 5 on the 18th, to take a 3-shot lead in the European Amateur at El Saler.

Rasmus NEERGAARD-PETERSEN‘s (DEN) bogey free 67 (-5) on a perfect day for golf in Valencia sees him in sole possession of 2nd place.

Nine players, including Scotland’s Rory FRANSSEN, are tied for third place on -4 after recording 68’s.

15 year old Connor GRAHAM (SCO) -3 is tied 12th with Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), Callum BRUCE (SCO), Olly HUGGINS (ENG), Calum SCOTT (SCO) and Mason ESSAM (ENG) -1, tied 22nd, also under par.

Hamish BROWN (DEN), also on -3, joined his compatriot Neergaard- Petersen as the only other player to go bogey free through the opening 18 holes.

45 players finished Round 1 on even par or better. The average score across all of the 144 players was 74.84 (+2.84).

img_2015

Leading Round 1 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

____________________________________________

21st June 2022

The 35th European Amateur Championship will be played at El Saler Golf Club, which is located on the southern outskirts of Valancia in Spain, between 22nd-25th June 2022.

This prestigious Championship is run by the European Golf Association (EGA), assisted each year by the host nation; this year, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation.

2022 will be the third occasion that Spain has hosted the European Amateur with El Prat GC in Barcelona hosting the previous two visits.

I will be updating this article with daily reports on play during the week.

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 is used for all other ties.

Entries

144 players contest the Championship which is traditionally played in June each year.

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, Spain, competitors in the Bonallack Trophy, St. Andrew’s Trophy and Jacques Léglise Trophy matches, the 2022 South American Amateur champion and the 2022 European Mid-Amateur champion.

There are 25 GB&I entries, namely Cameron ADAM (SCO), James ASHFIELD (WAL), Callan BARROW (ENG), Jack BROOKS (ENG), Callum BRUCE (SCO), Zach CHEGWIDDEN (ENG), Archie DAVIES (WAL), Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), Mason ESSAM (ENG), Archie FINNIE (SCO), Hugh FOLEY (IRL), TJ FORD (IRL), Rory FRANNSEN (SCO), Connor GRAHAM (SCO), Josh HILL (ENG), Olly HUGGINS (ENG), Lewis IRVINE (SCO), Frank KENNEDY (ENG), Matt MCCLEAN (IRL), Robert MORAN (IRL), Ben QUINNEY (ENG), Matt ROBERTS (WAL), Calum SCOTT (SCO), Harley SMITH (ENG) and Matthew WILSON (SCO).

Sam BAIRSTOW (ENG) and John GOUGH (ENG) were in the field but have both withdrawn presumably following their exertions at the Amateur Championship last week.

Noteworthy overseas entries include Ludvig ÅBERG (SWE), Bastien AMAT (FRA), Christian BANKE (USA), Matthis BESARD (BEL), Frederik BIRKELUND (DEN), Jonathan BROOMHEAD (RSA), Hamish BROWN (DEN), Jack BUCHANAN (AUS), Christiaan BURKE (RSA), Martin COUVRA (FRA), Harrison CROWE (AUS), Kyle DE BEER (RSA), Matteo FERNANDEZ DE OLIVEIRA (ARG), Marco FLORIOLI (ITA), Jorge HAO (ESP), James HYDES (NZL), Casey JARVIS (RSA), Jerry JI (NED), Ryggs JOHNSTON (USA), Frederik KJETTRUP (DEN), Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA), Connor MCKINNEY (AUS), Jaime MONTOJO (ESP), David NYFJALL (SWE), Yurav PREMLALL (RSA), David PUIG (ESP – and a member of the LIV Golf Series), Baard SKOGEN (NOR) and Kiet VAN DER WEELE (NED).

Parador Campo de Golf de El Saler, Spain

The 2022 Championship is being staged at El Saler Golf Club in Spain.

The Club was founded in 1968 with the course designed by the prominent Spanish architect Javier Arana.

Located in the Natural Park of La Albufera on the Mediterranean coast it stretches through a protected landscape of dunes and pine forests.

img_1995

Parador El Saler Golf Club Course Plan (Photo: El Saler G.C.)

El Saler is 6,950 yards / 6,355 metres long and plays to a par of 72. It has a course rating of 74.2 and a slope of 136.

Highly rated the course has staged the Spanish Open in 1994, 1989, 2001, and 2013, the Seve Trophy in 2003 and it was a European Tour Qualifying School venue between 2013-2017.

Weather Forecast

Weather conditions are expected to be unchanged and near perfect throughout the week.

Weds 22nd June – Sunny. Wind 6 mph SW. Min. 19°C / Max. 32°C.
Thurs 23rd June – Sunny. Wind 6 mph SW. Min. 20°C / Max. 31°C.
Fri 24th June – Sunny. Wind 6 mph SW. Min. 19°C / Max. 32°C.
Sat 25th June – Sunny. Wind 6 mph SE. Min. 20°C / Max. 30°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 champion also earns an exemption into the Open Championship, this year being played at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Further Information

Click here to view the – EGA European Amateur Championship Website

2021 European Amateur Championship

Christopher BRING (DEN) won the 2021 European Amateur Championship by 2-shots with a 264 (-20) total.

img_5442

Christopher Bring (Photo: European Golf Association)

Ludvig ÅBERG (SWE) finished 2nd on 266 (-18) and David PUIG (ESP) 269 (-15) 3rd. Both players are returning this year and are expected to do well again.

Due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions there were no players from Great Britain in the field at Golf Du Médoc Resort in France but Marc BOUCHER, Max KENNEDY, Robert MORAN and Michael YOUNG from Ireland all made it to the start line. However, all four missed the 54 hole cut.

Click here to view the full – 2021 European Amateur Championship Results

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).

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 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.

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