The European Amateur Championship – 2024 Preview & Results

29th June 2024

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

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

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

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Tommy Morrison (Photo: European Golf Association)

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

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My Unofficial Open Amateur Series Results

Play-Off

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

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

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

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

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Play-off Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Round 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Round 4 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

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

ME.

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28th June 2024

Round 3

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Round 3 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

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27th June 2024

Round 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Round 2 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

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26th June 2024

Round 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Round 1 Leaderboard (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

ME.

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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).

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The Scandanavian Clubhouse (Photo: The Scandanavian)

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.

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The Scandinavian New Course (Photo: The Scandinavian)

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

The Scandinavia Golf Club, Denmark

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

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

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Course Routing (Graphic: EGA)

Weather Forecast (as at 7.00am 25th June)

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

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

Prizes

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

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

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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.

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

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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.

The Jacques Léglise Trophy – 2023 Preview & Results

26th August 2023

Continent of Europe won all four sessions of the match to secure a 17.0-8.0 victory in the 46th Jacques Léglise Trophy at Golf de Chantilly.

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Continent of Europe (Photo: European Golf Association)

Europe have now won the last four and six of the last seven matches contested in what is becoming a one sided affair.

It was also a fourth win for captain Joachim Fourquet who is a member of Golf de Chantilly. He said “I am very proud of my team. The team spirit was perfect, I mean it is very natural for them. They talk to each other, they do contests around the practice green, they joke around. It is just a great team, with great players, great spirit, and that’s it, the result has come with it.” 

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Lev GRINBERG (UKR) and Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) were the star men for Europe and GB&I in this year’s match based on my individual performance analysis below: –

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The 2024 match will take place at West Lancashire Golf Club in England.

Day 2 PM Singles

Europe won the Day 2 Singles session by 7.0-2.0 as GB&I sadly fell to defeat with a whimper.

Despite being far from his best Kris KIM‘s battling qualities saw him win the final two holes, including a great birdie on the 18th, to salvage a half against Louis ANCEAUX (FRA). 

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Kim v. Anceaux Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Despite playing quite nicely Hugh ADAMS (ENG) had no answer to the birdie blitz delivered by Simon HOVDAL (SWE) in his 5&4 victory. 

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Adams v. Hovdal Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

A second singles defeat for captain Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) was not in the GB&I script for today. Filip FAHLBERG-JOHNSSON (SWE), who had got to 4Up after 12 holes, tried his best to make it interesting but eventually got over the line on the 17th.  

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Shaw-Radford v. Fahlberg-Johnsson Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Match 4 between Seán KEELING (IRL) and Jorge Siyuan HAO (ESP) started with both players firing birdies at each other before becoming more of a grind. Ultimately Hao got ahead and was able to hold on for a 1 Hole victory.

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Keeling v. Hao Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Spain’s Marcel FONSECA AGUILAR beat Donnacha CLEARY (IRL) by 4&3 as the Irishman lost his way on the back nine. 

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Cleary v. Fonseca Aguilar Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

For the second time today Peer WERNICKE (GER) was the beneficiary of GB&I largesse. 2Down with two holes to play I imagine he was astonished to see Jack MURPHY (IRL) hand him a half through being unable to finish either of the two closing holes. 

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Murphy v. Wernicke Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) enjoyed one of the biggest wins at this year’s Jacques Leglise Trophy, taking down the previously unbeaten Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER) who simply never got going this afternoon. The only consolation for Wiedemeyer was that the match result meant that he became the first Continent of Europe player to participate in three successful Jacques Léglise Trophy teams winning a total of 9 points from the 12 available to him.

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Sheils Donegan v. Wiedemeyer Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Hugo LE GOFF (FRA) beat Monty HOLCOMBE (ENG) by 2&1 in the penultimate Singles game. In what seems a repeating GB&I story the Walton Heath man played well on the front nine before struggling on the back and ultimately losing. 

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Holcombe v. Le Goff Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

A much better performance today from Oliver MUKHERJEE (SCO) in his re-match against Lev GRINBERG (UKR) but like most of his teammates ultimately found the back nine at Golf de Chantilly too hot to handle. A string of bogeys down the stretch allowing the Ukrainian to record his third win in three outings.

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Mukherjee v. Grinberg Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Click here to view the – 2023 Jacques Léglise Trophy Results

Day 2 AM Foursomes

Continent of Europe won the Day 2 Foursomes series by 2.5-1.5 to increase their overall match lead to four points (10.0-6.0).

GB&I kept their Foursomes pairings unchanged but jigged the order around whilst Europe brought in Lev Grinberg for Louis Anceaux but retained yesterday’s running order. 

In a poor quality opening foursomes the new pairing of Lev GRINBERG (UKR) and Hugo LE GOFF (FRA) got off to a bad start but once they settled on the back nine were able to bring home a useful 2&1 win for the home side against an out of sorts Seán KEELING (IRL) and Jack MURPHY (IRL).  

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Keeling & Murphy v. Hovdal & Fahlberg-Johnsson Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

The Spanish pairing of Jorge Siyuan HAO and Marcel FONSECA AGUILAR produced five birdies over the 14 holes they played as they ran out comfortable 5&4 winners against Hugh ADAMS (ENG) and Monty HOLCOMBE (ENG).  

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Adams & Holcombe v. Hao & Fonseca Aguilar Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Pars are often good enough to win foursomes matches and that proved to be the case for the English pairing of Dylan SHAW-RADFORD and KRIS KIM who made it two wins out of two. Their consistency proved too much for the Swedes Filip FAHLBERG-JOHNSSON and Simon HOVDAL who stumbled to a 3&2 defeat.

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Shaw-Radford & Kim v. Fahlberg-Johnsson & Hovdal Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

Any feint hopes that GB&I may be able to turn the match around probably disappeared when Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) and Donnacha CLEARY (IRL) lost control of a the final foursomes which they had controlled virtually from the start. A disappointing bogey-bogey finish handed the German pair Tim WIEDEMEYER and Peer WERNICKE a half point they barely deserved.   

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Sheils Donegan & Cleary v. Wiedemeyer & Wernicke Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)  

Click here to view the – 2023 Jacques Léglise Trophy Results

ME.

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25th August 2023

Continent of Europe will take a 7.5-4.5 lead into the final day of the Jacques Léglise Trophy match with GB&I needing a big performance tomorrow to avoid a fourth defeat in a row.

Europe won the Foursomes and Singles sessions, 3.0-1.0 and 4.5-3.5 respectively, at Golf de Chantilly.

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Day 1 PM Singles

Europe edged the Day 1 Singles 4.5-3.5 helped by three big wins.

In the battle of the rested players Lev GRINBERG (UKR) thrashed Oliver MUKHERJEE by 7&5 with the Scotsman clearly struggling with his game.  

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Mukherjee v. Grinberg Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Peer WERNICKE (GER) surprisingly beat Kris KIM (ENG) by a substantial 5&4 margin. One assume’s Kim, who won the Boys’ Amateur Championship last week, is starting to feel the effects of his recent exertions.   

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Kim v. Wernicke Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

In a match that only really got going when the clubhouse came into sight Tim WIEDEMEYER (GER), who has an excellent record in the Jacques Léglise Trophy, got the better of Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG). 

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Shaw-Radford v. Wiedemeyer Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

The ‘smiling assasin’ Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) once again showed his match play qualities to secure GB&I’s first point of the afternoon. He beat the reigning French International Boys’ champion Louis ANCEAUX (FRA) by 3&2.  

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Sheils Donegan v. Anceaux Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

In a match where neither player could ever get more than 1Up it was perhaps fair that Hugh ADAMS (ENG) and Marcel FONSECA AGUILAR (ESP) shared the point on offer in Game 5. 

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Adams v. Fonseca Aguilar Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Donnacha CLEARY (IRL) should be pleased with his efforts this afternoon, picking up a valuable 2&1 win against Spain’s Jorge Siyuan HAO. He also amazingly birdied the 13th too which looking at all of the scores today must be the hardest hole in France. 

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Cleary v. Hao Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

With four birdies to his name Simon HOVDAL (SWE) played very well to secure a notable 5&4 win against Jack MURPHY (IRL). 

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Murphy v. Hovdal Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Irish protégé Seán KEELING, 16, played his part in keeping GB&I in the match with a strong tail-end performance. He took down Filip FAHLBERG-JOHNSSON (SWE) by 3&2. He will no doubt be up the order tomorrow and fingers crossed he can deliver another win for the visitors.     

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Keeling v. Fahlberg-Johnsson Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Click here to view the – 2023 Jacques Léglise Trophy Results

Day 1 AM Foursomes

Continent of Europe won the opening Foursomes series by 3.0-1.0. 

Through solid play Hugh ADAMS (ENG) and Monty HOLCOMBE (ENG) earned control of the opening game. With a 3UP lead with six holes to play it appeared that GB&I would make the perfect start. However, a sequence of four bogeys between the 13th and 16th from the visitors handed the initiative back to Hugo LE GOFF and Louis ANCEAUX (FRA) and a strong finish saw the French pair take the contest by 2 Holes. The GB&I pair lost five of the final six holes played. 

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Adams & Holcombe v. Le Goff & Anceaux Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Game 2 saw arguably GB&I’s strongest pair Kris KIM (ENG) and Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) sent out. Thankfully, having been 1Down with two holes to play, they delivered a winning point in a tight contest. This time it was the turn of the Spanish pair of Jorge Siyuan HAO and Marcel FONSECA AGUILAR to stumble down the home straight, appearing not to finish either of the two closing holes.

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Kim & Shaw-Radford v. Hao & Fonseca Aguilar Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Chris King would also have had high hopes for his third pairing of Seán KEELING and Jack MURPHY at the start of play. However, despite opening the game strongly the all-Irish team were unable to pull away and Sweden’s Simon HOVDAL and Filip FAHLBERG-JOHNSSON took control late on to secure another point for the home side.  

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Keeling & Murphy v. Hovdal & Fahlberg-Johnsson Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

All-Square heading into the back nine Game 4 looked like it was going to be another competitive affair but once again the GB&I foursomes pairing struggled to score on the back nine. After losing four of the six holes played on the back nine Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) and Donnacha CLEARY (IRL) were shaking hands on the 15th green with their opponents, the strong german pairing of Tim WIEDEMEYER and Peer WERNICKE.

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Shiels Donegan & Cleary v. Wiedemeyer & Wernicke Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox) 

Click here to view the – 2023 Jacques Léglise Trophy Results

ME.

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23rd August 2023

The 46th Jacques Léglise Trophy match between Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) will take place at Golf de Chantilly in France on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th August.

This annual match is contested by two nine-player under 18 boys’ teams. It is essentially a junior equivalent of the biennial men’s St. Andrews Trophy match also played between these two regions.

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Golf de Chantilly (Photo: Golf Hauts de France)

Having been dominated in the early years by GB&I the Continent of Europe have now won five of the last six matches played since 2016.

Following wins at Aldeburgh G.C. in England (2019), Falsterbo G.C. in Sweden (2021) and Blairgowrie G.C. in Scotland (2022) Europe will start as strong favourites to make it four wins-in-a-row. The 2020 match, which was due to be played at Blairgowrie, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Teams

The R&A have selected the following players to represent GB&I (WAGR’s at 23rd August): –

Hugh ADAMS 18 – Hagley, England (WAGR #1,937)
Donnacha CLEARY 16 – Tipperary, Ireland (WAGR #1,872)
Monty HOLCOMBE 16 – Walton Heath, England (WAGR #2,046)
Seán KEELING 16 – Roganstown, Ireland (WAGR #469)
Kris KIM 15 – Walton Heath, England (WAGR #412) – 2023 Boys’ Amateur Champion
Oliver MUKHERJEE 17 – Loretto, Scotland (WAGR #504)
Jack MURPHY 17 – Douglas, Ireland (WAGR #843)
Dylan SHAW-RADFORD 18 – Huddersfield, England (captain) (WAGR #345)
Niall SHIELS DONEGAN – Meadow Club USA, Scotland (WAGR #765)

Reserve: William SANDOZ – Cardon Park, Wales (WAGR #2,589)

Oliver Mukherjee, Niall Shiels Donegan, Dylan Shaw-Radford all played for GB&I last year at Blairgowrie.

Seán Keeling and Kris Kim will also be representing Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup match which will be played on 26-28 September 2023 in Rome.

Wales’ Chris KING, Chairman of The R&A’s GB&I Boys’ Selection Committee, will take charge of the team for the third time.

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The GB&I and Continent of Europe Teams (Graphic: European Golf Association) 

The 2023 Continent of Europe team, selected by the European Golf Association, consists of: –

Louis ANCEAUX – France (WAGR #368)
Filip FAHLBERG-JOHNSSON – Sweden (WAGR #1,555)
Marcel FONSECA AGUILAR – Spain (WAGR #472)
Jorge SIYUAN HAO – Spain (WAGR #282)
Lev GRINBERG – Ukraine (WAGR #248)
Simon HOVDAL – Sweden (WAGR #364)
Hugo LE GOFF – France (WAGR #665)
Peer WERNICKE – Germany (WAGR #490)
Tim WIEDEMEYER – Germany (WAGR #158)

Jorge Siyuan Hao and Tim Wiedemeyer return for the Europeans having played last year. Wiedemeyer is in fact making his third appearance having also competed in 2021.

Lev Grinberg, 15, will become the first player from Ukraine to play in the match.

Peer Wernicke and Lev Grinberg have been selected to represent Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup match in September.

Europe will be led for the fourth time by Non-Playing Captain Joachim FOURQUET of France. Monsieur Fourquet has won all three of the previous Jaques Léglise Trophy matches that he has captained.

Format

The Jacques Léglise Trophy match is played over two days.

Four foursomes games are played each morning.

Singles are then played in the afternoon; eight on Day 1 and nine on Day 2.

As there will be 25.0 points to play for each team will require 13.0 points to claim an outright victory.

Venue

The match is being played at Golf de Chantilly. Chantilly is located around 25 miles north of Paris.

The Old Vineuil course plays to 7,047 yards off the black tees and has a par of 70. Opened in 1909 it was designed by the British architect Tom Simpson.

Chantilly has hosted 11 French Opens and 14 EGA championship and international matches over the years. 

France has hosted the Jacques Léglise Trophy match once before. Continent of Europe won 16.0-8.0 at Chantilly in 2001.

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The Jacques Léglise Trophy (Photo: European Golf Association) 

Weather

The forecast suggests the weather will be largely dry with only light breezes expected.

Friday 25th August – Cloudy / Wind 8 mph SW / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 19°C.
Saturday 26th August – Coudy, Light Showers PM / Wind 9 mph NW / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 18°C.

Additional Information

Click here to view the – 2023 Jacques Léglise Trophy Results 

Click here to view the – EGA Jacques Léglise Trophy Website

The 2022 Jacques Léglise Trophy Match

The Continent of Europe won the 45th Jacques Léglise Trophy match at Blairgowrie G.C. beating Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) by 13.5-11.5.

The Continent of Europe won the two Singles series by a combined 10.5-6.5 whilst GB&I won the two Foursomes series by a combined 5.0-3.0. Europe’s performance in the Day 1 Singles, which they won 5.5-2.5, proved to be the determining factor in the overall match result.

Germany’s Carl Siemens was the star man for Europe winning his two foursomes with compatriot Tim Wiedemeyer and both of his singles against Englishmen Josh Berry and Josh Hill.

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Continent of Europe (Photo: The R&A)

Click here to view the – 2022 Jacques Léglise Trophy Results

Previous Matches

An international junior match was first played between 1958 and 1966 with GB&I winning all nine of them.

After a break it was re-instated to the amateur calendar in 1977 as the Jacques Léglise Trophy. Jean-Louis Dupont donated the new trophy in memory of Jacques Léglise, a former President of both the French Golf Association and the European Golf Association. Léglise was also a past French amateur champion and national team captain.

Since becoming the Jacques Léglise Trophy GB&I have won 29 of the matches with the Continent of Europe claiming 15 victories with the 2015 match tied. Eleven of Europe’s wins have been in away matches played in GB&I.

Originally played in a single day the match moved to two in 1996.

Click here to view all of the – Jaques Léglise Trophy Historic Results

ME.

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

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

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: –

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GolfBible Individual Player Performance Analysis 

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DAY 3 

WALES v. SCOTLAND

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

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

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

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

IRELAND v. ENGLAND

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

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10th August 2023

DAY 2 

ENGLAND v. WALES

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

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

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

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

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

SCOTLAND v. IRELAND

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

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

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

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

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

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

ME.

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9th August 2023

DAY 1 

ENGLAND v. SCOTLAND

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

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

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

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

Screenshot 2023-08-09 at 20.53.29Screenshot 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 ASHFIELDTomi BOWEN, Caolan BURFORD and James NASH were all unbeaten on Day 1 for the Welsh who look like they will be competitive this year. 

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

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

ME.

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4th August 2023 (Updated 7th August)

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

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

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

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

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Machynys (Photo: Machynys Peninsula G.C.)

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.

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Machynys (Photo: Machynys Peninsula G.C.)

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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:-

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Round 4 Results (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

The Round 4 average score was 72.73 (+0.73), the first day that par had collectively not been broken by the field. The wind was at its strongest on Saturday with some tricky hole locations adding to the challenge. There were 7 eagles and 703 birdies in Round 4.

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

ME.

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Friday 30th June 2023

Round 3

Jose BALLESTER (ESP) pulled away from the field with a Round 3 66 which took him on to -22. He will now head into tomorrow’s final round with a two shot lead.

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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: –

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Leading Round 3 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

The Round 3 average score was 70.28 (-1.72), a reflection of the stronger winds the blew across the links on Day 3. There were 22 eagles and 658 birdies in Round 3.

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

ME.

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Thursday 29th June 2023 & Friday 30th June 2023

Round 2

A four hour rain and lightening delay in the afternoon meant that despite play continuing until 10.30pm local time the second round had to be completed early on Friday morning.

Tiger CHRISTENSEN (GER), James ASHFIELD (WAL) and Jose BALLESTER (ESP) share the 36 hole lead on 128 (-16).

Ashfield is the leading GB&I player after two rounds of 64 with only one bogey seen.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

Here are the leading players after Round 2: –

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Leading Round 2 Scores (Graphic: EGA / Golfbox)

The Round 2 average score was slightly lower than Round 1 at 69.41 (-2.59). There were 36 eagles and 673 birdies.

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

ME.

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Wednesday 28th June 2023

Round 1

Alejandro AGUILERA (ESP), Paul BEAUVY (FRA), Jose BALLESTER (ESP) and Jack INGHAM (NED) all shot bogey-free 62’s (-10) to share the Round 1 lead.

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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: –

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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.

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Pärnu Bay Golf Links (Photo: Pärnu Bay Golf Links)

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.

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Pärnu Bay Golf Links (Photo: Pärnu Bay Golf Links)

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.

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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).

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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.

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 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.

South Beach International Amateur – 2022 Preview & Results

Thursday 22nd December 2022

Luke CLANTON (USA) beat Henry GUAN (USA) on the first sudden death play-off hole, the par 5 15th, with a par after 14 year old Guan found the water that borders the right side of the fairway.

Both players had finished on 266 (-17) in regulation play. This was after a dramatic conclusion to the 72nd hole at Miami Beach G.C. where Clanton holed a 15 footer for par before Guan birdied from 8 feet to take us into extra time.

Clanton produced a great final round 66 (-5) which included six birdies to force the play off with Guan who had started the day with a 3-shot lead. 14 year old Guan should be proud of his performance and his 69 was hugely impressive given the pressure he would have been feeling. 

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Luke Clanton’s Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: SBIA)

Clanton, who is a freshman at Florida State University, added the South Beach International Amateur title to the Azalea Invitational and North and South Amateur wins he had already earned earlier this year.

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Luke Clanton (Photo: SBIA)

The final scoreboard was understandably dominated by players from the USA.

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The Final Results (Graphic: SBIA)

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) was the leading GB&I player; a 67 on the final day lifting him to tied 10th on -9.

Luke POULTER (ENG) backed up his win in last week’s Willow Cup by finishing tied 14th on -8. This was a real break-out performance for him in a high class field.

Gregor TAIT (SCO) -4 finished a creditable tied 33rd after a final round 68 with Archie DAVIES (WAL) and Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) -3 41st our only other players to complete the tournament with under par scores.

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The Final GB&I Results (Graphic: SBIA)

The average score in the final round was 71.58 (+0.58). With the course dried out there were no preferred lies in the fourth round.

Click here to view the – SBIA 2022 Results

ME.

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Wednesday 21st December 2022

86 players made the cut and following heavy overnight rain benefitted from ‘lift, clean and place’ rules for the third round.

Young Henry GUAN (USA) from Texas showed few signs of nerves as he produced a 4-under 67 to extend his lead to three shots in the South Beach International. Seven birdies were partially erased by a bogey on the 6th and a double on the par 5 10th.

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Henry Guan’s Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: SBIA)

Luke CLANTON (USA), the reigning North & South Amateur champion, -12 moved up to 2nd place with a 65 whilst George DUANGAMANEE (USA) and Deven PATEL (USA) -11, in tied 3rd, remain in striking distance.

Luke POULTER (ENG)  and Nels SURTANI (USA) produced the best two rounds of the day with superb 7-under 64’s.

The average score from the reduced field in Round 3 was 70.17 (-0.83) with 44 of the 86 players breaking par. 

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The Round 3 Leaderboard (Graphic: SBIA)

Luke POULTER (ENG) stole the GB&I headlines with his blemish free 64 (-7) lifting him 35 places to  tied 9th.

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Luke Poulter’s Round 3 Scorecard (Graphic: SBIA)

Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG), now up to tied 33rd, continued his comeback from a lacklustre opening round with a 67 in the third round. 

Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) was the only other home player to produce an under par round on Wednesday. His 70 leaves him in tied 39th.

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The Round 3 GB&I Player Scores (Graphic: SBIA)

ME.

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Tuesday 20th December 2022

Henry GUAN (USA) posted a second consecutive 65, this time at Normandy Shores, to move into the lead on -11. Guan, who like yesterday’s co-leader Oscar COUILLEAU (FRA), is only 14 years old was bogey free and as you can see below has only one blemish on his two cards after 36 holes.

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Henry Guan’s Round 1 & 2 Scorecards (Graphic: SBIA)

Guan is one shot better off than John M. BUTLER (USA) who recorded a 67 at Miami Beach whilst the other co-overnight leader George DUANGAMANEE (USA) finished the second day in 3rd on -9. 

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The Round 2 Leaderboard (Graphic: SBIA)

Jack HEARN (IRL) leads the GB&I group of 16 players on -4.

Archie DAVIES (WAL) -3, Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) -3, Gregor TAIT (SCO) -3, Luke POULTER (ENG) -2, Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) -1 and Joe PAGDIN (ENG) -1 were also amongst the 86 players who made the top 72 and ties 36 hole cut. This was the second highest number of players to make the cut in SBIA history.

Nine GB&I players missed the cut. Most upset will be James CLARIDGE (ENG), who having gone out in 33 (-2) at Normandy Shores to sit nicely in the top 20, came home in 40 (+5) to miss out by 1-shot on +1.

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The Round 2 GB&I Player Scores (Graphic: SBIA)

The average score at Miami Beach on Day 2 was 72.60 (+1.60 over par) whilst it was slightly lower at Normandy Shores 71.39 (+1.39 over par). The windier conditions led to lower number of under par rounds – 61 v. 82 yesterday.

ME.

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Monday 19th December 2022

Oscar COUILLEAU (FRA), who is just 14 years old, and George DUANGAMANEE (USA) both recorded opening 64’s (-7) at Miami Beach to take the early lead in the South Beach International Amateur.

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Oscar Couilleau’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: SBIA)

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George Duangamanee’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: SBIA) 

John BUTLER (USA) recorded the lowest Round 1 score at Normandy Shores. His 64 (-6) left him tied 3rd and was one better than Ryan DUPUY (USA) and Cameron TANKERSLEY (USA) who are tied 5th. 

82 players from the field of 210 posted under par scores in Round 1. The average score at Miami Beach was 71.50 (+0.50 over par) whilst it was slightly higher at Normandy Shores 71.10 (+1.10 over par).

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The Round 1 Leaderboard (Graphic: SBIA)

Joe PAGDIN (ENG) and Gregor TAIT (SCO), tied 10th, are the leading GB&I players on -4. Joe shot a 67 at Miami Beach whilst Gregor took 66 at Normandy Shores.

Frank KENNEDY (ENG) and Oliver MUKHERJEE (SCO) -3 were just a shot further back with an encouraging overall total of 11 out of our 16 players under par after their first 18 holes. 

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The Round 1 GB&I Player Scores (Graphic: SBIA)

ME.

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14th December 2022

The 12th South Beach International Amateur (SBIA) will be played between 19th-22nd December 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida (GMT -5 hours).

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First played in 2011 the SBIA has quickly become one of the world’s leading amateur golf competitions. The SPWAR continues to rate it as having the 5th best field on the world amateur calendar.

Format

The SBIA is a 72 hole stroke play competition played over four days.

18 holes are played at both Miami Beach G.C. and the nearby Normandy Shores G.C. by the full field over the first two days.

After a top 72 and ties cut the final 36 holes are played exclusively at Miami Beach over the remaining two days.

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Miami Beach Golf Club

Players

210 players have paid the $420 entry fee and will contest the 2022 SBIA.

16 golfers from Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) are in this year’s starting field, a number of whom are studying at U.S. colleges. There was 17 last year with the highest entry being 19 in 2018.

Given 2023 is a Walker Cup year a top 10 finish in an event of this magnitude would be a real selection fillip for any of our players.

I’ve listed all of this year’s GB&I entries below (in alphabetical order) along with their current SPWAR (as at 14th December): –

James CLARIDGE (ENG) #463
Paul CONROY (IRL) #162
Archie DAVIES (WAL) #64
Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) #37
Charlie FORSTER (ENG) #378
Alfie FOX (ENG) #966
Jack HEARN (IRL) #302
Jake HIBBERT (ENG) #1,372
Seán KEELING (IRL) #673
Frank KENNEDY (ENG) #274
Alex MAGUIRE (IRL) #137
Oliver MUKHERJEE (SCO) #360
Joe PAGDIN (ENG) #1,126
Luke POULTER (ENG) #1,278
Harley SMITH (ENG) #156
Gregor TAIT (SCO) #182

Other players in the SPWAR Top 150 competing include (in rank order): –

Ben JAMES (USA) #32
Tommy KUHL (USA) #38
Tobias JONSSON (SWE) #44
Connor JONES (USA) #52
Luke CLANTON (USA) #59
Ramus NEERGAARD-PETERSEN (DEN) #68
Brett ROBERTS (USA) #73
Luis MASAVEU (ESP) #75
Garrett BARBER (USA) #76
Martin COUVRA (FRA) #84
Marco FLORIOLI (ITA) #86
Ty GINGERICH (USA) #87
Jack WALL
(USA) #96
Drew DOYLE
(USA) #105
David NYFJÄLL (SWE) #108
Bastien AMAT (FRA) #112
Mats EGE (USA) #115
Jack LUNDIN (USA) #121
Jackson BUCHANAN (USA) #130
Alex PRICE (USA) #141
Lucas CARPER (USA) #148
Luke GUTSCHEWSKI (USA) #149

Courses

Both courses were designed by Arthur Hills and play to around 6,800 yards.

They are typical Florida layouts with numerous lakes coming into play throughout the 18 holes. As a result scores can be high if the wind blows – which it frequently does here.

Normandy Shores plays to a par of 70 and Miami Beach a par of 71 during the tournament.

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Normandy Shores Golf Club

Weather Forecast (as at 14th December)

The weather generally looks good for the duration of the event albeit the wind shouldn’t be under-estimated as it normally proves to be a factor on both of these flat exposed seaside courses.

Mon 19th Dec. – Sunny Intervals / Wind 14 mph NE / Temp. Min. 17°C, Max. 25°C.
Tue  20th Dec – Sunny with PM Showers / Wind 14 mph E / Temp. Min. 19°C, Max. 26°C.
Wed 21st Dec – Sunny Intervals / Wind 12 mph N / Temp. Min. 17°C, Min 26°C.
Thu 22nd Dec – Sunny Intervals / Wind 11 mph SW / Temp. Min. 18°C, Max. 28°C.

SBIA Website Links

Click here to view the – SBIA 2022 Leaderboard

Click here to view the – SBIA 2022 Pairings

Click here to view the – SBIA Website

2021 South Beach International Amateur

Finigan TILLY (USA), who was born in London but is now based in California, completed a surprise wire-to-wire victory at the 11th South Beach International Amateur (SBIA). Tilly started the week ranked #318 in the SPWAR. His 268 (-15) total was one shot off Cole Hammer’s 2020 scoring record.

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Finigan Tilly (Photo: SBIA)

Clay AMLUNG (USA) -13 finished 2nd and Jose BALLESTER (ESP) -12, after closing with two bogeys, 3rd. 

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SBIA 2021 Final Top 20 Results (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

English left hander Sam BAIRSTOW finished 4th on -9 after a joint best final round of 67.

Callan BARROW (ENG), John GOUGH (ENG) and Jake HIBBERT (ENG) -5 also finished in the top 20. 

Of the other GB&I players who made the cut Callum BRUCE (SCO) -2 finished tied 36th, Josef HACKER (ENG) +2 tied 59th and Frank KENNEDY (ENG) +4 tied 69th.

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SBIA 2021 GB&I Final Results (Photo: southbeachinternationalamateur.com)

Click here to view the full – SBIA 2021 Results

Historic Results

Here is a list of past winners, provided with their winning scores and the 36 hole cut marks for each year: –

2021 – Finigan TILLY (USA) -15 / Cut -1
2020 – Cole HAMMER (USA) -16 / Cut Ev
2019 – Ben SHIPP (USA) -2 / Cut +8
2018 – Pierceson COODY (USA) -11 / Cut +3
2017 – Jacob BERGERON (USA) -3 / Cut Ev
2016 – Danny WALKER (USA) -4 / Cut +1
2015 – Jorge GARCIA (VEN) -5 / Cut +6
2014 – Gabriel LENCH (USA) -4 / Cut +3
2013 – Greg EASON (ENG) -5 / Cut +6
2012 – Juan Pablo HERNANDEZ (MEX) -10 / Cut +3
2011 – Kelly KRAFT (USA) -4 / Cut +11

ME.

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

The Jacques Léglise Trophy – 2022 Preview & Results

27th August 2022

The Continent of Europe won the 45th Jacques Léglise Trophy match at Blairgowrie G.C. beating Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) by 13.5-11.5.

Having been dominated in the early years of the completion by GB&I the Continent of Europe have now won the last three matches and five of the six played since 2016.

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Continent of Europe (Photo: The R&A)

Germany’s Carl Siemens was the star man for Europe winning his two foursomes with compatriot Tim Wiedemeyer and both of his singles against Englishmen Josh Berry and Josh Hill.

Saturday Singles

The Continent of Europe team capped off their successful trip to Scotland by winning the Day 2 Singles series 5.0-4.0 thus ensuring they won the overall match 13.5-11.5.

GB&I’s Tyler Weaver halved the opening game of the series with Jorge Siyuan Hao. In a high quality match both players were 4-under for the full 18 holes. Hao birdied the 17th to regain parity down the home stretch.

Harley Smith lost 3&1 to Tim Wiedemeyer. Smith started bogey, double-bogey to firmly hand the initiative to his German opponent. Wiedemeyer, making few errors, was 5Up after 12 holes before Smith regained some respectability with better play later on.

Carl Siemens beat Josh Hill 2&1 in a tight Game 3; the putts dropping for the German rather than the Dubai-based Englishman.

Dylan Shaw-Radford delivered his second Singles win beating Italy’s Marco Florioli 3&1 with a 5-under performance over the 17 holes required for victory.

Josh Berry bounced back well on Day 2 to secure a tie with Oihan Guillamoundeguy, the highly rated Frenchman. The Yorkshireman produced 5 birdies, including a critical one on the 18th.

Frank Kennedy got the better of Tom Haberer, who was out of sorts for much of the afternoon, by 4&3.

The Netherlands’ Thijmen Batens beat Connor Graham by 2 Holes helped by four consecutive birdies on the 8th to 11th holes.

Oliver Mukherjee secured GB&I’s third full point with a 1 Hole victory over William Wistrand. In a close match Mukherjee birdied both the 16th and 18th holes to edge ahead.

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Hansson v. Shiels Donegan Results (Graphic: The R&A / GolfBox Scoring) 

Albert Hansson produced seven unblemished birdies (see above) to blow Niall Shiels Donegan away 7&5 in just 13 holes.

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Saturday Singles Results (Graphic: The R&A / GolfBox Scoring) 

Saturday Foursomes

GB&I won the Day 2 Foursomes 3.0-1.0 to reduce Continent of Europe’s overnight lead of 3 points to a far more manageable one.

The opening game was an up and down affair with neither pair finding their best form. In the end the German’s Carl Siemens and Tim Wiedemeyer simply made fewer mistakes than Shaw-Radford and Shiels Donegan.

Tyler Weaver and Harley Smith scored well with four birdies to secure GB&I’s first win of the day against Guillamoundeguy and Florioli, who were unbeaten on Day 1.

Josh Hill and Oliver Mukherjee birdied the last two holes of their game against Thijmen Batens and Tom Haberer to secure GB&I’s second win by 1 Hole in the Saturday Foursomes.

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Wistrand & Hansson v. Kennedy & Graham Results (Graphic: The R&A / GolfBox Scoring)

Frank Kennedy and Connor Graham produced 7 birdies in Game 4 (see above) to beat Swedish pair William Wistrand and Albert Hansson.

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Saturday Foursomes Results (Graphic: The R&A / GolfBox Scoring) 

Josh Berry was replaced by Tyler Weaver in the GB&I Foursomes line up on Day 2. Continent of Europe were unchanged with Jorge Siyuan Hao again left to focus on his afternoon Singles.

ME.

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26th August 2022

Friday Singles

Continent of Europe won the Day 1 Singles 5.5-2.5 to take a 7.5-4.5 half-way lead in the Jacques Léglise Trophy match. It was a disappointing series result for GB&I who at one point were leading five of the eight games on the course.

Josh Hill got the better of Jorge Siyuan Hao in the opening Single largely due to his more consistent play over the 18 holes and a crucial birdie on the par 3 17th hole.

Arguably the highest quality game of the series was the halved one between Marco Florioli and Tyler Weaver, albeit the finish was a little out of keeping with the earlier play. 

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Florioli v. Weaver Results (Graphic: The R&A / GolfBox Scoring) 

Despite doing little wrong Harley Smith lost Game 3 by 1 Hole to the ever impressive Frenchman Oihan Guillamoundeguy who birdied the 18th to take the full point.

Josh Berry was understandably 5 Down after 7 holes after handing in a string of bogeys to the scorers. Despite bouncing back well on the back nine Carl Siemens secured an easy 5&4 win.

Dylan Shaw-Radford ensured he finished Day 1 as the only unbeaten GB&I player with a 2 Hole win over Germany’s Tim Wiedemeyer. Shaw-Radford produced 7 birdies and 1 eagle in the match.

Thijmen Batens gave Frank Kennedy little opportunity to impress in a notable 4&3 victory. After an opening hole bogey the man from The Netherlands produced 5 birdies and 1 eagle to pull away from the American-based Englishman.

Niall Shiels Donegan lost 3&2 to Germany’s Tom Haberer who seemed to be one step ahead of the Scotsman throughout the encounter.

In the final game of the day Albert Hansson, the 2022 Boys’ Amateur Championship, got the better of young Connor Graham, the 2022 Junior Open Champion by 2&1.

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Friday Singles Results (Graphic: The R&A / GolfBox Scoring)

Oliver Mukherjee was rested by Captain King whilst William Wistrand was benched by the Europeans.

Friday Foursomes

Honours were even 2.0-2.0 at lunch on the opening day of the 2022 Jacques Léglise Trophy match.

Continent of Europe got off to a dream start in the opening Foursomes series immediately recording two big wins.

Guillamoundeguy & Florioli were 6-under par when their match came to a conclusion on the 14th green.

Wiedemeyer & Siemens were 5-under par for their round when they won on the 15th.

However, Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) recovered well to win the final two games at Blairgowrie G.C.

Shaw-Radford & Shiels Donegan produced the lowest scores in the morning to secure an all-important win in Match 3. After an opening hole bogey the Anglo-Scottish pairing produced 8 birdies to secure a 2&1 victory in a high quality game.

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Batens & Haberer v. Shaw-Radford & Shiels Donegan Results (Graphic: The R&A / GolfBox Scoring) 

In the last encounter Graham & Kennedy, who were 3-under for the 16 holes they played, picked up the final available point. 

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Friday Foursomes Results (Graphic: The R&A / GolfBox Scoring) 

Jorge Siyuan Hao and Tyler Weaver missed out on selection for Continent of Europe and GB&I respectively in the Day 1 Foursomes.

Click here to view the full – 2022 Jacques Léglise Trophy GolfBox Results

ME.

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21st August 2022 

The 45th Jacques Léglise Trophy match between Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) and Continent of Europe will take place at Blairgowrie Golf Club in Scotland on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th August.

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

This annual match is contested by two nine-player U18 boys’ teams. It is essentially a junior equivalent of the biennial men’s St. Andrews Trophy match also played between these two regions.

Following wins at Aldeburgh G.C. in England (2019) and Falsterbo G.C. in Sweden (2021) the Continent of Europe are looking to make it three-in-a-row in Perthshire. The 2020 match, which was due to be played at Blairgowrie, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022 Teams

The R&A have selected the following players to represent GB&I (SPWAR’s at 21st August): –

Josh BERRY – Doncaster, England (SPWAR #219)
Connor GRAHAM – Blairgowrie, Scotland (SPWAR #104)
Josh HILL – Trump International Dubai, England (SPWAR #260)
Frank KENNEDY – Trump National Jupiter, England (SPWAR #252)
Oliver MUKHERJEE – Gullane, Scotland (SPWAR #287)
Dylan SHAW-RADFORD – Huddersfield, England (SPWAR #333)
Niall SHIELS DONEGAN – Meadow Club USA, Scotland (captain) (SPWAR #302) 
Harley SMITH – The Rayleigh Club, England (SPWAR #112)
Tyler WEAVER – Bury St. Edmunds, England (SPWAR #232)

Reserves: 1) Sam EASTERBROOK – Olton, England and 2) Caolan BURFORD – Rhuddlan, Wales

Wales’ Chris KING, Chairman of The R&A’s GB&I Boys’ Selection Committee, will again take charge of the team.

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The Jacques Léglise Trophy (Photo: European Golf Association) 

The 2022 Continent of Europe team, selected by the European Golf Association, consists of: –

Thijmen BATENS – Belgium (SPWAR #524)
Marco FLORIOLI – Italy (SPWAR #87)
Oihan GUILLAMOUNDEGUY – France (SPWAR #121)
Tom HABERER – Germany (SPWAR #837)
Albert HANSSON – Sweden (SPWAR #410)
Jorge Siyuan HAO – Spain (SPWAR #62)
Carl SIEMENS – Germany (SPWAR #207)
Tim WIEDEMEYER – Germany (SPWAR #318)
William WISTRAND – Sweden (SPWAR #1,387)

Europe will be led for the third time by Non-Playing Captain Joachim FOURQUET of France.

Format

Four foursomes games are played each morning.

Singles are then played in the afternoon; eight on Day 1 and nine on Day 2.

As there will be 25 points to play for each team will require 13.0 points to claim an outright victory.

Venue

The Rosemount Course at Blairgowrie Golf Club is the venue for the 2022 match.

The course was designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie, opening in 1927, and then extended by James Braid in 1930. Subsequent upgrades have been made to it by Donald Steel, Peter Alliss and Graeme Webster.

A heathland course set amongst pine, firs, birch and heather the Rosemount plays to 7,007 yards and has a par of 72 and a slope of 136. 

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Weather

The forecast suggests near perfect dry golfing conditions with moderate breezes can be expected.

Friday 26th August – Light Cloud / Wind 7 mph SW / Temp. Min. 9°C, Max. 17°C.
Saturday 27th August – Sunny Intervals / Wind 5 mph SE / Temp. Min. 10°C, Max. 19°C.

Additional Information

Click here to view the – R&A Jacques Léglise Trophy Website

The 2021 Jacques Léglise Trophy Match

Continent of Europe won the The 44th Jacques Léglise Trophy match against Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) at Falsterbo Golfklubb in Sweden.

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Continent of Europe Team (Photo: European Golf Association)

The final score was 16.5-8.5 with the Continent of Europe winning ten points on Day 2 whilst GB&I could only muster three.

Continent of Europe won the opening Friday Foursomes series 3-1 to take an early advantage. GB&I fought back in the afternoon winning the Day 1 Singles 4.5-3.5.

Continent of Europe then won the Saturday Foursomes series 3.5-0.5 to take a four point lead into the final Singles which they won 6.5-2.5 to complete a comprehensive victory.

Click here to view the final – 2021 Jacques Léglise Trophy Results

Previous Matches

A junior match was first played between 1958 and 1966 with GB&I winning all of them.

After a short break it was re-instated to the amateur calendar in 1977 as the Jacques Léglise Trophy. Jean-Louis Dupont donated the new trophy in memory of Jacques Léglise, a former President of both the French Golf Association and the European Golf Association. Leglise was also a past French amateur champion and national team captain.

Since becoming the Jacques Léglise GB&I have won 29 of the matches with the Continent of Europe claiming 14 victories with the 2015 match tied. Surprisingly nine of Europe’s wins have been in away matches.

Originally played in a single day the match moved to two in 1996.

Click here to view all of the – Jaques Léglise Trophy Historic Results

ME.

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