Men’s Home Internationals – 2019 Preview, Reports & Results

13th September 2019.

England won the 2019 Men’s Home Internationals at Lahinch G.C. in Ireland, winning all three of their games.

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The England Team (Photo: Nigel Edwards)

On the final day England beat Scotland 9-6 to complete the clean sweep.

The two teams shared the morning Foursomes 2.5-2.5. Matt CLARK and Ryan LUMSDEN birdied the last three holes of their game against Ben JONES and Jake BURNAGE to overturn a 2 Down with three holes to play deficit.

Whilst for much of the afternoon the match and the title were up in the air ultimately England’s greater strength in depth came through. Singles wins for Tom SLOMAN, Ben JONES and then later on Matty LAMB, Ben SCHMIDT and Bailey GILL pushed the English team over the line.

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Matty LAMB was the star man for England winning five of his matches. The whole team contributed with Ben SCHMIDT and Ben JONES, who both won four games, next in line for praise.

Experienced Matt CLARK contributed the most for Scotland winning four games, including two Singles, and halving another.

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Ireland convincingly beat Wales 12-3 on the final day to secure 3rd place in the competition. The Irish gained the initiative in the morning by coming out on the right side of three tight foursomes games to win the series 4-1. It was a different story in the afternoon with Ireland trouncing their opponents 8-2.

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Here are the individual performance records for the Irish and Welsh players. Colm CAMPBELL was the star man for Ireland with Caolan RAFFERTY and Conor PURCELL also contributing strongly with four wins. Connor JONES played the best for Wales winning two Singles.

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Click here to view the – Men’s Home Internationals Results
(Click on the match score for the individual game scores)

The 2020 Home Internationals will be played at Royal Dornoch in Scotland where England will be aiming to complete a hat trick of wins.

ME.

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12th September 2019

England beat Ireland 10 – 5 on Day 2.

England built a firm foundation by winning four of the five foursomes games and then took the Singles 6 – 4 in the afternoon.

Ben SCHMIDT (W3 H1), Harry HALL (W2 H1) and Callum FARR (W1 H2) remain unbeaten for the defending champions.

Conor PURCELL and Caolan RAFFERTY got back to winning ways for the Irish in the Singles defeating their Walker Cup teammates Tom SLOMAN and Tom PLUMB.

Unfortunately James SUGRUE had to withdraw from the competition today with the back injury which was troubling him last week at the Walker Cup.

England v. Ireland Results (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

Scotland beat Wales 9.5 – 5.5 in today’s second match.

The Scots won the Foursomes 3 – 2 before also taking the Singles 6.5 – 3.5.

Stuart EASTON (W2 H2) and Darren HOWIE (W2 H1) are unbeaten for Scotland.

In a tight match Ben CHAMBERLAIN and Lewys SANGES took the notable scalps of Ryan LUMSDEN and Connor MCKINNEY in the Singles for Wales.

Looking at the Day 2 table England only require a draw against Scotland tomorrow to retain the Raymond Trophy given their match points advantage over their final opponents.

ME.

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11th September 2019

England beat Wales 12 – 3 in the opening match of the competition.

The Welsh halved the Foursomes 2.5 – 2.5 but were over powered 9.5 – 0.5 in the afternoon Singles by what is an exceptionally strong English team.

Thomas PLUMB, Ben JONES and Jake BURNAGE all won twice for England.

Gaelen TREW secured Wales’ half point in the Singles in the final game against Callum FARR.

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England v. Wales Results (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

Scotland surprised host’s Ireland with an 8.5 – 6.5 victory in the other Day 1 match.

The Foursomes were again shared before Scotland took the Singles 6 – 4. The damage was done at the top of the order with Ryan LUMSDEN, James WILSON and Kieran CANTLEY taking crucial points off Ireland’s big hitters Conor PURCELL, Caolan RAFFERTY and Ronan MULLARNEY respectively.

James WILSON and Connor MCKINNEY won both of their two matches today for Scotland.

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Ireland v. Scotland Results (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

ME.

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3rd September 2019

The 2019 Men’s Home Internationals will be contested at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland between 11th and 13th September.

ENGLAND are the defending champions and they and IRELAND, who will have home advantage, are expected to once again battle it out for the Raymond Trophy.

Lahinch Golf Club (Photo: Jamie Gibson / lahinchgolf.com)

The Competition

11-man teams from ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND and WALES play against each other annually, taking it in turns to the host the event.

The competition was first played in 1932.

Over three days all of the countries play each other once. There are five morning foursomes and ten afternoon singles match play games in each series.

The overall winner is the country with the highest number of match points. 1 point is awarded for a win, 0.5 for a half and 0 for a loss. Ties are resolved by considering the number of individual game points secured in the three matches played.

2019 Players

The four national golf unions have selected the following players to represent their countries this year.

I have also included the Team (total) and Individual Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings (SPWAR) below (as at 3rd September): –

ENGLAND – Team SPWAR = 717
Jack BURNAGE (29)
Callum FARR (137)
Bailey GILL (59)
Harry HALL (28)
Ben HUTCHINSON (53)
Ben JONES (19)
Matty LAMB (89)
Josh MCMAHON (115)
Tom PLUMB (43)
Ben SCHMIDT (119)
Tom SLOMAN (26)

Callum Farr, Harry Hall, Ben Hutchinson, Matty Lamb, Josh McMahon and Ben Schmidt are all new additions to the England team in 2019.

Conor GOUGH, England’s Walker Cup player, is competing in the Duke of York Young Champions event at Royal Portrush.

IRELAND – Team SPWAR = 3,411
Rob BRAZILL (251)
Colm CAMPBELL (406)
Keith EGAN (828)
Sean FLANAGAN (831)
Matthew MCCLEAN (503)
Tom MCKIBBIN (286)
Tiarnán MCLARNON (139)
Ronan MULLARNEY (58)
Conor PURCELL (21)
Caolan RAFFERTY (16)
James SUGRUE (72)

Rob Brazill, Colm Campbell, Keith Egan, Sean Flanagan, Matthew McClean and Tom McKibbin have been added to the Irish line up this year.

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The Raymond Trophy (Photo: Ayrshire Golf Blog)

SCOTLAND – Team SPWAR = 3,852
George BURNS (809)
Kieran CANTLEY (271)
Matthew CLARK (209)
Stuart EASTON (253)
Darren HOWIE (422)
Lewis IRVINE (711)
Ryan LUMSDEN (167)
Eric MCINTOSH (561)
Euan MCINTOSH (189)
Connor MCKINNEY (129)
James WILSON (131)

George Burns, Darren Howie, Lewis Irvine, Connor Mckinney and Eric Mcintosh debut for Scotland.

WALES – Team SPWAR = 9,070
George BRYANT (1,369)
Ben CHAMBERLAIN (298)
Jacob DAVIES (415)
Rhys EVANS (1,302)
Tom FROOM (756)
Jake HAPGOOD (255)
Kieron HARMAN (1,369)
Connor JONES (1,586)
Matt ROBERTS (945)
Lewys SANGES (498)
Gaelan TREW (277)

Wales have the highest number of returning players with just George Bryant, Rhys Evans, Tom Froom and Connor Jones added to their line up this year.

23 of the 44 players competed last year at Conwy, compared with just 14 returnees in 2018. England have 6 new players in their 2019 line up, Ireland 6, Scotland 5 and Wales 4.

Venue – Lahinch Golf Club

Lahinch Golf Club was established in April 1892. Old Tom Morris (1894), Dr. Alister MacKenzie (1926) and Dr. Martin Hawtree (1999) have all had a hand in the development of the championship Old Course over the years.

The course measures 6,950 yards and has a traditional par 72 make-up. The front nine measures 3,391 yards with the back coming in at 3,559 yards.

Lahinch is the permanent home of the South of Ireland Amateur Championship and in addition to the Home Internationals has already hosted the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open this year.

It will host the Arnold Palmer Cup match between International and USA mixed teams in July 2020.

Lahinch Golf Club Logo (Photos: Lahinch Golf Club)

2019 Weather Forecast (as at 5.00pm Tuesday 10th September)
Wed. 11th Sept. – Sunny / Temp. Min 14º / Max 16º / Wind 15mph SW
Thurs. 12th Sept. – AM Light Rain / Temp. Min 6º / Max 17º / Wind 15mph NW
Fri 13th Sept. – Sunny / Temp. Min 5º / Max 17º / Wind 10mph W

2018 Men’s Home Internationals

ENGLAND won the 2018 Men’s Home Internationals played at Conwy G.C., Wales in September 2018. The win broke a run of four consecutive Championships for the Irish team dating back to 2014.

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England celebrate with the Raymond Trophy (Photo: Wales Golf)

Here is a summary of the final results from the 2018 competition: –

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Final Results – 2018 Men’s Home Internationals (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox)

David HAGUE (ENG) and Tiarnán MCLARNON (IRE) both finished the tournament with 100% records, winning all 6 of their games. Tom PLUMB (ENG) was also unbeaten, winning four of his games and halving two of his foursomes.

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Euan WALKER was outstanding for Scotland winning five of his six games.

Likewise Paddy MULLINS did well for Wales, particularly securing two singles wins.

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Click here to view the full – 2018 Men’s Home Internationals Results
– click the match score to see the individual games and the game score to view the hole by hole scores.

Historic Results

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

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2019, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The Open Championship – 2019 Final Qualifying

21st July 2019

Just a quick note to close the circle on the 2019 Open Championship qualifying programme.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry won The Open in great style at Royal Portrush G.C.

None of the six amateurs made the 36 hole cut which fell at 146 (+1). As such the Silver Medal was not awarded this year.

Here is a summary of the amateur scores and finishing positions: –

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Amateur Scores At The Open Championship (Photo: European Tour)

Click here to view the – 2019 Open Championship Final Results

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2nd July 2019

Well done to amateurs Brandon WU (USA), Thomas THURLOWAY (ENG) and Curtis KNIPES (ENG) who have all qualified for the 148th Open Championship.

Here is a summary of all of the amateur results from 2019 Final Qualifying, along with a list of the 12 qualifiers.

FAIRMONT ST. ANDREWS – Results
72 players / 24 amateurs / 3 qualifying places

QUALIFIERS
Brandon WU (a) – USA EX (WAGR) 64 67 (-9) 1st
Connor SYME – Unattached (SCO) 67 67 (-6) 2nd
Sam LOCKE – Paul Lawrie Golf Centre 69 67 (-4) 3rd

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Brandon Wu’s Scorecard (Photo: The R&A / Golfbox Scoring)

Euan WALKER (a) – Kilmarnock (Barassie) EX (Amateur Runner-Up) 69 70 (-1) T7
Ben SCHMIDT (a) – Rotherham RQ 71 69 T10 (Ev)
Tiarnan MCLARNON (a) – Massereene RQ 69 72 (+1) T14
Alastair THURLOW (a) – Murrayfield RQ 71 70 (+1) T14
Eugenio LOPEZ-CHACARRA COTO (a) – Spain EX (WAGR) 73 69 (+2) T16
Kieran CANTLEY (a) – Liberton RQ 70 72 (+2) T16
Tom MCKIBBIN (a) – Holywood RQ 74 71 (+5) 30th
Kyler TATE (a) – USA RQ 71 75 (+6) T31
Daniel BRADBURY (a) – Wakefield RQ 80 67 (+7) T35
Joe LYONS (a) – Galway RQ 72 75 (+7) T35
John MURPHY (a) – Kinsale EX (2018 St Andrews Trophy) 76 72 (+8) T38
Jack FLOYDD (a) – Haywards Heath RQ (Res. 19) 77 71 (+8) T38
Hugh FOLEY (a) – Royal Dublin RQ 76 73 (+9) T41
Tiger CHRISTENSEN (a) – Germany RQ 76 74 (+10) T44
Colm CAMPBELL (a) – Warrenpoint RQ 72 78 (+10) T44
Richard GILL (a) – Tantallon RQ 75 76 (+11) 49th
James REED (a) – Exeter RQ 76 76 (+12) T50
Will PORTER (a) – Carnoustie RQ (Res. 3) 72 80 (+12) T50
Richard KNIGHTLY (a) – Royal Dublin RQ (Res. 5) 79 74 (+13) T53
Darren CARLISLE (a) – Fairhaven RQ (Res. 18) 85 80 (+25) 61st
Akshay BHATIA (a) – USA EX (WAGR) 70 WD
Jeff WRIGHT (a) – Forres RQ 79 WD
Shaun CARTER (a) – Royal Dublin RQ 81 WD

NOTTS G.C. (HOLLINWELL)Results
72 players / 17 amateurs / 3 qualifying places

QUALIFIERS
Andrew WILSON – Rockliffe Hall 69 68 (-7) 1st
Thomas THURLOWAY (a) – Chartham Park EX (2018 English Amateur) 69 69 (-6) 2nd
Ashton TURNER – Kenwick Park 67 72 (-5) T3 (after play-off)

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Thomas Thurloway’s Scorecard (Photo: The R&A / Golfbox Scoring)

Tom SLOMAN (a) – Taunton & Pickeridge EX (OWGR) 68 72 (-4) T5
Jake BURNAGE (a) – Saunton RQ 68 72 (-4) T5
Philip WHITE (a) – Burnham & Berrow RQ 74 68 (-2) T7
Olly HUGGINS (a) – Frilford Heath RQ 73 69 (-2) T7
Jack HAWKSBY (a) – The Millbrook RQ 72 72 (Ev) T14
David HAGUE (a) – Malton & Norton EX (2018 St Andrews Trophy) 75 71 (+2) T25
Sam BROADHURST (a) – Atherstone RQ 74 73 (+3) T29
Angus FLANAGAN (a) – St George’s Hill RQ 71 76 (+3) T29
Jake HIBBERT (a) – Delamere Forest RQ 74 74 (+4) T34
Robert BRAZILL (a) – County Louth RQ (Res. 31) 73 75 (+4) T34
Ben FIRTH (a) – Leeds Golf Centre RQ 80 70 (+6) T44
James BIGGS (a) – Diss RQ 74 76 (+6) T44
Thomas DORAN (a) – Delamere Forest RQ (Res. 30) 76 75 (+7) T48
Oliver FARRELL (a) – Evesham RQ 77 77 (+10) T55
Oliver SULLIVAN (a) – Phoenix RQ (Res. 9) 78 83 (+17) 62nd
Luke ROGERS (a) – Kidderminster RQ 86 78 (+20) 63rd

PRINCE’S G.C.Results
72 players / 19 amateurs / 3 qualifying places

QUALIFIERS
Curtis KNIPES (a) – Chelmsford RQ 67 68 (-9) T1
Callum SHINKWIN – Moor Park 70 65 (-9) T1
Austin CONNELLY – Canada 70 66 (-8) 3rd

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Curtis Knipes’ Scorecard (Photo: The R&A / Golfbox Scoring)

Conor PURCELL (a) – Portmarnock EX (2018 St Andrews Trophy) 71 71 (-2) T11
Stephen SHEPHARD (a) – USA RQ 69 73 (-2) T11
Bradley BAWDEN (a) – Rochford Hundred RQ (Res. 2) 70 72 (+2) T11
Jamie LI (a) – Cumberwell Park EX (OWGR) 73 69 (-2) T11
Jensen HULL (a) – Hever Castle RQ 71 72 (-1) T18
Charlie STRICKLAND (a) – Ham Manor EX (OWGR) 70 74 (Ev) T20
Ryan COX (a) – Warley Park RQ 74 71 (+1) T25
Giles GILL (a) – Plum Creek RQ 75 71 (+2) T32
Ryan LUMSDEN (a) – Royal Wimbledon RQ 73 73 (+2) T32
Harvey BYERS (a) – Walton Heath RQ 70 76 (+2) T32
Harry BUTLER (a) – Chigwell RQ 70 77 (+3) T36
Conor GOUGH (a) – Stoke Park EX (2018 Boys Amateur champion) 71 77 (+4) T42
Jarle VOLDEN (a) – Norway EX (OWGR / Eisenhower Trophy) 77 71 (+4) T42
John GOUGH (a) – Stoke Park RQ 73 75 (+4) T42
Adam BIRDSEYE (a) – Maidenhead RQ 72 77 (+5) T49
Liam BURNS (a) – Chislehurst RQ 70 81 (+7) T55
Maxim FRENCH (a) – RAC RQ (Res. 8) 76 85 (+17) T63
Jack KELLY (a) – Sandy Lodge RQ (Res. 10) 81 84 (+21) 65th

ST. ANNES OLD LINKS – Results
72 players / 18 amateurs / 3 qualifying places

QUALIFIERS 
Garrick PORTEOUS – Unattached (ENG) 67 67 (-10) T1
Jack SENIOR – Carus Green 67 67 (-10) T1
Matthew BALDWIN – 65 70 (-9) 3rd

Callum BLINKHORN (a) – Leigh RQ 67 69 (-8) T4
Alex FITZPATRICK (a) – Hallamshire EX (WAGR) 69 69 (-6) T9
Tom PLUMB (a) – Yeovil RQ 71 69 (-4) T16
Wilco NIENABER (a) – South Africa EX (OWGR) 72 69 (-3) T18
Greg HOLMES (a) – Royal Birkdale RQ 73 69 (-2) T20
Ben BAILEY (a) – The Wynyard Club RQ 72 72 (Ev) T30
Callan BARROW (a) – Royal Lytham & St. Annes RQ 75 69 (Ev) T30
Ben JONES (a) – Northamptonshire County EX (WAGR) 72 75 (+3) T38
James NEWTON (a) – Prestbury RQ 72 76 (+4) T41
Dylan KEATING (a) – Seapoint RQ 73 76 (+5) T45
Maxwell MARTIN (a) – Harborne RQ (Res. 6) 73 76 (+5) T45
Michael DOWNES (a) – The Mere RQ 77 74 (+7) T48
Josh MORTON (a) – Huddersfield RQ 76 77 (+9) T54
Nicholas PEOPLES (a) – Royal Lytham & St. Annes RQ 75 78 (+9) T54
Thomas MULLIGAN (a) – Laytown & Bettystown RQ 76 78 (+10) T57
Ben HUTCHINSON (a) – Howley Hall RQ 76 81 (+13) 63rd
Thomas WINN (a) – Morecombe RQ 79 82 (+17) T64
Robbie CANNON (a) – Balbriggan EX (2018 Irish Amateur champion) 70 WD

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1st July 2019

Final Qualifying for the 2019 Open Championship will take place on Tuesday 2nd July at four courses across Great Britain.

The qualifying venues are Fairmont St. Andrews, Notts G.C. (Hollinwell), Prince’s G.C. and St. Annes Old Links.

There are 12 places available, 3 at each Qualifier.

There are currently three amateurs in the 2019 Open Championship field. These are: –
The Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion 2018 – Takumi KANAYA (JAP);
The Amateur Champion for 2019 – James SUGRUE (IRE); and
The European Amateur Championship 2019 – Matthias SCHMID (GER).

Viktor HOVLAND (NOR), the 2018 U.S. Amateur Champion, and Braden THORNBERRY (USA), winner of the 2018 Mark H. McCormack Medal (Men’s World Amateur Golf Ranking No. 1 in August 2018) have both turned pro and therefore foregone their exemptions.

Regional Qualifying

150 players initially progressed from the 13 Regional Qualifying events staged on Monday 24th June with 50 amateurs amongst them.

Withdrawals from Final Qualifying have subsequently seen more players brought forward from the Regional Qualifying Reserves List. As at 5.00pm on Monday 1st July 11 amateur reserves have been called up. Rob BRAZILL (IRE), who was Reserve 31, being the latest one.

For more information on this year’s first stage please read my earlier report – ‘The Open Championship – 2019 Regional Qualifying’.

Final Qualifying

36 holes of stroke play golf will be played by each competitor in Final Qualifying.

288 players, including 78 amateurs, have been allocated across the four venues.

Looking at these amateurs 50 qualified from the Regional Stage, 11 were Reserves from these events and 17 have benefited from exemptions directly into Final Qualifying.

The three leading players at each of theses events will advance to the 148th Open Championship to be played at Royal Portrush Golf Club on 18th – 21st July.

Any ties for the last qualifying place in each competition will be resolved by a hole by hole play-off at the end of play.

As always 156 players will contest The Open itself, with the majority of these already being exempted into the field.

All tee times at Hollinwell will be off the 1st whilst the other three venues will be utilising their 1st and 10th tees.

Royal Portrush G.C. (Photo: Royal Portrush G.C.)

Amateur Players / Tee Times

Here is a list of the amateur entries at each of the Final Qualifying events with links to The R&A’s Golfbox tee times and scoring links: –

EX = exempt into Final Qualifying
RQ = qualified via Regional Qualifying
Res. = Reserve

Exemptions are awarded based on WAGR, past Championship wins and for previous participations in major team matches.

FAIRMONT ST. ANDREWS
72 players / 24 amateurs / 3 qualifying places

Akshay BHATIA (a) – USA EX (WAGR)
Daniel BRADBURY (a) – Wakefield RQ
Colm CAMPBELL (a) – Warrenpoint RQ
Kieran CANTLEY (a) – Liberton RQ
Darren CARLISLE (a) – Fairhaven RQ (Res. 18)
Shaun CARTER (a) – Royal Dublin RQ
Tiger CHRISTENSEN (a) – Germany RQ
Jack FLOYDD (a) – Haywards Heath RQ (Res. 19)
Hugh FOLEY (a) – Royal Dublin RQ
Richard GILL (a) – Tantallon RQ
Richard KNIGHTLY (a) – Royal Dublin RQ (Res. 5)
Eugenio LOPEZ-CHACARRA COTO (a) – Spain EX (WAGR)
Joe LYONS (a) – Galway RQ
Tom MCKIBBIN (a) – Holywood RQ
Tiarnan MCLARNON (a) – Massereene RQ
John MURPHY (a) – Kinsale EX (2018 St Andrews Trophy)
Will PORTER (a) – Carnoustie RQ (Res. 3)
James REED (a) – Exeter RQ
Ben SCHMIDT (a) – Rotherham RQ
Kyler TATE (a) – USA RQ
Alastair THURLOW (a) – Murrayfield RQ
Euan WALKER (a) – Kilmarnock (Barassie) EX (Amateur Championship Runner-Up)
Jeff WRIGHT (a) – Forres RQ
Brandon WU (a) – USA EX (WAGR)

NOTTS G.C. (HOLLINWELL)
72 players / 17 amateurs / 3 qualifying places

James BIGGS (a) – Diss RQ
Robert BRAZILL (a) – County Louth RQ (Res. 31)
Sam BROADHURST (a) – Atherstone RQ
Jake BURNAGE (a) – Saunton RQ
Thomas DORAN (a) – Delamere Forest RQ (Res. 30)
Oliver FARRELL (a) – Evesham RQ
Ben FIRTH (a) – Leeds Golf Centre RQ
Angus FLANAGAN (a) – St George’s Hill RQ
David HAGUE (a) – Malton & Norton EX (2018 St Andrews Trophy)
Jack HAWKSBY (a) – The Millbrook RQ
Jake HIBBERT (a) – Delamere Forest RQ
Olly HUGGINS (a) – Frilford Heath RQ
Luke ROGERS (a) – Kidderminster RQ
Tom SLOMAN (a) – Taunton & Pickeridge EX (OWGR)
Oliver SULLIVAN (a) – Phoenix RQ (Res. 9)
Thomas THURLOWAY (a) – Chartham Park EX (2018 English Amateur champion)
Philip WHITE (a) – Burnham & Berrow RQ

PRINCE’S G.C.
72 players / 19 amateurs / 3 qualifying places

Bradley BAWDEN (a) – Rochford Hundred RQ (Res. 2)
Adam BIRDSEYE (a) – Maidenhead RQ
Liam BURNS (a) – Chislehurst RQ
Harry BUTLER (a) – Chigwell RQ
Harvey BYERS (a) – Walton Heath RQ
Ryan COX (a) – Warley Park RQ
Maxim FRENCH (a) – RAC RQ (Res. 8)
Giles GILL (a) – Plum Creek RQ
Conor GOUGH (a) – Stoke Park EX (2018 Boys Amateur champion)
John GOUGH (a) – Stoke Park RQ
Jensen HULL (a) – Hever Castle RQ
Jack KELLY (a) – Sandy Lodge RQ (Res. 10)
Curtis KNIPES (a) – Chelmsford RQ
Jamie LI (a) – Cumberwell Park EX (OWGR)
Ryan LUMSDEN (a) – Royal Wimbledon RQ
Conor PURCELL (a) – Portmarnock EX (2018 St Andrews Trophy)
Stephen SHEPHARD (a) – USA RQ
Charlie STRICKLAND (a) – Ham Manor EX (OWGR)
Jarle VOLDEN (a) – Norway EX (OWGR / Eisenhower Trophy)

ST. ANNES OLD LINKS

72 players / 18 amateurs / 3 qualifying places

Ben BAILEY (a) – The Wynyard Club RQ
Callan BARROW (a) – Royal Lytham & St. Annes RQ
Callum BLINKHORN (a) – Leigh RQ
Robbie CANNON (a) – Balbriggan EX (2018 Irish Amateur champion) 
Michael DOWNES (a) – The Mere RQ
Alex FITZPATRICK (a) – Hallamshire EX (WAGR)
Greg HOLMES (a) – Royal Birkdale RQ
Ben HUTCHINSON (a) – Howley Hall RQ
Ben JONES (a) – Northamptonshire County EX (WAGR)
Dylan KEATING (a) – Seapoint RQ
Maxwell MARTIN (a) – Harborne RQ (Res. 6)
Josh MORTON (a) – Huddersfield RQ
Thomas MULLIGAN (a) – Laytown & Bettystown RQ
James NEWTON (a) – Prestbury RQ
Wilco NIENABER (a) – South Africa EX (OWGR)
Nicholas PEOPLES (a) – Royal Lytham & St. Annes RQ
Tom PLUMB (a) – Yeovil RQ
Thomas WINN (a) – Morecombe RQ

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Click here and chose your venue to view the full – 2019 Final Qualifying Results

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2018 Final Qualifying

Scotland’s Sam LOCKE was the only amateur to progress from Final Qualifying in 2018. He recorded rounds of 69 and 66 to claim medalist honours on 135 (-7) at The Renaissance event. Sam had been exempted into the Final Qualifying stage as the 2017 Scottish Closed Amateur champion.

He went on to win the low amateur silver medal at the 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links and immediately turned professional thereafter.

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(l-r) Thomas Curtis, Sam Locke and Grant Forrest (Photo: @Renaissancegc)

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For more information on the Low Amateur prize at The Open Championship you may like to take a look at this article – ‘The Open Championship’s Silver Medal’.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2019, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Irish Amateur Open Championship – 2019 Preview, Reports & Results

19th May 2019

James NEWTON (ENG), from the Prestbury G.C. in Cheshire, England, has won the 2019 Irish Amateur Open Championship at County Sligo G.C.

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James Newton (Photo: Pat Cashman Photography / @GUIGolf)

Entering the event Newton was ranked 1,879th in the SPWAR and 2,710th in the WAGR so a victory of this magnitude has to be considered a major surprise.

He recorded rounds of 66, 66, 69 and 74 for a 275 -9 total.

Not surprisingly he started and finished a little nervously today but having settled down he played very nicely between holes 4 and 14, where he was 4 under par, to ensure he completed the job with some ease. After a triple bogey on the par 3 16th he showed good composure to par his final two holes.

“It’s nice to have a win early on in the season,” Newton said in an interview with the Golf Union of Ireland afterwards. “One of my goals was to win a 72 hole event, I’ve ticked that off quite early. I need to go back and re-evaluate my goals now. I changed coach last October and moved to Peter Barber at Didsbury Golf Club. The good has always been good enough and he has made the bad a lot better”.

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James Newton’s Complete Scorecard (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

Sadly earlier this week he failed to qualify for the Brabazon Trophy at the Lindrick Qualifier and with the above rankings has currently not made the grade for either the St. Andrews Links Trophy or The Amateur Championship. Hopefully a ‘Committee Exemption’ can be found to get him into some or all of these events in the next few weeks.

Conor PURCELL (IRE) 280 -4 finished 2nd 5-shots back. It was another excellent result for GB&I’s number 1 player, particularly coming after his missed cut at Lytham.

Josh MCMAHON (ENG), recent winner of the Lytham Trophy,  also continued his good form with a tied 7th finish on +2.

The best Round 4 came from the Italian International Amateur champion Brandon DIETZEL (GER) who shot a bogey free 67. He rose 39 places to finish alongside McMahon in the Top 10.

The average score on Day 4 was 74.53 with the majority of the players again going backwards.

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The Irish Amateur Open Final Results (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

View the Full Results here – 2019 Irish Amateur Open Results

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18th May 2019

Overnight leader James NEWTON (ENG) showed no sign of nerves on Day 3. His 69 lifted him to -12 and extended his lead to 5 shots heading into tomorrow’s final round.

Scoring proved to be much tougher in Round 3 with cloudier and windier conditions finally allowing County Sligo to take some revenge on the field. The average score rising to 76.26, nearly four shots higher than in both of the opening two rounds.

With 18 holes to play tomorrow Ronan MULLARNEY (IRE) is 2nd on -7 and Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) -6 3rd.

Mark POWER (IRE) benefitted from an early tee time to post a 68 (-3), the best score of the day. Like Marc Hammer yesterday he finished with an eagle 2 on the short 18th. As a result he rose 65 places to tied 28th on moving day.

Conor PURCELL‘s (IRE) consistent play, rounds of 70, 69 and 69 to date, has seen him creep up the leaderboard each day; he’s now up to tied 4th on -5. He should theoretically be able to play with a bit more freedom than his peers tomorrow so could easily mount a challenge.

Charlie STRICKLAND (ENG) shot a 1-over 72 today to finish the round on -5 for the tournament. He now sits alongside Purcell in tied 4th.

The top 50 and ties cut fell at +6 with 56 players progressing.

ME.

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17th May 2019

James NEWTON (ENG) shot a second successive 66 at the Irish Amateur Open to move into the lead on -10. In an almost identical round to yesterday he recorded one eagle (again on the 12th), four birdies and a bogey.

Ronan MULLARNEY (IRE) unsurprisingly found golf a little harder on Day 2 after the heroics of yesterday. His 72 (+1) saw him finishing Round 2 in 2nd place overall.

The best round of the day came from Marc HAMMER (GER) who shot a 7-under 64. The icing on the cake coming with a holed wedge on his final hole. Marc moved to -7 and will start tomorrow in 3rd.

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Marc Hammer’s Round 2 Scorecard (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

Five players are tied 4th for the Championship on -6. Keith EGAN (IRE) 66, Robert MORAN (IRE) 68, Charlie STRICKLAND (ENG) 69,  Koen KOUWENAAR (NED) 69 and Arron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG) 69 all played their way into contention in Round 2.

It’s worth recording the consistency to date of both Moran and Edwards-Hill. They have both just bogeyed one hole over the first 36 holes on the testing County Sligo course.

Lytham Trophy winner Josh MCMAHON (ENG) is tied 9th after a 65 (-6) lifted him 50 places up the leaderboard.

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Josh McMahon’s Round 2 Scorecard (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

Cathal BUTLER (IRE) matched McMahon with a blemish free 66 of his own. The Kinsale man jumped 82 spots after opening with a 75 in Round 1.

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Cathal Butler’s Round 2 Scorecard (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

The Round 2 average score was identical to yesterday’s at 72.49 so despite a little more breeze lots of high quality golf was again seen.

By way of reminder the top 50 and ties cut will take place after Saturday’s third round.

ME.

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16th May 2019

Ronan MULLARNEY (IRE) shot a course record 62 (-9) to take the Round 1 lead at the Irish Amateur Open.

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Ronan Mullarney’s Round 1 Scorecard (Photo: GUI / Golfbox)

Tied for 2nd James NEWTON (ENG), Robbie MUIR (SCO) and Euan WALKER (SCO) all posted 66’s (-5).

The average Round 1 score was 72.49 with 36 players shooting under par on a near perfect day at Rosses Point.

ME.

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12th May 2019

The 2019 Irish Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by Flogas, starts on Thursday 16th May at County Sligo G.C. at Rosses Point, in the western province of Connacht.

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County Sligo G.C. (Photo: Rossespoint.ie)

Format and Tee Times

A field of 132 golfers from 14 different countries will tee off in what will be the 82nd playing of this competition.

The Irish Amateur Open is a 72-hole stroke play event organised by the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI).

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

View the Draw for Rounds 1 and 2 here – 2019 Irish Amateur Open Tee Times

In the event of a tie for the Championship the players concerned will play 3 holes of stroke play. The player with the lowest aggregate total being the winner. If a winner still hasn’t been determined then the play-off moves to sudden death over the same holes.

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

Course

County Sligo G.C.’s championship course was designed by Harry Colt and measures 7,157 yards, playing to a par of 71. The front nine is 3,557 yards long (par 36) and the back nine 3,600 yards (par 35).

Players will tee off between 7.00am and 3.15pm on each of the first three days so changes in the weather and wind speeds can be expected to play a big part in scoring.

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County Sligo G.C. (Photo: Golfbreaks.com)

Players

Many of GB&I’s leading amateur golfers will be competing in north west Ireland.

However the field does look weaker than in previous years when Royal County Down was the host. Players finishing the U.S. college season, some taking exams at home and the harder logistics of getting to Sligo have all contributed to this position.

There are nine members of the recently announced 26-man Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup Squad playing; these are (Nationality / SPWAR), Jake BURNAGE (ENG / #114), Kieran CANTLEY (SCO / #450), Ben CHAMBERLAIN (WAL / #508), Jake HAPGOOD (WAL / #372), Euan MCINTOSH (SCO / #242), Mark POWER (IRE / #183), Conor PURCELL (IRE / #22), James SUGRUE (IRE / #220) and Euan WALKER (SCO / #45).

Josh MCMAHON (ENG / #123), the winner of the Lytham Trophy, is in the field as are Harry GODDARD (ENG / #173), Stephen ROGER (SCO / #326) and Laurie OWEN (ENG / #401) who also featured prominently in Lancashire.

Other players who could contend include Jake BOLTON (ENG / #276), Aaron EDWARDS-HILL (ENG / #304), Michael HIRMER (GER / #69), Matias HONKALA (FIN / #352), Jim JOHNSTON (SCO / #494), Matty LAMB (ENG / #332), David LANGLEY (ENG / #126),  Peter O’KEEFFE (IRE / #659), Tiarnan MACLARNAN (IRE / #207), Ronan MULLARNEY (IRE / #120), Charlie STRICKLAND (ENG / #606), Charlie THORNTON (ENG / #459), James WILSON (SCO / #358) and Jeff WRIGHT (SCO / #569).

Weather Forecast

The latest weather forecast (as at Sunday 12th May) currently looks very good for all four competition days – mainly sunny with relatively modest winds.

Thu 16th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 9 mph E / Temp. Min. 8°C / Max. 17°C.
Fri  17th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 10 mph E / Temp. Min. 8°C / Max. 16°C.
Sat  18th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 11 mph NE / Temp. Min. 8°C / Min. 16°C.
Sun 19th May – Sunny Intervals / Wind 11 mph E / Temp. Min. 9°C / Max. 17°C.

The 2018 Irish Amateur Open Championship

Robin DAWSON (IRE) completed a wire to wire victory at the 2018 Irish Amateur Open, helped in no small part by a superb 65 (-6) in Round 1.

The Tramore G.C. man started the final round 6-shots clear but after a final round 77 had to settle for a 282 (-2) total.

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Robin Dawson (Photo: Cashman Photography)

John GOUGH (ENG) and Alex GLEESON (IRE) tied for 2nd on +2 with Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG) one shot further back on +3, 3rd.

Click this link to view the final – 2018 Irish Amateur Open Championship Result

History, Past Winners and Records

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

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

The Championship was not played during both World Wars.

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

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

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

ME.

Copyright © 2019, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Men’s Home Internationals – 2018 Preview, Reports & Results

14th September 2018

ENGLAND won the 2018 Men’s Home Internationals beating IRELAND 9 – 6 in today’s championship match.

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England celebrate with the Raymond Trophy (Photo: Wales Golf)

Here is a summary of the final results from this year’s tournament: –

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Final Results – 2018 Men’s Home Internationals (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox)

In the ENGLAND v. IRELAND match today the foursomes were shared 2.5 – 2.5 but in the afternoon England pulled away with some impressive singles victories.

The highlights were Andrew WILSON’s 7&6 win over the previously unbeaten Conor PURCELL and Mitch WAITE’s 2 Holes win over Robin DAWSON, both of which set the foundation for their team to build on.

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Ireland v. England Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)

David HAGUE (ENG) and Tiarnan MCLARNON (IRE) both finished the tournament with 100% records, winning all 6 of their games. Tom PLUMB (ENG) was also unbeaten, winning four of his games and halving two of his foursomes.

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Host nation WALES once again fell the wrong side of the thin line that sometimes separates winning and losing. Today Scotland edged them out 8 – 7.

Scotland won the foursomes 4 -1 in the morning but were made to work hard for the additional four single wins they needed in the afternoon.

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Scotland v. Wales Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)

Whilst it was tough going for SCOTLAND and WALES for most of the week it was possible for some of their individuals to shine.

Euan WALKER was outstanding for Scotland winning five of his six games.

Likewise Paddy MULLINS did well for Wales and can be particularly pleased with his two singles wins.

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Click here to view the full – 2018 Men’s Home Internationals Results
– click the match score to see the individual games and the game score to view the hole by hole scores.

ME.

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13th September 2018

IRELAND beat WALES 11.5 – 5.5 on Day 2 of the Men’s Home Internationals at Conwy Golf Club.

The morning foursomes went the way of the Irish 3.5 – 1.5 albeit the Robbie CANNON / JAMES SUGRUE pairing needed a birdie on the 18th to secure a half in their match so the overall series scoreline could have been closer.

Ireland won the singles 6 – 4 with Conor PURCELL, Caolan RAFFERTY and Peter O’KEEFFE (all 4&3) enjoying their biggest wins.

However, the best performance of this match arguably fell to Welshman Jake HAPGOOD. He beat in form Robin DAWSON 4&3 with both players blitzing Conwy’s back nine. Jake recorded four birdies and two eagles between the 7th and 15th holes to unsurprisingly take the game.

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Ireland v. Wales Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)

In the second match of Day 2 ENGLAND narrowly beat SCOTLAND 8 – 7.

After the morning foursomes, which England won 4 – 1, it appeared the Scots could be in for another heavy defeat.

However, Scotland showed great heart to run out 6 – 4 winners of the singles series. Ryan LUMSDEN, Euan WALKER, Kieran CANTLEY, Stephen RODGER, Jeff WRIGHT and James WILSON were all victorious in the afternoon.

At the end of the day England won the match and that’s all that matters – unless like last year the two leading nations draw again ! The four single wins they enjoyed were all comprehensive and as such after their dominant foursomes performance there was never really a feeing that an upset might be in the air.

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Scotland v. England Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)

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12th September 2018

IRELAND beat SCOTLAND 11.5 – 3.5 in the opening game of the 2018 Men’s Home Internationals at Conwy Golf Club.

Ireland won the morning foursomes 4 – 1. Most of the matches tipping their way due to some exceptional play on the back nine by their four final pairings. Scotland’s Euan MCINTOSH and Ryan LUMSDEN provided the only resistance in game 1.

The Irish carried their momentum into the afternoon series too winning the singles 7.5 – 2.5. Robin DAWSON (5&3), Jonathan YATES (5&4) and Tiarnon MCLARNON (4&3) enjoyed the biggest wins.

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Ireland v. Scotland Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)

ENGLAND overcame a stubborn WALES 11.5 – 3.5 in the second match on Day 1. As you can see below the games were generally closer than in match 1 and the margin of victory somewhat flatters England who were made to work hard for many of their points.

The morning foursomes were halved 2.5 – 2.5 with Welsh pairing Matt ROBERTS and Paddy MULLINS enjoying the biggest victory of the series, 5&3.

ENGLAND composed themselves in the afternoon and in the end won nine of the ten singles. Ben JONES won his match 4&3 but otherwise the games were tight affairs. Paddy MULLINS maintained his unbeaten personal record by recording the sole singles win for the hosts.

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England v. Wales Results (Photo: Wales Golf / Golfbox Scoring)

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9th September 2018

The 2018 Men’s Home Internationals will be contested at Conwy Golf Club in Wales between 12th and 14th September.

IRELAND will travel to North Wales hoping to win the Raymond Trophy for a fifth consecutive year.

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Conwy Golf Club (Photo: Golfing Wales)

The Competition

11-man teams from ENGLAND, IRELAND, SCOTLAND and WALES play against each other annually, taking it in turns to the host the event.

Over three days all of the countries play each other once. There are five foursomes and ten singles match play games in each series.

The winner is the country with the highest number of match points. 1 point is awarded for a win, 0.5 for a half and 0 for a loss. Ties are resolved by considering the number of individual game points secured in the three matches played.

2018 Players

The four national golf unions have selected the following players to represent their countries this year.

I have also included the current Team (total) and Individual Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings (SPWAR) below.

ENGLAND – Team SPWAR 1,432
Jack BURNAGE (93)
Bailey GILL (176)
David HAGUE (99)
Ben JONES (105)
David LANGLEY (169)
Joe LONG (201)
Tom PLUMB (147)
Nick POPPLETON (190)
Tom SLOMAN (64)
Mitch WAITE (40)
Andrew WILSON (148)

IRELAND – Team SPWAR = 3,300
Robbie CANNON (908)
Robin DAWSON (14)
Alex GLEESON (122)
Tiarnan MCLARNON (406)
Ronan MULLARNEY (265)
Peter O’KEEFFE (354)
Mark POWER (240)
Conor PURCELL (37)
Colin RAFFERTY (82)
James SUGRUE (374)
Jonathan YATES (498)

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The Raymond Trophy (Photo: Ayrshire Golf Blog)

SCOTLAND – Team SPWAR = 3,620
Kieran CANTLEY (448)
Matthew CLARK (483)
Stuart EASTON (187)
Calum FYFE (259)
Jim JOHNSTON (562)
Ryan LUMSDEN (80)
Euan MCKINTOSH (156)
Stephen ROGER (406)
Euan WALKER (113)
James WILSON (227)
Jeff WRIGHT (699)

WALES – Team SPWAR = 13,944
Oliver BROWN (2,041)
Ben CHAMBERLAIN (976)
Archie DAVIES (981)
Jacob DAVIES (1,438)
Jake HAPGOOD (395)
Kieron HARMAN (1,698)
Paddy MULLINS (1,572)
Matt ROBERTS (797)
Lewys SANGES (1,095)
Gaelan TREW (2,217)
Tom WILLIAMS (734)

Just 14 of the 44 players competed last year at Moortown. England have 8 new players in their 2018 line up, Ireland 6, Scotland 9 and Wales 7.

I think ENGLAND have got to start as slight favourites this year but I certainly wouldn’t bet against IRELAND making it five in a row.

Venue – Conwy Golf Club

Founded in 1890 the Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Club is the third oldest club in Wales.

The course was originally laid out by Jack Harris with more recent alterations completed by Frank Pennink.

One of the best links courses in Great Britain it has hosted many amateur and professional tournaments in the past. It’s next big appointment is the Curtis Cup match which it will stage in 2020.

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Conwy Golf Club Scorecard (Photos: Conwy Golf Club)

The courses measures 6,936 yards from the Blue Championship tees, playing to a par of 72. It is relatively flat with it’s exposed coastal position meaning the prevailing westerly wind is always a major factor particularly as the design has holes going in all directions.

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Conwy Golf Club Course Map (Photos: Conwy Golf Club)

2018 Weather Forecast (as at 9.00am Sunday 9th September)
Wed. 12th Sept. – Light Rain / Temp. Min 9º / Max 15º / Wind 11mph NW
Thurs. 13th Sept. – Sunny / Temp. Min 10º / Max 16º / Wind 11mph W
Fri 14th Sept. – Cloudy / Temp. Min 11º / Max 16º / Wind 15mph SW

2017 Men’s Home Internationals

IRELAND won the 2017 Men’s Home Internationals at Moortown Golf Club in Leeds.

They secured the Raymond Trophy after halving the deciding match with ENGLAND 7.5 – 7.5. This was good enough for the Irish to pip the home nation by a half point in total match points earned, 26.5 against 26.0.

The win was a record breaking fourth consecutive victory in the event for the men in green.

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The 2017 Ireland Team (Photo: Leaderboard Photography) 

WALES beat SCOTLAND 9.5 – 5.5 on the final day to consign the Scots to the wooden spoon.

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

Here is the final Points Table with the ‘Countback’ information at the bottom: –

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2017 Men’s Home Internationals Points Table (Photo: England Golf Event Microsite)

Caolan RAFFERTY (IRE) and Josh HILLEARD (ENG) delivered the best individual records during the week, both winning five of their six games.

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Copyright © 2018, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.