Saturday 22nd June 2024
Match Play – Final
Jacob Skov OLESEN (DEN), 25, WAGR #88, has won the 129th Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin.
Talking to The R&A afterwards Olesen said “It’s an honour, and I’m really proud to be the first Danish winner. I guess that’s something I’ll have forever, which is super cool.”
Jacob Skov Olesen (Photo: Oisin Keniry / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)
He beat Dominic CLEMONS (ENG), 22, WAGR #310, by 4&3 in the 36 hole Final staged on the Glashedy Course in dry but windy conditions.
Oleson, assisted on the bag by fellow Danish international Jamie Tofte Nielsen, played very steadily this morning finishing the morning session 2Up against the more inconsistent Clemons.
The critical period in the Final came early on in the afternoon round when Olesen won four holes in a row, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. 6Up with 13 holes to play was always likely to prove too big a margin to recover for Clemons and this proved to be the case.
The experienced Olesen made few mistakes in the remaining holes and whilst there were moments of brilliance from the Englishman, most notably when he drove the 10th green and holed for eagle, the match came to a close on the 15th green.
“I usually pride myself on playing my best golf when it matters and when the pressure is on, and I didn’t do that today. I didn’t play well enough to win, simple as that.” said a disappointed Clemons.
Match Play Final – Clemons v. Olesen (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Click here to view the – 2024 Amateur Championship MP Scores
Oleson, on the basis he remains an amateur, has earned exemptions / invitations into the 2024 Open Championship, 2025 Masters Tournament, 2025 U.S. Open Championship and a 2025 DP World Tour event. Having completed his U.S. college education it will be interesting to see whether he maintains his amateur status long enough to take up his U.S. Open invite next June.
Clemons will receive an invitation to compete in a future Challenge Tour event and will be exempt into Final Qualifying for the 2024 Open Championship.
Jacob Skov Olesen and Dominic Clemons (Photo: Oisin Keniry / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)
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Friday 21st June 2024 – Afternoon
Match Play – Semi-Finals (2 games)
Dominic CLEMONS, who has recently transferred from Stetson to Alabama on the U.S. College circuit, got the better of his English compatriot Jack BIGHAM by 1 Hole in a competitive opening Semi-Final.
After a nervy start in difficult windy conditions both players only really settled over the closing six holes, producing some really impressive golf. They each had chances over these holes but with neither able to get their putts to drop it was Clemons who came out on top after refusing to make any mistakes.
Bigham was a tad unfortunate late on; his approach to the 15th hit the flag stick and spun back to 20 feet away when it had appeared it may have ended up in close proximity (a par save becoming a critical bogey) and then on 18 when his birdie putt lipped out.
Match Play Semi-Finals – Clemons v. Bigham (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
In the Semi-Final between the two Championship debutants Jacob Skov OLESEN (DEN) deservedly beat Luke SAMPLE (USA) to become the first Danish player to reach the Final of The Amateur.
The left handed Dane, who has played for Texas Christian University and in his final year of eligibility for Arkansas in the States, was better able to control his ball in the strong winds playing some great irons down the stretch. Whilst he made a number of putts he also missed a few chances which could have brought the game to an earlier close.
Match Play Semi-Finals – Olesen v. Sample (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
The two losing Semi-Finalists, Jack Bigham and Luke Sample, assuming they stay amateur, will receive an invitation to compete in a Challenge Tour event next season and will now be exempt into Final Qualifying for the 2024 Open Championship.
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Friday 21st June 2024 – Morning
Match Play – Quarter Finals (4 games)
All four Quarter Finals proved to be a real battle as they were played in strong winds and occasional squally showers at Ballyliffin G.C. All of the games required the full 18 holes and in the opening one two more.
Dominic CLEMONS (ENG), WAGR #310, got off to a great start with two opening birdies and could have gone 3Up on the 4th save for a poor three putt from 20 feet. However, Laurenz SCHIERGEN (GER), WAGR #2,054, fought back well and eventually took the lead on the 16th as Clemons struggled to get to grips with the conditions. After the 17th was halved Schiergen had a 2 foot putt for a par and a match win on the 18th. He sadly missed and Clemons seized on his good fortune after some good play over the two extra holes.
Match Play Quarter Final – Schiergen v. Clemons Scorecard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Jack BIGHAM (ENG), WAGR #69, always looked to be one step ahead of his less experienced opponent Marcel FONSECA (ESP), WAGR #682, but found it hard to pull away from him. A clutch birdie putt on 17 brought the Spaniard level but problems on 18 saw him concede the match to the Englishman before he needed to putt.
Match Play Quarter Final – Bigham v. Fonseca Scorecard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Calum SCOTT (SCO), WAGR #28, will be disappointed to have lost his match against Denmark’s Jacob Skov OLESEN, WAGR #88, having been 2Up with four holes to play. Unfortunately the Nairn man lost is form badly over the last four holes opening the door for the Dane to walk through without having to do too much.
Match Play Quarter Final – Scott v. Olesen Scorecard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Matty DODD-BERRY (ENG), WAGR #211, came out on the wrong side of a competitive match against Luke SAMPLE (USA), WAGR #121. Dodd-Berry missed a short putt on the 17th which handed the initiative to the American who was then good enough to see the game out down the last.
Match Play Quarter Final – Schiergen v. Clemons Scorecard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
The four losing Quarter Finalists, on the basis they remain amateur, will have the consolation of earning exemptions into Final Qualifying for The 2024 Open.
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Thursday 20th June 2024 – Afternoon
Match Play – Round 3 (8 games)
Laurenz SCHIERGEN (GER) parred his way to victory against an up and down Charlie FORSTER (ENG) in a tight opening Last 16 game.
Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) earned a statement 4&3 win against James ASHFIELD (WAL). Three birdies in the opening six holes gave him a platform and with the Welshman clearly a little off his game this afternoon he was never put under any pressure as the bank nine unwound.
20 year old Jack BIGHAM (ENG) built a 4Up lead after nine holes with some of his best golf of the Championship against Lev GRINBERG (UKR) and whilst there were a couple of missteps on the back nine I am sure he will be delighted with an energy conserving 5&4 victory.
Marcel FONSECA (ESP), 19, made hard work of beating Gunnlauger Árni SVEINSSON (ISL); 3Up after 12 holes he stumbled a little before closing with three matched pars for a 1 Hole win.
Calum SCOTT (SCO), with Gregor Graham on the bag, proved too strong for Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) down the stretch. Three consecutive hole wins on 13, 14 and 15, the latter two by way of birdies, saw him take a 3&2 win.
In a topsy-turvy Game 6, where neither player could gain any more than a one hole advantage it was left handed Jacob Skov OLESON (DEN) who overturned a 1Down with two to play margin to overcome Tom OSBORNE (ENG). Oleson birdied the 17th before Osborne conceded the match on the 20th hole.
Matty DODD-BERRY‘s (ENG) consistency enabled him to get the better of giant American Tommy MORRISON (USA), who for the second year running lost in the Last 16. In a match he was never behind in the Cheshire star ultimately required a bogey from his opponent on the last to get over the line. Morrison recorded an eagle, three birdies but most importantly four bogeys in his round compared with Dodd-Berry’s four birdies and just a single bogey.
Luke SAMPLE (USA) played 31 holes on the treacherous Glashedy Course today and had just two bogeys. Harry CROCKETT (ENG) simply couldn’t match this level of play this afternoon and fell to a 4&3 loss. Playing very tidily at the bottom of the draw the 121st WAGR-ranked American could well prove to be the surprise package at this year’s Championship.
Match Play Last 16 Result (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
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Thursday 20th June 2024 – Morning
Match Play – Round 2 (16 games)
Nine GB&I players, including six from England, were successful in the Round of 32.
Match Play Round 2 – Upper Half Results (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Laurenz SCHIERGEN (GER) ended the hopes of medalist Connor GRAHAM (SCO) helped by winning birdies on the 4th, 6th, 11th and 12th holes. Laurenz has his Irish Kansas State University teammate Luke O’Neill, who missed the cut, on the bag.
Four birdies from Charlie FORSTER (ENG), who didn’t drop a shot in the round, saw him easily close out the remaining home player Max KENNEDY (IRL) by 5&4.
In Game 3 Scottish Amateur Open champion Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) dropped two early shots to fall 2Down to Kent HSIAO (CTP) after five holes. However, a bogey from Hsiao on the 8th and a birdie from the Cambridgeshire player on the 9th turned the momentum around and set him on the path to a 2&1 win with par golf on the back nine.
After both players made a fast start to this encounter it was the more experienced James ASHFIELD (WAL) who maintained his form to eventually pull away from Josh HILL (ENG).
Oscar LENT (ENG) will be wondering how he managed to lose Game 5 against Lev GRINBERG (UKR). Birdies on 1 and 5 saw the Walton Heath member initially move into a 3Up lead. Some sloppy play from both players around the turn then saw this lead extended to 4Up with six holes to play. At this point Grinberg settled whilst Lent was unable to turn his game around. A bogey on 18 and a concession on the 19th Hole disappointingly handed the game to the Ukrainian.
Jack BIGHAM (ENG) was 3Down after nine holes in his match against South Africa’s Jordan BURNAND, having bogeyed four of them. Given the season he’s had at Florida State few would have blamed him for wanting to go home but he showed real character to bounce back with birdies on 10, 11, 13 and 15 to completely turn his match around and win by 3&1.
Marcel FONSECA (ESP) beat Markus VARJUN (FIN) 2&1 in a high quality encounter which saw the two players share seven birdies and make few mistakes.
In the Upper Half of the draw’s final game Gunnlauger Árni SVEINSSON (ISL), who yesterday signed for the LSU Men’s Golf team, got the better of Tim WIEDEMEYER with a 1 Hole victory after the German bogeyed both the 16th and 18th to throw away a 1Up lead with three holes to play.
Match Play Round 2 – Lower Half Results (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
A competitive match between Michael Alexander MJAASETH (DEN) and Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG) finally went the way of the Englishman after he birdied their 2nd extra hole.
After both players bogeyed the opening two holes it was Calum SCOTT (SCO) who pulled away from Seb CAVE (ENG) for a 5&4 win helped by par golf and birdies on the 4th, 6th and 10th holes.
Jacob Skov OLESON (DEN) beat Tomi BOWEN (WAL) by 3&2 in a poor quality match littered with bogeys.
Tom OSBORNE (ENG) and Nevill RUITER (NED) both started Game 12 nervously. Thankfully Osborne, who is enjoying a breakout season, birdied four of the holes on the back nine as play settled down to eventually take a 2&1 win.
England’s Matty DODD-BERRY got off to a dream start with three birdies in his opening four holes to quickly move 3Up against last year’s Quarter-Finalist Richard TEDER (EST). Whilst Teder fought back well on the back nine to get to 1Down with four to play the Royal Liverpool man had enough in the tank to secure a 2&1 win.
Tommy MORRISON (USA) blew Kristian HJORT BRESSUM (DEN) away with eight birdies in the 15 holes they played on the Glashedy Course.
English pair Freddie TURNELL and Harry CROCKETT surprisingly only managed three pars between them in the opening six holes of Game 15. They made up for it afterwards with nine birdies seen in the remaining regulation holes, the most important one coming from Somerset’s Turnell who birdied the 18th to take the contest into extras. Crockett birdied the 3rd to take the win on the 21st Hole.
Luke SAMPLE (USA), a rising senior at Duke who is playing links golf for the first time this week, continues to go from strength to strength. A great performance and a 3&2 win against Conor GOUGH (ENG) means he enters the Last 16 no longer under the radar.
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Wednesday 19th June 2024
Match Play – Round 1 (32 games)
Play got under way on Ballyliffin’s Glashedy Course at 8.30am. The final game in Round 1 teed off at 1.19pm.
Connor GRAHAM (SCO) fought back on the back nine, holing a 25 foot birdie putt on the home hole, to avoid the ‘curse of the medalist’ and secure a narrow 1 Hole victory over Mark STOCKDALE (ENG).
22 year old Max KENNEDY (IRL) kept the home fires burning with a solid 3&2 win over France’s Oscar COUILLEAU.
England’s Charlie FORSTER and Dominic CLEMONS required extra holes to beat Jose BALLESTER (ESP) and Niall SHIELS DONEGAN (SCO) respectively. Clemons holed lengthy putts on 17 and 18 to keep his game alive before seizing the initiative when they returned to the 1st Hole.
James ASHFIELD (WAL) earned an impressive 6&4 win against in form Harley SMITH (ENG) in their Battle of Britain encounter.
Three more Englishmen, Josh HILL, Oscar LENT and Jack BIGHAM, were successful in the Upper Half of the draw. Hill enjoyed a narrow win over Nicklaus MASON (USA), Lent surprised the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Jasper STUBBS (AUS) 6&4 and Bigham took out young Scotsman Sam MUKHERJEE by 3&1.
Match Play Round 1 – Upper Half Results (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
In the Lower Half of the draw there were good wins for Dylan SHAW-RADFORD (ENG), Calum SCOTT (SCO), last week’s St. Andrews Links Trophy winner Seb CAVE (ENG), Tomi BOWEN (WAL), Tom OSBORNE (ENG), Matty DODD-BERRY (ENG), Freddie TURNELL (ENG), Harry CROCKETT (ENG) and Conor GOUGH (ENG).
Cave’s 1 Hole win against Albert HANSSON (SWE), who won the 2022 Boys’ Amateur Championship, Dodd-Berry’s 2&1 victory over South African Ben VAN WYK and Turnell’s 3&1 win against Daniel SVARD (SWE) were the most noteworthy, their three opponents all being ranked within the WAGR top 100.
Match Play Round 1 – Lower Half Results (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
The template for a 64 player Match Play draw is as follows: –
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Tuesday 18th June 2024
Stroke Play Qualifying Sudden Death Play-Off
All of the players were advised on their 1st tees today that should a Stroke Play Qualifying (SPQ) Play-Off be required to finalise the Match Play (MP) field it would be played tonight. The original Championship Schedule had indicated that it would take place on Wednesday morning before MP Round 1 but it now appears this was changed earlier this week, albeit The R&A were optimistically expecting to get any extra holes underway at 8.00pm.
The 19-for-18 spots sudden death play-off eventually commenced at 9.10pm. Three groups of 5 players and one group of 4 were asked to play the 1st on The Old Links and the 9th on the Glashedy Links, in rotation, to bring the SPQ to a conclusion.
Thankfully matters were resolved after just one hole had been completed and before the light had gone.
Bob VAN DER VOORT (NED), who went out in the first five ball, made life a little easier for everyone else by taking a 3-over 7 on The Old Links’ par 4 1st hole. With this news quickly filtering back to the tee the rest of the field were able to manage their play accordingly and the Dutchman was sent packing just after 10.00pm.
Play-Off Results (Photo: The R&A)
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Tuesday 18th June 2024
Stroke Play Qualifying
Connor Graham with The R&A’s John Miller (Photo: Oisin Keniry / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)
Round 2
Connor GRAHAM (SCO) earned medalist honours at the 129th Amateur Championship with a 136 (-7) total score. A 1-under 71 on the Glashedy Course, which included four birdies, was a good follow up to his positive start on The Old Links yesterday.
Connor Graham’s SPQ Scorecard – Old Links (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Michael MJAASETH (DEN) -4 earned the 2nd seeding with Ben VAN WYK (RSA), last year’s medalist, taking 3rd place on -3.
Van Wyk produced the low round on the Glashedy Links on Day 2; after bogeying the 1st hole he produced an eagle and four birdies to post a 5-under 67.
Matteo CRISTONI (ITA) bounced back well from a disappointing opening round to record the lowest score on The Old Links in Round 2. His 5-under 66 included six birdies and helped him comfortably make the match play cut.
On a cold and windy day in north west Ireland just 10 players out of the 288 starters finished the Stroke Play Qualifying competition with an under par score.
Pleasingly amongst these were GB&I’s Oscar LENT (ENG) -2, Eliot BAKER (ENG) -1, Freddie TURNELL (ENG) -1, Tomi BOWEN (WAL) -1, Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) -1, James ASHFIELD (WAL) -1 and Tom OSBORNE (ENG) -1.
To the disappointment of the home crowd Max KENNEDY Ev and Seán KEELING +2 were the only Irish players to advance out of their 28 starters.
The average score in Round 2 on the Glashedy Course was 77.45 (+5.45) (Rd 1: 77.17) whilst on The Old Links it was 74.92 (+3.92) (Rd 1: 73.01).
65 players finished on 146 (+3) or better, 19 of these on the +3 score itself. With 64 competitors required for the Match Play Stage a 19-for-18 spots sudden death play-off was required (see above).
One of the 19 players required to stay on for the night shift was Jose BALLESTER (ESP) who started the day in 2nd place. Amazingly he birdied his final three holes to post an 8-over 80 on the Glashedy Course, eventually scrapping in on the +3 mark.
Here are the Stroke Play Qualifying results (leading players only): –
Stroke Play Qualifying Results (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Notable players to miss out on Match Play were Christiaan MAAS (RSA) +4, Hugh FOLEY (IRL) +5, Kris KIM (ENG) +5, Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) +6, Luis MASAVEU (ESP) +6, Cameron ADAM (SCO) +6, Liam NOLAN (IRL) +6, Altin VAN DER MERWE (RSA) +6, Gregor GRAHAM (SCO) +8, Tyler WEAVER (ENG) +8, Gregor TAIT (SCO) +10 and Matt ROBERTS (WAL) +13.
Click here to view the – 2024 Amateur Championship SPQ Results
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Monday 17th June 2024
Stroke Play Qualifying
Round 1
Connor GRAHAM (SCO), who teed off at 7.51am, leads the Stroke Play Qualifying Stage of the 2024 Amateur Championship after he produced a 6-under 65 on Ballyliffin’s The Old Links course (OL).
Five birdies in the closing six holes of his front nine set up his round. His great score will have done the 17 year old Scotsman’s confidence the world of good as has missed most of the 2024 season due to a stress fracture in his hand.
Connor Graham’s Round 1 Scorecard – Old Links (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Overseas entrants Jose BALLESTER (ESP), -5 OL, is 2nd and Michael MJAASETH (DEN) & Sergio JIMENEZ (ESP), both -4 OL, tied 3rd.
GB&I’s Charlie FORSTER (ENG), Harry CROCKETT (ENG), Harley SMITH (ENG) and James ASHFIELD (WAL), all -3 OL, and Cameron ADAM (SCO), -2 OL, joined Graham in the top 10 after the opening round. Max KENNEDY and Seán KEELING, -1 OL, are the best placed Irish players.
33 players finished the opening day under par with all but three of those rounds taking place on the easier Old Links Course.
Bob VAN DER VOORT (NED), who teed off in one of the opening groups at 6.45am, recorded the lowest score on the Glashedy Course (G). His 2-under 70 included an eagle and two birdies.
Bob Van Der Voort’s Round 1 Scorecard – Glashedy (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
South African’s Jack BUCHANAN and Jordan BURNAND were the only other players to break par around the Glashedy. They both finished with 1-under 70’s.
Cooper SCHULTZ (USA) didn’t get off to the best of starts on the Glashedy Course (+5) but at least had the consolation of recording a hole-in-one on the 168 yard par 3 7th.
Cooper Schultz’s Round 1 Scorecard – Glashedy (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
The average score in Round 1 on the Glashedy Course was 77.17 (+5.17) whilst on The Old Links it was 73.01 (+2.01). In other words there is still a lot of golf to be played in this Qualifying Stage, particularly for those players down the leaderboard but now moving over to The Old Links course.
Here are the leading Stroke Play Qualifying scores at the end of Round 1: –
Round 1 Leaderboard (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox)
Reserves Patrick KEELING (IRL) 1st, Conor BYRNE (IRL) 2nd and Ben BROOKES (ENG) 3rd were called up to the field following the late withdrawals of Jye HALLS (AUS), Attieh KHALED (KSA) and Nels SURTANI (USA) over the weekend. Therefore 41 players who competed in Friday’s 72-man Pre-Qualifying event made the final Championship field.
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Friday 14th June 2024
Pre-Qualifying (PQ)
PQ Results
Keith EGAN (IRL) earned medalist honours at the PQ event with a 69 (-2) score around The Old Links at Ballyliffin.
Sam MUKHERJEE (SCO) -1 was the only other player in the field of 72 players to break par.
With 38 spots available a 13-for-3 sudden death play off was required to finalise the Championship’s 288 player field. These 13 men all finished with 75 ‘s (+4). Charlie DAUGHTREY (ENG), Cian O’CONNOR (IRL) and Kipp POPERT (ENG) were the three successful players.
It is worth remembering that any further withdrawals before the Championship commences next Monday will see the highest finishing PQ players on a card count back basis rather than by reference to the play-off results called upon. This means that Patrick KEELING (IRL) is now 1st Reserve, Conor BYRNE (IRL) 2nd Reserve, Ben BROOKES (ENG) 3rd Reserve and Max SHIRVELL (ENG) 4th Reserve.
Here are the full Pre-Qualifying Results: –
Pre-Qualifying Results (Graphic: The R&A / Golfbox Scoring)
(Q) = Qualified
Red Box = Players involved in the 13-for-3 play-off.
Click here to view the – 2024 Amateur Championship Pre-Qualifying Results
PQ Background
The R&A ran a PQ event for the third time to offer some of the players not allocated an original place in the field an opportunity to earn one.
The R&A again limited the PQ field to 72 players with the event played over 18 holes of stroke play on The Old Links course at Ballyliffin.
This field was made up of the 15 highest ranked WAGR players (who sit between 1,500th – 1,796th) not originally accepted into the Championship field followed by a lowest handicap ballot for the remainder.
The number of spots available rose from the guaranteed 10 to 38. This is because 28 players withdrew from the original Championship line-up before the PQ had been played (288-278+28).
Amongst this 28 were (in alphabetical order with entry WAGRs) Paul BEAUVY (FRA) #440, Ben BROWN (ENG) #1044, Luke CLANTON (USA) #8, James CLARIDGE (ENG) #199, Paul CONROY (IRL) #293, Charlie CROCKETT (ENG) #135, Wenyi DING (CHN) #6, Nicola GERHARDSEN (SUI) #236, James NASH (WAL) #940, Joe PAGDIN (ENG) #1201, Luke POULTER (ENG) #394, Luke POTTER (USA) #61, Carl SIEMENS (GER) #502, Hiroshi TAI (SNP) #70 and Keaton VE (USA) #209.
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8th June 2024 (Updated 13th June 2024)
Championship Preview
The 129th Amateur Championship will be played at Ballyliffin G.C. in County Donegal, Ireland on 17th-22nd June 2024.
The Amateur is the most prestigious amateur golf event played outside of the United States and the highlight of the Great British and Irish (GB&I) amateur season.
I will be updating this article as more information becomes available and providing daily reports throughout the Championship.
The Amateur Championship Trophy (Photo: The Nairn G.C.)
Championship Format
Stroke Play Qualifying
Two rounds of stroke play will be completed on Monday 17th June and Tuesday 18th June to determine a match play field.
Each contestant will play 18 holes around Ballyliffin’s Glashedy Links and The Old Links courses with three-ball tee times between 6.45am and 3.37pm on both days.
The 64 lowest scores will advance to the match play stage.
In a decision that I applaud The R&A are going to use a sudden death play-off this year to break ties for the last qualifying place. Previous year’s have generally seen all ties advance to the match play stage with a Preliminary Round then having to be played.
Ties for all other match play seedings are resolved by reference to the combined back nines (then six, three and one) from each course.
Match Play Stage
The Match Play stage will be contested between Wednesday 19th and Saturday 22nd June solely on the Glashedy Links course.
Each match will consist of one round of 18 holes except the Final which will be played over 36 holes. Any tied matches will continue into sudden death extra holes to determine a winner.
Field
NB. All WAGR’s quoted below were at the close of entries on 23rd May 2024
288 male amateur golfers from 42 countries will contest the Championship.
278 competitors were offered places in the Championship when entries closed on 25th May 2023. These players were drawn from 1) a number of exempt categories covering various historic Championship performances and representative team selections and 2) allocated to those highest ranked players 1st-2,000th in the WAGR as at Week 20 2023 (i.e. the Wednesday 17th May release), and then via WHS Handicap index at the date of entry.
At entry players were offered the opportunity to play in a Pre-Qualifying (PQ) event, should they not make the initial line-up, for which the remaining 10 spots were originally allocated. This will be played on 14th June 2024 (see above).
There are 5 players from the WAGR top 50, 19 from the top 100, 46 from the top 250, 89 from the top 500 and 184 from the top 1000 competing this year.
The 2023 champion Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA) turned pro in early June, surprisingly foregoing his exemption into the 2024 U.S. Open Championship being played at Pinehurst Golf Resort.
Click here to view the full – 2024 Amateur Championship Terms of Competition
Ballyliffin G.C. (Photo: Ballyliffin G.C.)
Leading Players
From the home players I expect James ASHFIELD (WAL) #48, Jack BIGHAM (ENG) #78, Seb CAVE (ENG) #974, Dominic CLEMONS (ENG) #469, Charlie CROCKETT (ENG) #135, Matthew DODD-BERRY (ENG) #235, Charlie FORSTER (ENG) #404, Will HOPKINS (ENG) #101, Max KENNEDY (IRL) #77, Matt MCCLEAN (IRL) #76, Liam NOLAN (IRL) #109, Tom OSBORNE (ENG) #700, Matt ROBERTS (WAL) #447, Calum SCOTT (SCO) #39 and Tyler WEAVER (ENG) #126 to do well.
The leading overseas entries include Jose BALLESTER (ESP) #24, Albert HANSSON (SWE), Tobias JONSSON (SWE) #52, Algot KLEEN (SWE) #83, Christiaan MAAS (RSA) #16, Luis MASAVEU (ESP) #51, Tommy MORRISON (USA) #66 and Ben VAN WYK (RSA) #47.
Ballyliffin G.C. (Photo: Ballyliffin G.C.)
Host Courses
Ballyliffin, located on the Inishowen Peninsula, was established in 1947 and is Ireland’s most northerly golf club.
It is the first time that the club has hosted the Amateur Championship. It becomes the 23rd to do so.
Ballyliffin – Glashedy Links
7,314 yards (Amateur) / Par 72 / Slope Rating 136 (Black) / Course Rating 77.4 (Black)
The Glashedy Course, named after the nearby Glashedy Rock, was designed by Tom Craddock & Pat Ruddy and opened for play in 1995.
The course sits in magnificent sand dunes. The fairways were flattened out to make them fairer but the deep revetted bunkers and large and undulating greens are challenging.
The course has previously staged the 2016 Boys’ Home Internationals, the 2018 Irish Open Championship, which was won by Scotland’s Russell Knox, and the 2022 R&A Women’s and Men’s Home Internationals.
Ballyliffin G.C. Course Map (Graphic: The R&A)
Ballyliffin – The Old Links
6,910 yards (Blue) / Par 71 / Slope Rating 130 / Course Rating 73.7
Schedule
The R&A have laid out the following provisional schedule for the Championship: –
2024 Amateur Championship Schedule (Graphic: The R&A)
Weather Forecast
Cool and showery weather is forecast with winds gusting to 25mph at times.
Click here to view the – Latest MET Éireann Weather Forecast for Ballyliffin
Tee times between 7.00am and 3.52pm mean that any changes in the weather during the opening two days can have a material impact on the stroke play qualifying competition.
Prizes / Exemptions
A momento (a framed championship flag) is presented by The R&A to the leading player in the stroke play qualifying competition, with any ties for this prize decided on the lowest aggregate score for the second nine holes on both courses (or the last six or three or one if necessary).
The winner of the match play stage will become the Amateur Champion receiving the Championship Trophy and a Gold Medal.
The runner-up receives a Silver Medal and each losing semi-finalist a Bronze Medal.
The winner of The Amateur Championship, on the basis they remain an amateur, will receive the following exemptions / invitations into: –
a) the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon G.C., Scotland on 18-21 July 2024;
b) the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National G.C., Georgia on 10-13 April 2025;
c) the 2025 U.S. Open Championship at Oakmont C.C., Pennsylvania on 12-15 June 2025; and
d) a DP World Tour event.
The Runner-Up and two losing Semi-Finalists, on the basis they are still an amateur, will receive an invitation to compete in a Challenge Tour event and will be exempt into Final Qualifying for the 2024 Open Championship.
The losing Quarter Finalists, on the basis they are still an amateur, will also receive exemptions into Final Qualifying for The Open.
The Open Championship Amateur Series Winner
For the second year running The R&A will be running The Open Championship Amateur Series.
The player who gains the most WAGR points in the 2024 St. Andrews Links Trophy (won by England’s Seb Cave), Amateur Championship and European Amateur Championship will earn an exemption into the forthcoming Open at Royal Troon G.C.
2024 St. Andrews Trophy
Should a Great Britain & Ireland player win the Amateur Championship they are guaranteed a place on the GB&I St. Andrews Trophy team for the match against Continent of Europe being played on 24th-225th July at Royal Porthcawl G.C.
More Information
Click here to view the – R&A Amateur Championship Official Website
The latter stages of the match play will be live streamed on The R&A You Tube channel.
2023 Amateur Championship
Match Play Stage
Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA), who was 22 at the time, won the 128th Amateur Championship at a sun-drenched Hillside G.C., beating Ronan KLEU (SUI), 23, 3&2 in the 36 hole Final.
Ronan Kleu and Christo Lamprecht (Photo: Octavio Passos / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)
Fellow South African player Christiaan Maas achieved a notable double too. Last year he missed the Match Play Stage cut and caddied for the eventual champion Aldrich Potgieter. This year the same thing happened and he picked up Lamprecht’s bag and ended up again helping a teammate to victory.
Lamprecht was the third South African winner in the last 6 years; Jovan Rebula also won at Royal Aberdeen in 2018.
Click here to view the – 2023 Amateur Championship Match Play Results
Stroke Play Qualifying
The 2023 Stroke Play Qualifying competition was played over 36 holes at Hillside G.C. and Southport & Ainsdale G.C. (S&A).
Medalist honours went to Ben VAN WYK (RSA) who recorded a total score of 132 (-11).
Following Jonathan Broomhead’s success in 2022 it is the second year running that a South African has won the Stroke Play Qualifying at The Amateur Championship. Wilco Nienaber in 2018 is the only other South African medalist since this stage was introduced in 1983.
Richard TEDER (EST) -10 secured the 2nd seed, Eliot BAKER (ENG), GB&I’s leading qualifier, finished in 3rd, Ronan KLEU (SUI) -10 4th place and Joshua GREER (AUS) -9 5th.
85 players made the top 64 and ties cut, finishing on -2 or better, to progress to the Match Play Stage. 26 of these were from GB&I, albeit 15 of this number will be starting their journey’s in the Preliminary Round 1.
Click here to view the full – 2023 Amateur Championship Stroke Play Qualifying Results
Pre-Qualifying
The 18 hole Amateur Championship Pre-Qualifying event was played at Southport & Ainsdale G.C.
Whilst 10 spots were originally on offer from Pre-Qualifying 23 withdrawals from the Championship field since entries closed on 25th May meant a total of 33 players (46% of the 72 starters) had the opportunity to advance to the main event.
Kristoffer MAX (DEN), George HOLLAND (ENG) and Matthew LEVER (ENG), who all shot 4-under 67’s, were the leading qualifiers.
Click here to view the – 2023 Pre-Qualifying Results
For more information on last year’s Championship please click here – The Amateur Championship – 2023 Preview & Results Article
A Short History of The Amateur
The Amateur Championship was first played in April 1885 at Royal Liverpool G.C. Allan Macfie (SCO) was the first champion beating Horace Hutchinson (ENG) 7&6 in the Final.
Up until the Second World War it was a hugely prestigious event and in many of these early years was afforded a much higher standing in the game than The Open Championship. Players like Johnny Ball (ENG), Harold Hilton (ENG) and Freddie Tait (SCO) were all amateurs and as good if not better than most of the professionals of the day.
With only modest rewards available in the professional game many of the better players simply stayed amateur. The great American Bobby Jones, who won The Amateur in 1930 on the way to his Grand Slam, remains the most well known career amateur.
Even after the war players remained amateur for much longer and famous names like Frank Stranahan (USA), Joe Carr (IRE), Sir Michael Bonallack (ENG) and Peter McEvoy (ENG) all built their reputations on Amateur Championship wins.
With the growth and transformation of the professional game from the early 1980s onwards both the better players and the media increasingly started to turn their backs on the amateur game.
Save for exceptional cases like Gary Wolstenholme (ENG) all continuity has been lost over the last 30 years and most of the young golfing stars of today rarely play any more than 2 or 3 Amateurs before being lured into the pro ranks by the potentially huge rewards on offer.
Past Winners
The greatest player in the history of The Amateur is Johnny Ball. The Hoylake man won the Championship a record 8 times between 1888 and 1912.
Only three other players have won the competition more than twice; Sir Michael Bonallack (5), Harold Hilton (4) and Joe Carr (3). Bonallack amazingly won it three years in a row between 1968-1970. The last person to retain The Amateur was Peter McEvoy in 1977 and ’78.
Prior to Christo Lamprecht’s win in 2023 the previous 10 winners of The Amateur Championship were: –
2022 Aldrich Potgieter (RSA) – Royal Lytham and St. Annes G.C.
2021 Laird Shepherd (ENG) – Nairn G.C.
2020 Joe Long (ENG) – Royal Birkdale G.C.
2019 James Sugrue (IRL) – Portmarnock G.C.
2018 Jovan Rebula (RSA) – Royal Aberdeen G.C.
2017 Harry Ellis (ENG) – Royal St. George’s G.C.
2016 Scott Gregory (ENG) – Royal Porthcawl G.C.
2015 Romain Langasque (FRA) – Carnoustie G.C.
2014 Bradley Neil (SCO) – Royal Portrush G.C.
2013 Garrick Porteous (ENG) – Royal Cinque Ports G.C.
A great achievement and honour for all of the players listed above. However, looking through the names reminds us of how incredibly tough golf is and that wins in the biggest amateur events are no guarantee of success in the professional game.
Click here to view a complete list of – Past Amateur Championship Winners
Click here to view a complete list of – Past Amateur Stroke Play Qualifying Medalists
ME.
Copyright © 2014-2024, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.
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