The Round 2 average score was slightly lower than Round 1 at 69.41 (-2.59). There were 36 eagles and 673 birdies. 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. This is probably due to the growing popularity of U.S. college golf and a clash of dates this year with the Italian International Stroke Play Championship. Additionally a COVID-19 travelling and funding hangover, which is perhaps seeing overseas players undertaking shorter trips, may mean we see a focus on the St Andrews Links and The Amateur in June or worse still the new seven event Elite Amateur Golf Series in USA. Players will tee off between 7.30am and 3.40pm on the Friday and Saturday so changes in the weather and wind speeds throughout the first two days can play a big part in scoring. The weather started to turn a little today with early morning mist giving way to cloud before some late light rain came in to disturb the later finishers.

Long heralded as one of our strongest junior prospects the Walton Heath, Surrey protégé looks set for a bright future in the game. Historically the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh Golf Unions have taken it in turns to host the event but from this playing The R&A will be taking over responsibility for it. 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). The Silver Medal is awarded to the leading amateur in The Open Championship who completes 72 holes. Bronze Medals are awarded to all other amateurs who complete 72 holes.The first was England Golf’s announcement that they had appointed Lauren Spray as their new ‘Women and Girls’ Participation Manager’. This is clearly a positive step which should help to attract more females to play the game. A targeted programme and advisory group to support Clubs and Lauren will also be launched in 2015. Golf is a male dominated sport in the UK with over 85% of players being men. This is very different to all other establish golfing countries where woman and girls are much more strongly represented. He is often described as the “father of American golf course architecture”, as he went on to build many notable early courses. His experience in Scotland enabled him to introduce a more sophisticated design approach with clear strategic thinking evident in his work. In 1908/09 he part-funded, designed and built the National Golf Links Of America in Southampton, New York. The course hosted the inaugural Walker cup in 1922 and more recently the 2013 match. He continued to tweak the National for the rest of his life and it remains to this day one of the premier courses in the world of golf. He subsequently started to collaborate with Seth Raynor and the two of them designed many other notable courses. Stuart EASTON and George BURNS also won their games but to a greater degree than their teammates benefitted from Callan BARROW and Zach CHEGWIDDENplaying poorly. In 2004 21 year old James HEATHwon with a record score of 266 (-18), recording rounds of 67, 68, 66, and 65. Garth McGimpsey, the then Walker Cup captain, described Heath’s performance as ‘the best amateur golf I’ve ever seen’. Mukherjee was the second player to tee off in the competition and like McClean impressively kept the damage on his card to just a single bogey. His came on the 3rd hole with birdies on 7 and 8 before another pair on 17 and 18 left him well placed heading into the weekend.

Robert MORAN (IRL), who is tied with compatriot Eoin MURPHYon 2-under in 5th place, will clearly have been disappointed to triple-bogey the home hole to slip out of the Round 1 lead which he had held on 5-under standing on the 18th tee. The star player at last year’s Home Internationals has been a bit quieter this year but can hopefully recapture his best form this week.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. Amateur Qualifiers – Emily Price (ENG), Kirsten Rudgeley (ENG), Mimi Rhodes (ENG) and Amy Taylor (ENG) Foley will have enjoyed his final round 69,which included bogeys on the similar 15th and 17th par 4 holes and therefore could have been even better, having recently been over-looked by the Irish selectors for the Men’s European Nations Championship in Sotogrande. A top 5 finish here will be just the response he will have been hoping to provide. Teams of 6 girls and 8 boys from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will compete against each other as one team. A match consists of seven foursomes and fourteen singles, each over 18 holes, with the foursomes being played first.

Following the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Division I National Championship in late May Sargent will become eligible to accept PGA Tour membership should he choose to turn professional. He will be eligible for open, full field events throughout 2024 and 2025 (subject to reshuffles). Hankley Common G.C. in Tilford, near Farnham in Surrey was first opened as a nine hole course in May 1897. A further nine holes were added by James Braid in 1923/24 but it was only after Harry Colt undertook some remodelling and replaced three holes in 1935 that it started to be recognised as one of England’s best inland courses. Given they started the day 4-8 down to the Continent of Europe they will surely view the final score as a moral victory if not exactly a numerical one. Royal Lytham have recently changed their scoring system from Intelligent Golf to Golf Genius so the complete 2019 Results are no longer publically available. The SPWAR was more accurate than WAGR. I discussed the reasons for this in an article I originally wrote in February 2016 (and have subsequently updated a few times since) – ‘Why The SPWAR Is Better Than The WAGR’.Formby Hall (Q 34 / F 67 ) – Ben Chamberlain (WAL), James Erskine-Low (ENG), William Walker (ENG), Hamish McColm (SCO), Tom Dowdall (IRL), Kieran Quinn (SCO), Jacob Davies (WAL), Kristian Towers (ENG) Unfortunately the match clashes with the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France on the European Challenge Tour. Ugo COUSSAUD (FRA – 63), Thomas PERROT (FRA – 126) Antoine ROZNER (FRA – 23) and Adrian MERONK (POL – 11) have all been invited to play as amateurs. Good news for GB&I, bad news for Europe. Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA) shot a 66 (-5) in the opening round to be tied for the lead alongside Emiliano GRILLO (ARG) and Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG) at Royal Liverpool G.C.