Many of the world’s leading amateur golfers will take their place in a truly international line-up for The 128th Amateur Championship over the links of Hillside and Southport & Ainsdale next week (June 19-24).
At least 39 different countries will be represented in the 288-strong field for one of the sport’s biggest and most prestigious championships.
South Africa’s Christo Lamprecht, sixth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), will be among the contenders to win the trophy lifted by his compatriot, Aldrich Potgieter, at Royal Lytham & St Annes 12 months ago.
And there will be plenty of competition, including from last year’s losing semi-finalists – John Gough, the Englishman who has risen to 12th in the world, and Irishman Alex Maguire who recently won the St Andrews Links Trophy. A number of other Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup contenders, for September’s match with the USA at St Andrews, will also hope to shine.
Arguably the most consistent European amateur of the last 12 months is Albert Hansson, the highly-rated Swede. He came second at the Links Trophy, was the leading individual in the European Nations Cup won by England, 13th in the Lytham Trophy and, last year, collected the British Boys.
And while the 19-year-old World No 33 hopes to mount a challenge of his own, he says Lamprecht, a student at Georgia Tech, will be hard to beat. The giant right-hander will be joined in the North West by 2022 Brabazon Trophy champion Christiaan Maas, the World No 16.
“I’m sure he will do well,” says Hansson. “He goes to the college I will be joining next year so I have been following him closely. He is a very solid player, with one of the highest rankings. If I had to pick a favourite, it would be him.”
First contested in 1885, The Amateur Championship is truly historic, with a list of illustrious former winners that includes Sergio Garcia, Jose Maria Olazabal and Bobby Jones.
“It will be a privilege to play in such a prestigious championship,” added Hansson. “And it would be pretty special to have your name on that trophy.”
But there is another incentive as players prepare to take on one of the amateur game’s most demanding challenges. At the end of a week in which stroke play qualifying is followed by match play, the winner will secure exemptions into The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool next month, the US Open, and, by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.
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Hansson is relishing the prospect, not least because he has adapted quickly to links golf.
“I guess it suits me,” he says. “I’ve played well every time I’ve played in a links tournament. It’s a different game really. You have to think about stuff that you might not think about on courses in the US or back home in Sweden. You can’t just aim for the flag and expect it to stick.
“It’s also about staying patient and believing that you’ve got what it takes, firstly to reach the match play stage and then to beat your opponent. In match play, anyone can beat anyone so you have to play every hole like it really matters and not give anything away. If you do, you will be in big trouble against these opponents.”
For the second year running, a pre-qualifying event was held for The Amateur Championship today. A total of 72 players competed over 18 holes of stroke play at Southport & Ainsdale to qualify for a minimum of 29 places into the Championship.
And unsurprisingly a clutch of leading amateurs from the North West qualified comfortably, led by home player George Holland. The Lancastrian went bogey free in finishing joint top on four under (67). It was a score matched by Bolton-based Aussie Matthew Lever while his Red Rose team-mate Andrew Haswell (Ormskirk), the current leader of the Apeiron Northern Order of Merit was two back but well inside the top ten.
Denmark’s Max Kristoffer also posted a 67 while the cut came at two over.
The full field for The Amateur Championship can also be viewed here.