It has been a fabulous year for amateur golf in England, Scotland and Wales with some thrilling victories and remarkable feats. Golfnews24 editor MARK FLANAGAN looks back through the year and counts down the best 22.
22) GB&I win St Andrews Trophy
In these modern times, for GB&I to beat a Rest of Europe team takes some doing. Such has been the spread of golf, most countries in Europe take the sport very seriously and the various national bodies invest millions into supporting the development of their best players.
The nine-man GB&I squad went into this year’s match in Slovakia hoping to win the St Andrews Trophy for the first time since 2016 and an inspired showing in the day one singles set up a 14.5-10.5 victory.
Only one of the eight visiting players lost on the opening afternoon as GB&I took an 8-4 leading into the final day.
It got even better the following morning as they took the foursomes 3-1 with Sam Bairstow once again leading the way, alongside Ireland’s Matthew McClean.
After lunch the Continentals won three of the top four singles ties but the lower order came through with Ireland’s Mark Power, Scotland’s Calum Scott and England’s Aaron Edwards-Hill all gaining a point to keep the host team at arm’s length.
For the full story click here
21) Jimmy Price wins Suffolk County Championship
Every year hundreds of ‘good’ players enter scratch events knowing they are essentially making up the numbers.
At this year’s Suffolk County Championship, the likes of 2021 British Amateur runner-up Monty Scowsill and Scottish international Gregor Tait were expected to dominate but in the final reckoning it was 41-year-old two-handicapper Jimmy Price who went home with the main prize after a remarkable weekend at Halesworth.
In windy conditions, Price’s closing one-under-par 71 was unquestionably the round of his life, having rarely broken par outside of his home course (Felixstowe Ferry).
“I entered to play because I quite like the golf course and the entry fee represents good value for money if you play three rounds,” admitted Price. “I went there with zero expectation but the reaction to me winning has been incredible. I’ve had so many messages from people saying that my victory has inspired them to believe they can do amazing things on a golf course.”
Price won by two shots from plus five handicapper Patrick Spraggs with Scowsill a shot further adrift.
“I am very proud to have won it,” added Price.
And rightly so.
For the full story click here
20) Woad and Gourley become first all-female amateur pair to win Sunningdale Foursomes since 1997
The Sunningdale Foursomes is one of the truly great British amateur golf institutions and its playing unofficially marks the start of the season.
The unique format means female and male amateurs and pros can play each other and every champion has to battle their way through seven rounds.
It always attracts an incredibly strong field and this year was no exception with England Girls internationals Rachel Gourley and Lottie Woad hoping to become the first all-female amateur pair to win it for a quarter of a century. Julie Hall and Helen Wadsworth were the last to achieve the impressive feat.
That they managed in sensational fashion, beating South West-based professionals Jimmy Ruth (China Fleet) and Paul Hendriksen (Ivy Bridge) 6&5 in the final.
“We are both very happy,” said Woad. “Looking at the names who have won it before we are in good company. This year there were loads of great pairs and obviously we are very happy to come out on top. We had some great matches.”
For the full story click here
19) Ben Brown bags albatross on his way to winning Fairhaven Trophy
If a hole in one is a rarity an albatross is almost mythical but not for Yorkshire teenager Ben Brown, who holed his second shot at the par five first at Fairhaven on his way to victory at the illustrious Fairhaven Trophy in early May.
The Romanby player had just the 230 yards left for his approach and could not quite believe it as it went in to set up a six-under-par 66 in the second round of the 72-hole stroke play test.
Brown, who would go on to win the Yorkshire Matchplay title later in the season, said: “I was stood on the second tee thinking: ‘God I am three under after one hole!’
“I didn’t see it go in and thought it had gone through the back but as I was walking towards the green, one of my playing partners just looked in the hole and there it was.
“I knew it was on a good line but you just don’t expect things like that to happen.”
The then 17-year-old would eventually win the title by five shots from his fellow Tyke Dylan Shaw-Radford while their county colleague Josh Berry broke the course record in the final round, a stunning 65 elevating him up to fourth in the final standings.
For the full story click here
18) England’s women win European Championship again
England’s efforts in winning the European Team Championship at Royal County Down last year earned them the England Golf Performance of the Year prize and four of that team made up the side that retained the title in superb fashion at Conwy in July.
With debutant Lottie Woad (Farnham) in inspired form – she won all her matches – England qualified for the last eight in first and then dropped just half a point in beating Wales to reach the last four.
In the semi-finals they saw off old foes Sweden 4.5-2.5 and then won the final by the same margin against Italy.
Amelia Williamson (Hunstanton) was the other newbie and she more than played her part alongside Charlotte Heath (Huddersfield), Caley McGinty (Knowle), Rosie Belsham (Whitley Bay) and Annabell Fuller (Roehampton).
For the full story click here
17) Amy Staveley starts birdie, birdie, eagle on her way to new course record at Alwoodley
Alwoodley is one of the most difficult courses in the country. Anyone who has played the north Leeds venue will testify it is an unrelenting test of golfing skill.
Not that that mattered much to Ganton junior Amy Staveley as she blitzed her way around the heathland test in the second qualifying round of the Yorkshire Ladies Championship.
The 16-year-old started birdie, birdie, eagle on her way to a front nine 31 (-5) and held it together superbly despite a little wobble at the start of her back nine. An eagle at 16 got her to six under and she would close on that mark (67) to slice a shot off the previous best held by her county colleague Nicola Slater.
“After the first round (she opened with a 79) I went in with the attitude it doesn’t matter what I shoot and I played with a lot of freedom,” said Staveley.
For the full story click here
16) Leicestershire Boys win English County finals for first time
When you are a small county, success does not come around too often and, with just 26 affiliated clubs, Leicestershire is one of the real minnows in England.
However that didn’t matter to the six boys who saw off Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and Kent to secure the Foxes their first national title.
A year earlier they had qualified for the nationals for the first time but the combined efforts of Frazer Jones (Kirby Muxloe), Charlie Box (Kirby Muxloe), William Plant (Cosby), Thomas Dziuba (The Leicestershire), Ethan Bell (Cosby) and Millen Durham (Cosby) did the business at Furness.
Team manager Dave Deacon said: “We made it to these finals last year but didn’t finish the job off. In the 120-year history of our county, none of the teams has ever won a major finals so the lads today have done Leicestershire proud.”
For the full story click here
15) Cormac Sharpe records holes in one on consecutive days at The English Boys (Carris)
Some people go their whole lives never managing a hole in one so they might want to look away now… for one glorious week at Silloth-on-Solway they became a common occurence for Scottish junior Cormac Sharpe.
In the second round of the English Boys, he struck a sweetly struck wedge at the 10th that defied the cross wind to arrow straight at the pin and go in. The hole before he had missed a three-footer for birdie.
The next day he arrived at the 16th not in the best of shapes from a competing perspective but “flushed” a six iron at the 200-yarder and again the ball disappeared down the hole.
Sharpe said: “When the ball disappeared the Italian guy I was playing with and his caddy went mental.
“Mum (Connie) was by the green for both of them and she walked up to me on 16 and was just laughing.”
For the full story click here
14) Lottie Woad wins British Girls
It has been known for some time that Surrey’s Lottie Woad is a special talent but the manner in which she stormed to the Girls Amateur Championship at Carnoustie, confirmed that in the most startling of fashions.
Woad put on a masterclass as she beat Spain’s Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio 7&6 in the final, reeling off six birdies in nine holes to seal the deal. In the semi-final she saw off her good friend Rachel Gourley 5&4, having taken care of Royal Lytham and Wales international Emily James 6&4 in the last eight.
2022 proved another stellar year for the England international, who won all her matches as England retained the European Team Championship (see above).
Unsurprisingly she has made a brilliant start to life at Florida State and has just broke into the top 50 in the WAGR rankings.
For the full story click here
13) Rob Spence shoots an incredible 64 on his way to winning the Cumbria Stroke Play Championship by 10 shots
Furness celebrated its 150th birthday this year and, as part of the celebrations, it was selected to host Cumbria’s blue-riband event in June.
However bad weather on the links test meant it was shortened to 54 holes which makes the achievements of home player Rob Spence all the more remarkable.
Despite the high winds the 41-year-old somehow managed to coax his ball round in 64 shots in the second round.
“The second round was the best I have ever played,” said the 41-year-old, who got to seven under in the first round of Final Qualifying at St Annes Old Links last year when the shaft of his driver shattered on the 18th tee.
Spence would win his second county title by a remarkable ten shots with the third-placed player (Kerry Morrow) a further five shots back. Conditions on the final day were particularly ‘brutal’.
Spence added: “At the par three 10th (188 yards) I hit three wood and was short. People were hitting driver and I should have really.”
For the full story click here
12) 16-year-old Oliver Mukherjee wins Scottish Amateur having been three down with eight to play in final
The name Mukherjee is fast becoming a familiar sight on scoreboards in major amateur golf events with twins Oliver and Sam plus younger brother Cameron making serious waves in the game.
Oliver had dropped a heavy hint he was ready to step up in senior competition with an opening 67 giving him an early lead over a world-class field at the Lytham Trophy (he would eventually finish 21st).
However he just kept getting stronger and stronger at Gailes Links, beating a raft of Scottish internationals on his way to becoming what is believed to be the youngest winner of the event.
In the final against Suffolk-based Gregor Tait, Mukherjee looked down and out with eight holes to go but he birdied 13 and 14 to cut the cap to one and then a par at 15 got him back on level terms. The next two were halved in pars before Tait missed his ten-foot par putt on the last and the teenager from Gullane could celebrate with his family.
For the full story click here
11) Rachel Gourley becomes first amateur to win Rose Series event
Playing with two greats of the British game can be a daunting at the best times but when you are taking the rare opportunity to test yourself against leading professionals, there is plenty of scope for the occasion to overwhelm you.
Not England international Rachel Gourley though as made history at Walton Heath playing alongside Laura Davies and Trish Johnson.
The then 17-year-old, now in her freshman year at Auburn University, became the first amateur to win a Rose Series event and she did so in extraordinary fashion, birdieing four of the last five holes to finish two clear.
And it was a year when Gourley really developed the winning habit having also claimed the Sunningdale Foursomes, Scottish Girls Open and Formby Leveret in 2022.
“To play with Trish and Dame Laura was insane,” said Gourley. “I was so nervous at the start – and there were quite a lot of people watching – so I was just trying to not make a bogey.”
For the full story click here
10) Charlie Thornton goes bogey free to win Scottish Open after amazing last-round battle with John Gough
Cruden Bay is not the easiest of venues but on a cold, windy day in May the difficulty factor is ramped up considerably although Yorkshire ace Charlie Thornton blocked it all out as he won the Scottish Open in inspirational fashion.
Chasing him every step of way was John Gough, arguably the best player in Europe at that time but the Fulford player held his nerve and showed considerable skill to finish with a bogey-free 66 and edge out the England international by a shot.
“And It was really really tough out there and it was so cold,” said Thornton, who has since turned professional and also won the West of England Stroke Play at Saunton in April.
“My hands were going numb. The last five holes are all played into the wind and there are a few blind shots in there.”
For the full story click here
9) Ross Overton and Adam Walker both break the York GC course record playing in the same group
Before the experienced duo teed off in the second and final round of the Yorkshire Order of Merit competition at the Strensall venue, one of the members proudly told Overton and Walker that ’nobody tears it up around here’ and that the course record was a modest four-under 66.
Hessle’s Aaron Brettell had gone close in the morning (67) and Huddersfield’s Walker, a regular for the Yorkshire county side, started off strongly, getting to four under through eight. He would bogey nine to turn in 32 while Nottinghamshire stalwart Overton was one worse.
However the Yorkshireman birdied ten, 13, 14 and 15 to get to seven under while he playing partner from Sherwood Forest also birdied the par five 15th, holed out from 90 yards for eagle at 16 and also birdied 17 to match him and record a brilliant 63.
However the only downside on the day for Walker was he lost in a play-off to Richard Aisbitt. The Brancepeth Castle player also broke the old course record after lunch (64) but Walker admitted afterwards he was not too bothered having made a special bit of history.
For the full story click here
8) Having never previously broken par, Joel Warne shoots 62, including eight 3s in a row
Stover junior Joel Warne arrived at Bigbury in July for the Devon Boys Championship having gone close to recording or breaking par a couple of times.
The three handicapper enjoyed a stunning start with two birdies and then he would par the next seven holes to turn in 34.
However an excellent round became something truly memorable on the back nine as the 16-year-old chipped in for eagle at the 11th, one of eight consecutive threes.
A par at the last ended the staggering run but he had still come home in 28 for an eight-under-par 62, which broke the course record by two, a mark that club professional Sam Edwards had held for 13 years.
Warne followed it up with a 73 and won by three from Saunton’s Stanley White, who made it interesting for a while thanks to a closing 66.
For the full story click here
7) Barclay Brown shoots 68 in first round of The Open at St Andrews
Holing a 45-foot putt at the Road Hole in The Open is special but to do it as a 21-year-old amateur in the 150th Open gives it extra meaning.
Hallamshire golfer Barclay Brown’s astonishing birdie at 17 got him to four under in the first round earlier this year. He would then drive the green at 18 before just missing an 11-footer for what would have been a glorious five-under opening.
When you consider that Tom Lewis (2011) and Mattias Schmid (2021) jointly hold the record for the lowest score by an amateur (-5), it gives you a proper sense of Brown’s incredible achievement.
He got his round going with a three at the seventh having given himself plenty of opportunites beforehand and then got to two under with his third three in a row at nine.
A bogey at 10 – he drove into the bunker at the short par four – would be his only major blemish of the day – and he added further birdies at 12 and 14 before bringing the house down at 17.
Cue a bombardment of questions from the world’s golf media and one of Brown’s responses gave a great insight into the unique challenge posed that week. When asked about who he had spoken to, the Sheffield player mentioned Sir Nick Faldo and Darren Clarke.
“They said get used to hitting 60-foot putts… they should have said 160-foot putts,” quipped Brown, who would eventually finish 79th and he just missed out on the Silver Medal.
For the full story click here
6) Seventeen-year-old Amateur champion Aldrich Potgieter goes 27 holes without a bogey in the final against Sam Bairstow
You are not old enough to drink and here you are, in the final of arguably the biggest amateur golf competition in the world, cruising around Royal Lytham, seemingly without a care in the world.
Standing in the young South African’s way was Sam Bairstow but Potgieter, playing in the UK for the first time, was simply sublime. In the morning he shot a breathtaking 66 – every time he seemingly opened the door for his opponent a special bit of short game magic got him out of trouble.
At half-time the Yorkshireman was seven down and by the time Potgieter made his first official bogey on the 10th, the gap was down to five. The left hander then won 12, 13 and 14 to give the considerable home support something to cheer but the The England international from Hallowes doubled 15 and a par apiece at the next sealed the deal for the brilliant teenager.
For the full story click here
5) Lorna McClymont shoots 13 under at Montrose Old Links
When you consider the lowest official round in history is 16 under par, the remarkable efforts of Scotland’s Lorna McClymont deserve a place in the top five.
The 22-year-old Stirling University amassed nine birdies and two eagles at the opening R&A Student Tour Series event of the season, held at the fifth oldest golf course in the world.
Her staggering 60 was six shots lower than the previous course record and left her eight shots clear of the field although she would follow it up with a 79 to win by just one from England international Lucy Jamieson.
However nothing could detract from McClymont’s first-round exploits. Incredibly she missed a six-footer at the last for a 59. Golfnews24 understand no player has ever carded 15 under in the UK so she was agonisingly close to making a very special bit of history.
For the full story click here
4) John Gough wins Spanish Amateur
It has been a pretty special two years for John Gough, who kick-started a remarkable run of success with victory in the English Amateur at Moortown last summer. Since then he has also won the Lytham Trophy but he joined a very special club in March by claiming the Spanish Amateur at Sherry GC.
Only two other golfers have won the English and Spanish Amateur titles – Danny Willett (2007/08) and Richard Finch (2000/02) – and the manner in which the 24-year-old surged to the title was hugely impressive.
In the final he demolished Norway’s Michael Mjaaseth 6&5 having earlier taken out five of the best amateurs in Europe in the knock-out stages – German duo Yannick Malik and Tim Wiedemeyer, Ireland’s Hugh Foley, Scotland’s Lewis Irvine and England’s Jack Brooks.
For the full story click here
3) Seven-handicapper Barry Hornsby breaks the course record at Hesketh
Every ‘average’ golfer dreams of putting it all together in one round but it is hard to imagine anyone has done it quite in the manner achieved by Barry Hornsby at Hesketh in July.
The 53-year-old fireman’s best round before he played in a midweek medal on July 13th was four over.
Astonishingly that was mark was lowered by 11 shots as he broke the course record thanks to a 65 and he also recorded a hole-in-one just for good measure. That came at the second.
Considering that the Southport course has recently co-hosted the English Am and also co-hosted the British Am in 2011, some fantastic players have gone low.
However none as low as the seven handicapper, who was actually receiving nine shots on the day so would sign for a nett 56!
For the full story click here
2) Sophia Fullbrook shoots ten under and comes from 10 back to win the English Girls
The Hertfordshire player has enjoyed a fantastic year but it is unlikely she will ever quite hit the heights she reached at The Wimslow back in July.
Having started her final round at the Cheshire course ten behind Ireland’s Rebekah Gardner, the 17-year-old was back on level terms after just ten holes thanks to a remarkable front nine – she turned in 29 and then also birdied the next.
Fullbrook would also birdie 12 and 13 to get to ten under for her round before parring into win by two, posting a final-round 62.
What made her fourth round heroics all the more remarkable was the manner in which she ended her morning 18. A double at 16 was followed by bogeys at 17 and 18 while Gardner stormed ahead thanks to a 65.
For the full story click here
1) Jess Baker triumphs at the British Ladies Amateur Championship
The Northumberland player’s victory was almost the perfect feel-good story of the year and you could be forgiven for getting emotional as she embraced her dad and caddy Steve after her remarkable victory in the final at Hunstanton. It thoroughly deserves to be number one.
The then teenager went into the event ranked 518 in the world having been fairly consistent in major events without really challenging for a big one.
That all changed in Norfolk as the Gosforth Park Ladies member, who spends most of her time at college in the USA, played some brilliant stuff in the knock-out stages, particularly in the semi-final, where she saw off Scottish ace Hannah Darling 2&1.
In the final against Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist, Baker won the last four holes in the morning round to take a three-hole lead into lunch and went five up on the 10th before sealing victory with a birdie on the 15th.
All that after holing a 25-footer at the last to qualify for the knock-out stages.