World class field for European Amateur Championship

A world class field is lined up for the European Amateur Championship at Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey. The winner will not only follow in the footsteps of such past champions as Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia, but will play in The 146th Open at Royal Birkdale in July.

This is the second time England Golf has hosted the championship and it will be played from Wednesday, 28 June to Saturday, 1 July. It is one of the biggest amateur titles in golf and has attracted entries from some of the finest players around the globe.

Between them they represent 30 different countries and they include Stewart Hagestad, who was the low amateur at The Masters; Paul Chaplet, the South American amateur champion; and defending champion Luca Cianchetti of Italy (pictured courtesy European Golf Association).

English high-flyers include 2016 Amateur Champion Scott Gregory of Hampshire, who will be able to draw on the experience of having played in The Open, The Masters and last week’s US Open.

Dorset’s Jack Singh Brar and Cheshire’s Matthew Jordan have both hit tremendous form. Singh Brar won the Lytham Trophy and shared second place in the Brabazon Trophy, alongside Jake Burnage of Devon, who is another exciting prospect.

Among the players from the other Home Countries is Jack Davidson of Wales who is enjoying a stellar season with wins in the Spanish amateur and the European Nations Cup. Robert MacIntyre and Connor Syme of Scotland both feature in the world top ten, while Stuart Grehan is Ireland’s highest ranked player on the world stage.

The field of 144 players will be challenged by Walton Heath’s Old Course, which is recognised as one of the finest inland courses in the country. The club has hosted nearly 90 major amateur and professional championships, including the 1981 Ryder Cup, five European Opens and the Senior Open Championship.

In recent years the club has introduced the South of England Open Amateur Championship and the 2007 winner was Danny Willett, who went on to win the 2016 US Masters. The club has hosted qualifying for the US Open for 12 successive years and in 2005 Michael Campbell made his way through the qualifier to win the championship.

The 72-hole European Amateur Championship will be played over four days from Wednesday, 28 June to Saturday, 1 July.

Visit www.ega-golf.ch for more information