2015 Brabazon Trophy

English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell), Nottinghamshire

24-27 June

Background

The Brabazon Trophy is arguably the top stroke play event in the world for amateur men. It is one of England Golf’s major championships and a title sought by every leading amateur.

The Brabazon has always been played over the most prestigious English courses and Notts Golf Club will host this year’s event. The club has hosted the championship on four previous occasions and past winners over the Hollinwell course include Sandy Lyle, Ignacio Garrido – and their own member, Charles Banks.

Past winners at other venues include the 2011 US Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel, Peter Hanson, Gordon Brand and Ronan Rafferty

Meet the England players at our media day

Dan Brown, 20, (Bedale) was leading qualifier at last year’s Amateur Championship and reached the quarter finals of the matchplay. He was in England’s winning Nations Cup team at the 2014 Chiberta Grand Prix and was third in the North of England amateur. He is in the GB&I Walker Cup squad.

Adam Chapman, 19, (Windermere) was also part of the winning team in Chiberta and helped England to victory in the 2014 Costa Ballena Quadrangular match. He won both the North and South of England championships last year and is in the GB&I Walker Cup squad.

Tom Gandy, 23, (Rowany) won the 2014 Lagonda Trophy and was joint runner-up in the Irish amateur. He claimed his place in last year’s Brabazon with a course record of seven-under 64 in qualifying at Ringway, Cheshire.

Luke Johnson 22, (King’s Lynn) won the Berkhamsted Trophy and the West of England championship last year and was also in the winning team at Chiberta. He made his full England debut in the 2014 Home Internationals.

Meet the England players at our media day (2)

Nick Marsh, 20, (Huddersfield) was in England’s winning team at the 2015 European Nations Cup. Last year he won the English amateur championship, the Scottish open youths’ title and the Midland amateur and was runner-up in the England Golf men’s Order of Merit. He is in the GB&I Walker Cup squad.

Michael Saunders, 24, (Dartford) is a past winner of the Lagonda Trophy who tied second in the same event last year and was also joint third in the Welsh stroke play. He made his full England debut in 2013.

Sean Towndrow, 23, (Southport & Ainsdale) reached the semi-finals of the 2014 Amateur Championship and was a member of the Southport & Ainsdale team which won the English Champion Club title. He was England’s top scorer at this year’s Costa Ballena Quadrangular tournament.

Spectators, visitors & live scoring

Spectators and visitors

England Golf and Notts Golf Club look forward to welcoming supporters to watch four days of excellent golf. There is no charge to attend this event,.

Notts Golf Club (Hollinwell)Derby RoadKirkby in AshfieldNottinghamshireNG17 7QRwww.nottsgolfclub.co.uk

Live scoringEngland Golf will provide live scoring as well as the draw for each day, news and images via the dedicated Brabazon Trophy pages at www.englandgolf.org/brabazontrophy

Follow us on Twitter: @EnglandGolf #Brabazon #EngGolfChamps #Notts

A special guest: Charles Banks

Charles Banks, who is a member at Hollinwell, won the Brabazon Trophy there in 1983. Banks was also the English mid-amateur champion for three years in a row from 1995.

He was an England international 30 years ago and played for the England senior team in 2011, ’12 and ’13. He won the Scottish senior title in 2011 and the Welsh senior championship last year, when he also represented Nottinghamshire at Senior County Finals.

Format of play

The Brabazon Trophy takes place over four days. The final field is made up of exempt players and leading players from two qualifying events.

The order of play:

Wednesday 24th June - Round 1: 50 games, each with three players, 18 holes

Thursday 25th June - Round 2: 50 games, each with three players, 18 holes

 

The top 60 players plus ties will contest the final 36 holes:

 

Friday 26th June - Round 3: games played in two balls over 18 holes

Saturday 27th June – Round 4: games played in two balls over 18 holes

 

The hosts: Notts Golf Club

Notts Golf Club was founded in 1887 and moved to Hollinwell in 1901. The course is one of the finest examples of traditional heathland golf in Great Britain and the club has hosted many top professional and amateur events. These include the Dunlop Masters, John Player Classic and the British Boys’ Championship in 2012. It will host the Brabazon Trophy for the fifth time in 2015. The first occasion, in 1959, saw Doug Sewell beat Michael Bonallack by a shot in an 18-hole playoff. In 1975 Sandy Lyle won the first of his two Brabazon titles, while Nottinghamshire’s own Charles Banks, now a senior international, won in 1983. On the last occasion in 1992, Ignacio Garrido took the title back to Spain.

History of the Brabazon

The championship began at Birkdale in 1947 as the English Amateur International Trophy. The following year the trophy was donated by Lord Brabazon of Tara, a pioneer aviator, Member of Parliament, accomplished golfer and captain of the R&A in 1952/53.

The event became known as the Brabazon Trophy and, although its official title of the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship was introduced in 1957, the championship is still best known as the Brabazon.

The first winner in 1947 was Duncan Sutherland from Robin Hood Golf Club after an 18-hole playoff against Jim Rothwell from Pleasington. The first man to accept the actual Brabazon Trophy was Charles Stowe who won at Royal Lytham in 1948. The championship record score of 271 was returned by David Park at Saunton in 1997.

Philip Scrutton won three times in four years (1952, ‘54 & ‘55) and in 1959 his mother, together with his widow, donated the Philip Scrutton Jug which is awarded to the player with the lowest aggregate over the Brabazon and Berkshire Trophies. Another associated trophy is the George Henriques Salver which is awarded to the leading GB&I player aged under 20. It was presented by Mrs Henriques in memory of her husband, who was President of the English Golf Union in 1951.

The history of the Brabazon (2)

During his dominant years on the amateur scene, Sir Michael Bonallack won the Brabazon four times between 1964 and 1971. In 1969 he shared the title with Rodney Foster, playoffs having been discarded in the mid-1960s. They were re-introduced in 2010.

The title first went overseas with Neville Sundelson of South Africa at Moortown in 1974, while another Springbok, Richard Kaplan won at Sunningdale in 1986. More recently, the foreign invasion has been stronger with winners including Ignacio Garrido from Spain (1992), Peter Hanson from Sweden (1998), Germany’s Jochen Lupprian (2000), and Charl Schwartzel from South Africa (2002).

 The title has been in English hands for the past five years with Darren Wright in 2010; Neil Raymond in 2011 and 2012; Jordan Smith in 2013 and Ben Stow in 2014.

Ben Stow

England Golf backgroundEngland Golf is the governing body for amateur golf in England, looking after the interests of more than 1,900 golf clubs and 675,000 club members.England Golf is at the heart of grassroots golf, inspiring people to have a lifelong involvement in the game.  Our development initiative ‘Get into golf’ introduces new golfers to the game as well as increasing interest and participation.  Working with our partners, we offer support to clubs to encourage more golfers to enjoy the benefits of club membership.

England Golf identifies and develops the country’s most talented golfers, many of whom go on to become the world’s leading professional golfers, such as Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, Charley Hull and Melissa Reid.

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Hotchkin Course, Woodhall Spa Golf Club

Contact

Claire BradleyPartnership Executive 01526 354500Email: c.bradley@englandgolf.org

Or

Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer07825 752 193Email: lyndsey.hewison@ntlworld.comwww.englandgolf.org