The 17-year-old finished the Brabazon Trophy in a share of 12th place, 12 strokes behind champion, England lefty Sam Bairstow. But rounds of 69-72 over the weekend lifted Hill from T-21 at the halfway stage and saw the Trump International Dubai Golf Club member share U-20s honours at Ganton Golf Club.

Hill (71-73-69-72) shared the George Henriques Salver with England team-mate Frank Kennedy (Trump National Jupiter) on 285, one-over. Bairstow won with an 11-under, 273 aggregate, edging Essex’s Zach Chegwidden by two strokes.

Hill shared the George Henriques Salver with England teammate Frank Kennedy (left).

Hill’s father paid tribute to his son after a summer highlighted by a near-run thing at the St Andrews Links Trophy in June, an unbeaten run at the recent Boys’ Home Internationals and Great Britain and Ireland selection for the Jacques Léglise Trophy starting in Sweden on Friday.

“It been a long summer, been staying hotels and friends houses since April the 19th and Josh manages in the last event of the summer a consolation prize with his England teammate @frankkennedygolf for leading u20 in the #brabazontrophy.

“Josh never quite firing on all cylinders all summer but always remained competitive and most importantly some invaluable lessons he will take and build on for the future.”

Hill’s Saturday 69 was a particularly impressive fightback after a sobering second round 73 that included a dreaded snowman, a quadruple-bogey eight, on the 14th hole to derail his title chances.

 

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“Had a bit of a mare yesterday,” Russell Hill wrote of his son on Instagram on the morning after the second round. “Has not been hitting or swinging great this week but despite that was 2-under through 13 and in 4th place. He had a bit of a silly few minutes on the 274-yard par 4. Lost 2 balls off of the tee and shot 4 over for the hole. Could be recipe for a melt-down but held it together to shoot 4 more pars! Hats off for the effort and holding it together where many would have lost it!”

 

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Hill Snr says his son’s summer campaign has been and at times seep but invaluable learning curve that will serve the MENA Tour winner well going forward.

“… I am sure with despite never hitting the heights his game can go to he’s had some ok results. I am sure this summer will be the most important learning experience he has yet in his young life and predict much bigger things to come! @golfdigestme.”

The post Hill’s topsy-turvy Brabazon Trophy tilt has a silver (salver) lining appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Josh Hill is eyeing one of his trademark low rounds to haul himself back into contention at the English Amateur Strokeplay Championship in Yorkshire.

The Dubai-based 17-year-old followed up an opening 71 with a two-over-par 73 on the second day of the Brabazon Trophy at Ganton Golf Club on Friday to slip from T-15 to a share of 21st.

At +2, Hill was comfortably inside the cut line (+6) but finds himself nine strokes off the halfway pace set by England lefty international Sam Bairstow.

Bairstow (Hallowes) followed up his opening 66 with a 69 to move to -7, 135, two shots clear of Harvey Byers (Walton Heath). Essex’s Zach Chegwidden is third att -4 after a 71.

Sam Bairstow in action on day two at the Brabazon Trophy. Courtesy: England Golf

“I’d have taken it at the start of the week. I let a couple slip near the end, but I’d have taken a two-under round going into the day,” Bairstow told England Golf of his Friday 69.

“It feels good. I know the golf course well and I’m hitting the ball decent – get the ball in play and my irons shots are good.

“Hopefully I keep going on from there.”

[divider] [/divider]

DAY 1:  Hill six back after solid Brabazon Trophy start

FILE PHOTO: Josh Hill in action during day two of the R&A Amateur Championship at Nairn Golf Club on June 15, 2021. (Photo:Charles McQuillan/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

By Kent Gray
Josh Hill has celebrated his Jacques Léglise Trophy selection with a solid opening round at the English Amateur Strokeplay Championship in Yorkshire.

The 17-year-old Dubai-based England age-group international opened the Brabazon Trophy with an even-par 71 at Ganton Golf Club on Thursday.

Hill shares 15th place heading into Friday’s second round, six shots adrift of overnight leader Matt Roberts (Royal Porthcawl/pictured below). The Welshman holds a one-stroke buffer over England international Sam Bairstow (Hallowes) and by two from Essex’s Zachary Chegwidden (Orsett).

Matt Roberts in action during Thursday’s opening round at Ganton. Photo courtesy England Golf.

MENA Tour winner Hill mixed three bogeys with as many birdies, including a gain on Ganton’s 18th (pictured below) to give him some momentum heading into the second round.

The Trump Dubai International Golf Club member’s next assignment is the Jacques Léglise Trophy. He has been named in the nine-man Great Britain and Ireland team for the annual U-18 matches against Europe at Sweden’s Falsterbo Golf Club on August 27-28 earlier this week.

David Cannon/Getty Images
The green on the par 4, 18th hole and clubhouse at Ganton Golf Club in Ganton, England.

The post Hill eyes Saturday charge at Brabazon Trophy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Josh Hill’s at times heartbreaking but mostly highly encouraging summer campaign in the UK has been rewarded with selection to the Great Britain and Ireland team for this month’s prestigious Jacques Léglise Trophy.

The 17-year-old Trump Dubai member has been named in the nine-man GB&I lineup to meet Europe in the annual U-18 boys international fixture at Falsterbo Golf Club in Sweden on August 27-28.

It is further validation for Hill who is not, but could quite easily (on paper at least), be confused with new GB&I team-mate Joshua Hill of Ireland. The Dubai-based Hill, who became the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking event when he captured the MENA Tour’s  Al Ain Open in 2019, has just helped England win the Home Internationals, no doubt sealing his Jacques Léglise Trophy selection by going unbeaten in six matches at Woodhall Spa earlier this month.

It continued an increasingly impressive UK summer for Hill who narrowly missed out on a playoff at the St Andrews Links Trophy (4th) in early June before reaching the last 32 of the 126th Amateur Championship at Nairn and the quarterfinals of the English Amateur in Yorkshire. He also reached the round of 16 at last week’s R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship, won by Jack Bigham, at Royal Cinque Ports on the Kent coast.

Next up is the Brabazon Trophy, the English Men’s Open Amateur Stokeplay Championship which opens at Ganton Golf Club today.

The Jacques Léglise Trophy debuted in 1958 and ran until its suspension in 1966. It was rejuvenated in 1977 in memory of Jacques Leglise, a past French champion who served as President of the French Golf Federation and of the European Golf Association.

GB&I dominated the early encounters losing only three times before 1995 but Europe has since won seven matches including the last fixture in 2019 when they triumphed 5½ – 9½ at Aldeburgh Golf Club in England. GB&I last won in 2018 at Kytäjä Golf, Finland thanks to a 15½-9½ win and leads the overall series 29-13 with one match tied.

The nine-player GB&I team is:
Cameron Adam (18, Captain) – Royal Burgess, Scotland
Daniel Bullen (16) – Auchterarder, Scotland
Jack Bigham (17) – Harpenden, England
Archie Finnie (16) – Royal Burgess, Scotland
Connor Graham (14) – Blairgowrie, Scotland
Josh Hill (17) – Trump International Dubai, England
Joshua Hill (18) – Galgorm Castle, Ireland
Ruben Lindsay (17) – Turnberry, Scotland
Harley Smith (16) – The Rayleigh Club, England

The GB&I team is selected by The R&A and the Continent of Europe side by the European Golf Association.

The format for the Jacques Léglise Trophy is four foursomes matches each morning with eight singles matches on the afternoon of Friday 27 August and nine singles matches on the afternoon of Saturday 28 August.

The post Josh Hill’s stock rises further with Jacques Leglise Trophy selection appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Following an eye-catching debut as a 14-year-old in 2018, a dip in form and a pesky pandemic forced Dubai-domiciled Josh Hill to sit out the past two R&A Home Internationals. It’s clear Hill, now 17, didn’t feel comfortable out of his England team blazer.

Hill was once again a headliner as England took advantage of familiar surroundings to make a clean sweep of the annual matches between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales over the weekend. The MENA Tour winning world record holder went unbeaten – contributing 5½ of a possible 6 points – as the combined England Girls’ and Boys’ team recorded wins over Ireland (18½-2½), Wales (16½-4½) and Scotland 11-10 at Woodhall Spa last weekend.

The England senior men’s and women’s teams also triumphed at the Lincolnshire layout, sealing a memorable treble at the home of the country’s governing body, England Golf.

Hill has now helped England to victory in his two appearances at the annual U-18 team’s event – he debuted in 2018, missed selection in 2019 after struggling with his driver while the 2020 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19. He contributed three of a possible four points on debut in 2018 while this year’s event was historic with the girls and boys teams combining for the first time.

Josh Hill (Photo by Richard Martin/R&A via Getty Images)

Hill teamed with Jack Bigham (Harpenden Golf Club) to win all three of his foursomes matches at Woodhall Spa and was only denied joining Lottie Woad and Josh Berry with a perfect six from six record after being held to a half by Ireland’s Thomas Higgins in his opening singles match.

However, Hill and Bigham contributed a vital early point in what turned out to be a final against Scotland, thumping Ruben Lindsay (Turnberry) and Archie Finnie (Royal Burgess) 4&3 before he capped the three-day event with a 5&3 triumph over Lindsay.

It continued an increasingly impressive UK summer campaign for Hill who became the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) event when he captured the MENA Tour’s Al Ain opener in 2019. He narrowly missed out on a playoff at the prestigious St Andrews Links Trophy (4th) in early June before reaching the last 32 of the 126th Amateur Championship at Nairn and the quarterfinals of the English Amateur in Yorkshire.

Next up is the Brabazon Trophy, the English Men’s Open Amateur Stoke Play Championship which is scheduled for Ganton Golf Club from August 19-22.

Hill’s Trump International Golf Club, Dubai team-mate Toby Bishop endured a frustrating Home Internationals’ debut. Wales finished last in the girls and boys event after a boys player tested positive for COVID which resulted in the boys matches against England and Ireland being abandoned. The University of Florida-bound Bishop did enjoy a solitary win, 1up over Scotland’s Archie Finnie in the first afternoon’s singles.

R&A Boys’ and Girls’ Home International – Final Standings

1. England 3 wins (46-17)
2. Scotland 2 wins (37-26)
3. Ireland 1 win (28-35)
4. Wales 0 wins (15-48)

JOSH HILL (Eng)

Aug 4 – England 18.5 v Ireland 2.5
Josh Hill & Jack Bigham (Harpenden) bt Gavin O’Neill and Darcy Hogg 4&3
Josh Hill halved with Thomas Higgins

Aug 5 – England 16.5 v 4.5 Wales
Josh Hill & Jack Bigham bt Sean David and Jamie Dean 1up
Josh Hill bt Jamie Dean 1up (by walkover)

Aug 6 – England 11 v Scotland 10
Josh Hill & Jack Bigham bt Ruben Lindsay and Archie Finnie 4&2
Josh Hill bt Ruben Lindsay 5&3

TOBY BISHOP (Wales)

Aug 4 – Wales 6.5 v Scotland 14.5
Toby Bishop and Matthew Sandoz lost to Daniel Bullen and Ross Laird 1down
Toby Bishop bt Archie Finnie 1up

Aug 5 – Wales 4.5 v England 16.5
Boys matches not played

Aug 6 – Wales 4 Ireland 17
Boys matches not played

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