By Kent Gray
Chalk it up as a tough but invaluable learning experience even if you know Josh Hill would have taken it a little more personally than that in the moment.

The 17-year-old Trump Dubai member’s Jacques Léglise Trophy debut ended in galling fashion on Saturday, a 1down loss to Frenchman Oihan Guillamoundeguy proving the title-clinching point for Team Europe in the annual U-18 international matches.

Europe eventually waltzed away to a 16½-8½ victory at Falsterbo Golf Club in Sweden, an emphatic defence of the title after leading by a single point after the first day. While you win as a team and lose as one as well, the ever-competitive Hill won’t be happy to have played in the match which proved a point of no return for Great Britain & Ireland. That instinct is what makes Hill one of the players of his generation.

There was minor consolation earlier on Saturday when the MENA Tour winner combined with England teammate Jack Bigham for a half against Tiger Christensen and Yannick Malik. That followed a 2&1 loss to the same European duo in Friday morning’s foursomes.

 

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But with Englishman Harley Smith and Scot Cameron Adam the only GB&I players to win their final afternoon singles matches (Irishman Joshua Hill secured a half), it was Europe’s day.

The win followed Europe’s 15½-9½ victory at Aldeburgh Golf Club in 2019 (the 2020 matches was postponed due to COVID-19) and narrows the overall Jacques Léglise Trophy ledger 29-14 in GB&I favour with one match halved.

Hill now returns to the UK to prepare for his senior international debut, having been selected in an 11-man team for England’s defence of the open Home Internationals title at Hankley Common Golf Club in Surrey from September 15-17.

The post Home Internationals loom after Hill’s tough Jacques Léglise Trophy debut appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Sometimes in golf you just have to doff your cap to your opponent.

That was Josh Hill’s lot on the opening day of the Jacques Léglise Trophy in Sweden where the Trump Dubai member found himself beaten twice.

First out for Great Britain and Ireland in Friday’s foursomes, Hill and team-mate Jack Bigham were edged 2&1 by Europe’s Tiger Christensen and Yannick Malik before Malik repeated the scoreline in his singles stoush with Hill.

Josh Hill and Jack Bigham of Great Britain and Ireland react during the morning foursome matches at Falsterbo Golf Club on August 27, 2021.

Not that the 17-year-old MENA Tour winner could grumble at his afternoon reverse; Malik was an impressive five-under the card on picturesque Falsterbo Golf Club when their match ended.

 

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The good news for GB&I is they are just a point behind, 6½-5½ heading into the final day of the annual U-18 matches . Better still Hill and Bigham will get a chance at foursomes revenue early on Saturday as they are again paired against Christensen and Malik in the second match out at 8.10am local time (10.10am UAE time). Nine singles matches will follow Saturday afternoon.

It was a frustrating day for Hill.

GB&I last won the Jacques Léglise Trophy in 2018 at Kytäjä Golf, Finland thanks to a 15½-9½ win and lead the overall series 29-13 with one match tied. The Continent of Europe has won seven times since 1995, including the last fixture in 2019 when they triumphed 5½ – 9½ at Aldeburgh Golf Club in England, but the GB&I boys seem confident as this fun video from the European Golf Association highlights:

 

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And how about Falsterbo Golf Club. Wow:

 

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The post Hill, GB&I seek Saturday bounce back at Jacques Léglise Trophy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Josh Hill’s already memorable UK summer has gone for good to great with his call-up to the full England national men’s amateur golf team for the first time.

The 17-year-old MENA Tour prodigy has been selected in the 11-strong side for England’s defence of the senior Home Internationals title at Hankley Common Golf Club in Surrey from September 15-17.

It comes after the Trump International Golf Club, Dubai member helped England capture the U-18 Boys’ Home Internationals with 5½ of a possible six points at Woodhall Spa earlier this month before capturing U-20 honours at last weekend’s Brabazon Trophy (England Open Strokeplay Championship) where he eventually finished T-12.

Hill’s proud father summed up the Dubai-based family’s excitement in a social media post: “Another great honour for Josh being asked to represent England in the Men’s Home internationals! Was unexpected but it’s friggin awesome! Congratulations Josh!”

 

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Hill Jnr. won’t have long to dwell on another career-high as he prepares for the Jacques Léglise Trophy starting at Falsterbo Golf Club in Sweden on Friday. He’s one of nine Great Britain and Ireland players hoping to prevent Europe from winning the coveted annual U-18 matches for a second successive edition.

The England senior team features newly crowned Brabazon Trophy winner Sam Bairstow, Amateur champion Laird Shepherd and English Amateur champion John Gough, as well as Hill and Jack Bigham who make the step-up from the U-18 Boys’ team and forming a deadly partnership at Woodhall Spa

Together the pair won all three of their foursomes matches at Woodhall Spa and Hill was only denied a perfect record after being held to a half by Ireland’s Thomas Higgins in his opening singles match.

The full England lineup is:

Sam Bairstow (Hallowes GC, Yorkshire)
Callan Barrow (Royal Lytham & St Annes GC, Lancashire)
Jack Bigham (Harpenden GC, Hertfordshire)
Zachary Chegwidden (Orsett GC, Essex)
Jack Dyer (Boyce Hill GC, Essex)
Arron Edwards-Hill (Chelmsford GC, Essex)
John Gough (Stoke Park GC, Buckinghamshire)
Josh Hill (Trump International Dubai)
Olly Huggins (Frilford Heath GC, BB&O)
Haider Hussain (The Kendleshire, Gloucestershire)
Laird Shepherd (Rye GC, Sussex)

1st Reserve: Jack Brooks (The Mere, Cheshire)
2nd Reserve: Joe Harvey (The Kendleshire, Gloucestershire)

Hill’s graduation to the senior England team caps a fine summer highlighted by a share of 4th at the St Andrews Links Trophy where he narrowly missed a playoff, as well as his George Henriques Salver win at the Brabazon Trophy as the top GB&I player under the age of 20, a prize he shared with England colleague Frank Kennedy.

The COVID-19 pandemic and a loss of form saw Hill miss England Boys’ selection last summer following his amateur career-defining win at the MENA Tour’s Al Ain Open in 2019 where he became the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking event. But he’s more than made up for the temporary blip during a summer campaign where’d he’s churned out impressive results despite often not bringing his A-game to the table.

He’ll hope to repay the England selectors’ faith at Hankley Common G.C. where Wales, Ireland and Scotland await. The Home Internationals are played in a round-robin format over three days with each match comprising five-morning foursomes and 10-afternoon singles.

The post Dubai wunderkind Josh Hill named in senior England team for Home Internationals 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.

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