By John Huggan
Although it has been 21 years since it last happened, it isn’t too unusual for two Englishmen to contest the 36-hole final of the British Amateur Championship. It’s a little more notable when both men hail from the same city, in this case Bristol, though. And perhaps even rarer when they share the same first name.

So it all came to pass at Royal Birkdale, where the championship was held after being postponed from its original June dates due to the coronavirus. Three weeks after the pair played together in a midweek medal at the Kendleshire club in their home city (first prize a £30 pro-shop voucher), Joe Long and Joe Harvey went head-to-head for a decided more significant prize. And it was Long who emerged victorious on a course where, curiously, no Englishman has ever won any of the nine Open Championships played over the challenging Lancashire links. Still, that Long would be the eventual 4-and-3 winner of the final at least made sense. He entered the championship ranked 102nd in the world; Harvey was a distant 897th.

With a 2-up lead through the morning 18, Long lost the opening hole of the afternoon but had restored his two-hole advantage by the turn. Two wins in succession thereafter, followed by four halves was enough to see Long, 23, become the first Englishman since Harry Ellis in 2017 to claim what was once one-quarter of golf’s Grand Slam. Those days are long gone, but Long can still look forward to exemptions into the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s and the U.S Open next June at Torrey Pines, as well as a likely invitation to next April’s Masters.

“It sounds amazing, 125th Amateur Champion has quite a nice ring to it,” Long said. “I was feeling nervous, we both were. My game plan was just to try and stick in the present as much as I could, forget about all the rewards and benefits that come with winning. I felt like I was pretty solid overall. This afternoon I was hitting driver well and holed a few nice putts as well, which was cool. I just had it in play all the time and felt in control. Joe is a really good mate, and when I win it is hard to see him lose. But it is all part of the sport we play and the match was played in great spirit, we enjoyed it out there.”

Richard Heathcote/R&A
Joe Long poses with the British Amataur trophy after beating Joe Harvey, 4 and 3, in the 36-hole final at Royal Birkdale.

For the record, Long is the 51st Englishman to win an event that has an illustrious list of past champions. Bobby Jones, Deane Beman, Jay Sigel, Frank Stranahan, Lawson Little, Joe Carr, Sir Michael Bonallack, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia, Matteo Manassero and Romain Langasque—winner of last week’s Celtic Classic on the European Tour—all have their names on the famous trophy.

The post Joe Long outlasts Joe Harvey to win the British Amateur in clash of mates from the same hometown appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
It was a day to forget for those with Middle East connections at the 124th British Amateur Championship in Ireland on Tuesday.

Following a four-over 75 at The Island near Dublin on Monday, Rayhan Thomas needed something special in the second round of strokeplay qualifying to advance to the matchplay phase of the R&A’s premier amateur men’s event at the third time of trying. Sadly the region’s highest ranked player at No.14 in the world amateur rankings blew out to a 79 in his second round at Portmarnock to finish 219th in the 288-strong field at 11 over par.

The Indian 19-year-old’s Dubai colleague Josh Hill had little chance of advancing in the top 64 after an opening 82 at Portmarnock. The Trump Dubai 15-year-old at least improved with a 75 at The Island yesterday but still finish +14 for the championship in 256th place.

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WATCH DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 124th AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

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Even MENA Tour amateur Order of Merit leader Curtis Knipes had a horror Tuesday, falling from a share on 9th after the opening round to 179th place. After opening with a one-under 70 at The Island, the Englishman tumbled 169 places and well out of contention on Tuesday with an 83 at Portmarnock.

England’s Thomas Plumb and Dane John Axelsen shared top spot in stroke play qualifying at -4. Plumb was declared the leading qualifier on back nine count back after posting 71 in his second round at Portmarmock. The matchplay knockout begins today at Portmarnock. 

The post Forgettable day for Middle East trio at Amateur Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Thomas opened his third tilt at the R&A’s premier men’s amateur event with a four-over 75 at The Island near Dublin on Monday as just 17 of the 288 starters dipped under par following a windswept start to the 124th edition of The Amateur Championship.

It left the 19-year-old Dubai-domiciled Indian in a 37-way share of 106th place heading into the final round of strokeplay qualifying on Tuesday and likely needing a sub-par round to be among the top 64 players who advance to the matchplay knockout. Indeed, heading into the second round, 78 players are at +2 or better meaning the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club member has much ground to make up.

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WATCH FIRST ROUND HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 124th AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

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Fortunately, Thomas, who will play famed Portmarnock (par 72) on Tuesday, is no stranger to low numbers as his 61 at the MENA Tour’s Dubai Creek Open in 2017, including a world-record equalling nine successive birdies, amply illustrates.

The world amateur No.14 also has a runner-up finish at last year’s Asia Pacific Championship and his eighth-placing in the individual standings at the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy world amateur teams’ championship – not to mention two professional titles – to draw on.

Meanwhile, England age-group representative Josh Hill will be looking for a vast improvement on the 10-over 82 he signed for at Portmarnock on Monday. Playing The Amateur for the first time, the Trump Dubai member switches to the par-71 The Island layout today.

Josh Hill

Morocco’s Ayoub Ssouadi, 23, posted an impressive four-under-par 67 over The Island, near Dublin to claim a share of the opening round lead alongside England’s recent Brabazon Trophy runner-up Harry Hall and Germany’s Anton Albers. Alber also reached four under after a birdie at the last at Portmarnock for his 68.

Morocco’s Ayoub Ssouadi?? demonstrated the global nature of #TheAmateur sharing the early lead after the opening day of stroke play qualifying in Ireland.

??https://t.co/SexGCxmn6d pic.twitter.com/2XXme2CnSr

— The R&A (@RandA) June 17, 2019

Current MENA Tour amateur order of merit leader Curtis Knipes (Chelmsford) is handily placed after a one-under 70 at The Island. The Englishman was T-9 heading into his second round at Portmarnock.

RELATED: Meet Curtis Knipes, the MENA Tour’s latest amateur head-turner

Players from 37 countries are represented in the 288-strong field in Ireland this week.

The post Thomas eyes deep red numbers at Portmarnock to finally advance at British Amateur; Hill left playing for experience appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
For the first time in more than half a century, a South African has won the British Amateur championship. Fifty-two years after Bobby Cole lifted the now 123-year-old trophy at Carnoustie, Jovan Rebula’s 3-and-2 victory over Irishman Robin Dawson in the 36-hole final at Royal Aberdeen guaranteed the 20-year-old Springbok a place in the next month’s Open Championship, as well as trips to the 2019 Masters and U.S Open.

Even more special is the fact that the new champion’s uncle, a fellow by the name of Ernie Els, will join him in the first of those events, coincidentally at Carnoustie. So Rebula will have no problem finding someone to play with on practice days.

But all of that is for the future. At the end of a grueling week on Scotland’s bracing northeast coast, Rebula’s smoothly rhythmic action—eerily reminiscent of his mother’s brother—was perhaps the key factor in outlasting Dawson. The Irish stroke-play champion from Tramore, whose pace of play borders on glacial, was only 1 down at lunch but his flurry of poor shots on the Balgownie Links’ brutally difficult front-nine proved to be the turning point in the match.

Four dropped shots and a concession at the fifth hole, the match’s 23rd, left Dawson 5-down after 27 holes, a load that initially looked to be too much to carry against such a consistent opponent. Hang on though. As ever in match play, there was time for nerves to kick in. Rebula stumbled first at the 13th and 14th. On both greens he missed putts from short range, the second of which was for the match. A bladed greenside bunker shot then gifted the 15th to Dawson. Five-over par for those three holes, Rebula was back to only 3-up. Suddenly, it was all getting a little bit edgy.

But not disastrous. One hole later, it was over, the 377-yard 16th halved in par 4s.

“I’m very happy and very pleased with myself, the way I handled myself this week,” Rebula said. “I’ve really been playing solid and haven’t made many mistakes. It’s a huge honor for me to call myself the Amateur champion. It’s something out of this world.

“Being 5-up through 27 holes it’s always difficult when you’ve got such a margin because you don’t know if you should put your foot on the pedal or on the brake. I didn’t make it as easy as I thought it would but at the end of the day to just get the job done is all that you need.”

Mark Runnacles/R&A
Rebula’s swing has a decent resemblance to his famous uncle.

Still, those late struggles were far from unusual for Rebula en route to the biggest victory in his fledgling career. After qualifying for match play in reasonably comfortable fashion—his 144 aggregate in stroke-play qualifying was three shots inside the “top-64 and ties” cutline—the Auburn University student was taken at least as far as the 17th green in all of his matches before he beat Englishman Mitch Waite, 6 and 4, in the semifinals on Friday.

Not surprisingly, there were final words for Uncle Ernie, who also participated in an Amateur final back in 1988 at Royal Porthcawl. But only as a losing caddie for fellow South African, Ben Fouchee. So not quite the same as lifting the historic trophy.

“We have a very tight relationship,” said Rebula of Els. “He’s always motivating me. He just said go out and have some fun and grab the opportunity with both hands. You’ve got this opportunity only once and it will open doors for you. He’s awesome. Just a great human being.”

The post Ernie Els’ nephew, Jovan Rebula, becomes first South African to win the British Amateur since 1966 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A frustrating second round 77 at Murcar Links on Tuesday will likely see the Dubai teen miss the 36-hole cut and resulting matchplay phase of The Amateur Championship for the second successive year.

The MENA Tour trailblazer had been T-22 after an opening 72 on the par 70 Royal Aberdeen on Monday and comfortably on track to make the top-64 at the 123rd edition of the British Am. But as was the case at the St Andrews Links Trophy at the Home of Golf the previous week, where Thomas went from contending after 27 holes to somehow missing the 36-hole cut, Tuesday wasn’t to be his day.

The world amateur No.26 started well at Murcar, rattling off three nerve-settling pars before a birdie on the par 5 4th got him back to one over for the championship. But a bogey-double bogey-par-bogey run upped the pressure and while he birdied the 9th, he went out in two over 38 and the cutline suddenly appeared on the horizon.

A triple bogey on the par-4 11th was a massive body blow and while he rebounded immediately with a birdie two, the damage was done as Thomas limped home with four more dropped shots against one gain in the final six holes.

He eventually finished +9 for the championship and was T-156th midway through the second round. The projected cut as at 5.30pm UAE time was +5.

More to follow…

Thomas well placed as The Amateur Championship cut looms
The matchplay phase of The (British) Amateur Championship is within Rayhan Thomas’ grasp but the Dubai teen will have to overcome the demons of last year, and last week, when he tees it up in the final round of qualifying on Tuesday.

Thomas carded a two-over 73 in his opening round of the 123rd edition of the R&A-organised event at Royal Aberdeen on Monday, overcoming breezy conditions for a share of 22nd place. The 18-year-old world amateur No.26 must finish among the top-64 players to advance to the matchplay knockout rounds (all to be played at Royal Aberdeen) and started his second round on the notoriously tricky Murcar Links at 8.50am (11.50am UAE time) Tuesday with a two shot buffer over those on the cut line.

Related: Thomas in a positive mood ahead of the 123rd Amateur Championship 

Thomas’ matchplay pedigree is without question – his historic run to the semifinals of the Junior U.S. Amateur ample proof of his one-on-one ability. But the MENA Tour star has struggled capitalising on strong strokeplay opportunities of late, notably slipping from contention through 27 holes at the St Andrews Links Trophy to missing the 36-hole cut.

He also has the heartache of last year’s British Am to erase from his mind as he prepares to tee it up at Murcar; the Dubai Creek player saw a four-footer burn the final hole at Royal St. George’s last summer as he missed the 36-hole cut by an agonising stroke.

South African 18-year-old Wilco Nienaber fired an four-under 66 on the par-70 Murcar Links to lead the way after the first day. The Bloemfontein teen, beaten in a playoff for the prestigious Brabazon Trophy earlier this month, took a two-shot lead into the second round of strokeplay qualifying over Australia’s David Micheluzzi and Canada’s Sam Meek. Micheluzz and Meek signed for 69s on Royal Aberdeen but face the tricker Murcar Links on Tuesday like Thomas.

Reigning MENA Tour amateur order of merit champion Todd Clements blew out to a 10-over 81 on Royal Aberdeen in his opening round. The Englishman was T-228 and needed a very low red number today for a chance to make the matchplay.

Dutch teen Pierre Junior Verlaar, just the second amateur after Thomas to win a MENA Tour title (the 2017 Royal Golf Mohammedia Open in Morocco) slumped to 83, 13 over, on Murcar in a further indication on Monday’s tough conditions.

Related: Dutch prodigy Pierre Junior Verlaar triumphs in Morocco 

For live second round scoring, visit the R&A leaderboard HERE

FIRST ROUND LEADERBOARD – 123rd Amateur Championship

First round leaderboard from the 123rd Amateur Championship. Courtesy R&A.

The post UPDATED: Thomas suffers another second round reverse to (likely) miss Amateur Championship cut appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Golf. So seductive and yet so frustratingly fickle.

There was Rayhan Thomas, skipping along at two-under through nine on the fabled Old Course and four-under for the first 27-holes of the prestigious St Andrews Links Trophy (after an opening 69 on the New Course) when wallop, the game decided a wee reminder of who is boss was needed.

From a top-10 position overnight and then just four shots off the pace, the 18-year-old somehow conspired to miss the cut as five bogeys in his last six holes saw the Dubai-based Indian international sign for a three over 75 to finish +1 for the championship – a shot shy of reaching Sunday’s final 36 holes.

Related content: Thomas thrilled by India call-up for 18th Asian Games

It was similar heartache to that Thomas suffered at last year’s Amateur Championship when he missed a four-footer to reach the matchplay phase of Britain’s premier amateur event.

Thomas will now reassess ahead of the 123rd staging of The Amateur to be held at Royal Aberdeen and Murcar Links from June 18-23. If the old golf adage about one learning more from a tough defeat than any win holds true, watch for the Dubai Creek and MENA Tour trailblazer to make a decent run in the North East of Scotland.

For the record, Laird Shepherd (Rye Golf Club), at -8 after rounds of 70 and 65, takes a one stroke lead into the final 36-holes of the St Andrews Links Trophy over John Murphy (Kinsale Golf Club). The top 40 players and ties made the cut; 43 players in total will play Sunday looking to emulate Justin Rose, the 1997 champion and thus far biggest name winner of the title.

Since its inception in 1989, the St Andrews Links Trophy has attracted the world’s leading amateurs, many of whom have gone on to enjoy success on the PGA and European Tours, notably Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Trevor Immelman, Geoff Ogilvy, Padraig Harrington, Rose and Rory McIlroy.

The post From contending at St Andrews to suddenly missing the cut, Thomas banks another tough lesson appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Most golfers would be utterly deflated after watching a four-footer slip by and with it a chance to play the matchplay stages of the British Amateur. But Rayhan Thomas isn’t your average amateur.

Far from being downbeat after missing the cut at the 122nd edition of ‘The Amateur Championship’ by one stroke, the 17-year-old Dubai-based Indian is looking ahead with fresh confidence after going so close.

Thomas is now counting down to the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Kansas from July 17-22 and beyond that the coveted Western Amateur to be hosted by Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Illinois from July 31-August 5.

There is the small matter of his 10^th grade school exams beforehand after they were put on ice so he could play the British Amateur. But Thomas is clearly itching to head to the U.S.

“I can’t wait to get back and start playing some tournaments after this because it gives me a lot of confidence knowing I played really well and can make it at the highest amateur level,” Thomas told Golf Digest Middle East.

“So yeah, just work harder and we can get there.”

Thomas took plenty from the experience on the Kent coast where he backed up an opening one-under 71 at Prince’s GC with a one-over 71 at the Sandwich club’s Open Championship venue neighbour, Royal St. George’s.

The Dubai Creek member looked out of it in Tuesday’s second round when he slipped to four over through five holes as the wind whipped up but battled brilliantly to get it back to even par after the 11^th. A bogey on 12 was then cancelled out with a fifth birdie in eight holes on 14 only for the dream to be dashed by a three putt bogey on 18, sealed by the missed four-footer.

Thomas was one of 12 players to finish the 36-holes of strokeplay on even par and miss out by one.

“The field depth was unbelievable. The cut at the start of the day was one under and it did not move,” said Thomas.

“I thought with the wind picking up it would maybe move to level par, one over but with 288 players one stroke can move you about 40 to 50 spots so I was a victim to that on the last hole when I missed that putt.

“Other than that, I love the British Am, I think it was run brilliantly, the pace of play was superb, the coursers were fantastic. I love links golf. Going forward, not much to do, I felt I played really solid, just had a rough start today and missed one short putt which would have made my week if I’d made it.”

Irishman Caolan Rafferty led the top-64 qualifiers on -10, all of which he picked up in a 10-under 62 in his second round at Prince’s. The score matched Kevin McAlpine’s Amateur Championship qualifying score on the Old Course at St Andrews in 2004 and broke the Prince’s course record by two following Gisli Sveinbergsson’s (Iceland) 64 on Monday.

Richard Finch carded the lowest qualifying score with a 61 at Pyle & Kenfig in 2002.

The post Rayhan Thomas eyes U.S. Juniors after near thing at British Amateur appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Rayhan Thomas is confident he can make the matchplay phase of the 122^nd British Amateur providing he doesn’t do “anything silly” in his final qualifying round at famed Royal St George’s on Tuesday. Are you listening, Dear Putter?

Two late birdies helped the 17-year-old Dubai-born Indian salvage a one-under 71 Monday from his opening round at Prince’s GG, the Sandwich, Kent coast club co-hosting the 36-hole stokeplay qualifying phase of ‘The Amateur Championship”.

It left Thomas flirting with the cut line in a 25-way share of 58^th place midway through the first round. Only the top 64 players from 288 starters advance to the matchplay knockout rounds which run from Wednesday to Saturday at St George’s.

Thomas will want his putter working a little better at St George’s when he tees it up at the Open Championship venue at 5.15pm UAE time (2.15pm UK time) Tuesday. He mixed three birdies with two, three-putt bogeys at Prince’s but at least got it into the red for the day courtesy of back-to-back gains on the 16^th and 17^th.

“I played solid today, hit a lot of greens and a lot of fairways and the putting pace was good but I just didn’t trust a lot of the lines [on the greens], ” Thomas told Golf Digest Middle East.

RELATED: Rayhan Thomas puts exams on ice to tee it up in the 122nd Open

“I think to make the cut I just need to make sure I play steady, don’t do anything silly and just keep playing the way I’m playing because I’m doing good enough so far.

“I’ve just got to make sure not to make any big numbers. I think there are about 250 [288] players this week and 64 make it into the matchplay so I’ve got to make sure every shot counts, even the little ones because one stroke here and there can move you up or down about 40 spots.

“So yeah, just stay patient, stay calm and just play. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Thomas described Prince’s as “scoreable” given a relative lack of wind and the first round scoring illustrated just that; only five of the 31 leading players were playing St George’s. It means the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club member will have to conquer something special Tuesday to make the cut.

Iceland’s Gisli Sveinbergsson signed for eight birdies, six of them on the front nine, in a sizzling opening -8 64 to lead by one overnight from Italian Alberto Castagnara was also playing at Prince’s. Welshman Tim Harry and South African Jovan Rebula shared third place after six under 66s.

The post UPDATED: Thomas fires 71, on track to make matchplay at British Amateur appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Rayhan Thomas is to put his important end-of-school-year exams on ice to tee it up in the 122nd British Amateur Championship.

The 17-year-old had originally planned to play ‘The Amateur’ at Royal St. George’s GC and Prince’s GC from June 19 before learning the historic event clashed with his 10th grade exams. But the overtures of the Indian Golf Union and the understanding of his online school tutors means the Dubai-based teen is now definitely headed for the famous stretch of golfing coastline in Sandwich, Kent.

“The Indian Golf Union want to take me and three other players to the British Amateur so we spoke to the school and I can do the exams after I get back. I’m really looing forward to playing at Royal St. George’s,” Thomas told GolfDigestMe.com of the famed Open Championship venue.

The Amateur was first contested in 1885 at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) where 44 players played a series of matches before A F Macfie overcame Royal & Ancient clubmate Horace Hutchinson 7&6 in the final. Nowdays it is one of the world’s most prestigious amateur championships involving 288 players over six days of mixed stroke and matchplay.

Thomas’ goal is to survive the opening 36-holes of strokeplay qualifying and then take it “round-by-round” in the matchplay which is contested by the leading 64 players.

“Links golf is my favourite type of golf just because you have to hit so many different types of shots instead of the high ball. While it’s not the standard golf played on the European Tour it definitely helps you develop your game and become a more all round player,” the dual Dubai Creek/Emirates GC member said.

After The Amateur and his exams are done, Thomas’ schedule will ramp up as he counts down to representing the International team at September’s Junior Presidents Cup which will be played just days before the senior version, also at Liberty National in New Jersey.

He will definitely play the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in Kansas in July and possibly the British Boys’ (under-18) again the following month. There is also the not so small matter of defending his historic Dubai Creek MENA Tour title and another MENA Tour stop at The Els Club, Dubai before the exciting Presidents Cup opportunity.

Thomas is happy with his game after back-to-back top 30s in Thailand which followed a T13 finish at the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley GC near Augusta National. After all the travelling and competition, he was glad to be back on the range Wednesday honing his swing with coach Justin Parsons at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in Dubai.

“We are working a little on shallowing him out [Thomas’ swing plane] and the way that he uses his shoulders in particular to complete his backswing. This will give him a nice, neutral ball flight,” said Parsons.

“We have also talked about getting a slightly lighter, stronger 2 iron in the bag which may be very useful around a links course.”

New U.S. Masters champion Sergio Garcia (1998), fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal (1984) and Italian star Matteo Manaserro (2009) are modern winners of The Amateur.

Bobby Jones won the title at St. Andrews in 1930 as part of his famous “Grand Slam”. John Ball, with eight wins, holds the record for the most British amateur titles and became the first English winner in 1890. In the modern era, Sir Michael Bonallack won five times between 1961 and 1970.

Hampshire 21-year-old Scott Gregory won the 121st title with a 2&1 victory over Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre at Royal Porthcawl in Wales last June.

Royal St George’s will host The Amateur Championship for the 14th time in its history in 2017.

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