TEENAGERS WILL CATCH THE EYE IN EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
The best men amateur golfers from across Europe will descend
on Lancashire next week to decide who will be kings of the
continent for the next two years.
Hillside Golf Club, Southport, is the venue for what promises
to be a feast of golf over five days involving 20 national
teams and 120 players.
The action starts on Tuesday (28th June) and while Spain
will be defending the title they won in the Netherlands in
2003, many eyes will be on the youngsters involved. England,
Ireland and Wales have selected talented 16 year olds in their
six-strong line-ups and all three seem destined to be at the
forefront of the amateur game for the next few years.
Oliver Fisher, who reached the Amateur Championship semi-finals
earlier this month, which was played next door to Hillside
at Royal Birkdale, is the baby of the England team, while
Ireland name Rory McIlroy, who was crowned their national
champion just last week at Westport. Zac Gould is the Welsh
choice, while several of the overseas sides also include teenagers
for what is expected to be a close and exciting encounter.
Teenagers aside, there is no substitute for experience and
every side can rely on players who have achieved some notable
successes in recent times.
The England team, beaten by Spain in the 2003 final at the
Royal Hague Golf Club, include the current European individual
champion in Matthew Richardson and the runner-up Gary Lockerbie.
Richardson, 20, also won the Brabazon Trophy last year and
represented England in the Eisenhower Trophy, while Lockerbie
is a former English champion, who has tasted victory this
year in the Sunningdale Foursomes and the Lytham Trophy.
England will probably field the youngest and oldest players
in the championship, 44 year old Gary Wolstenholme taking
the latter honour in what will be his sixth European Team
Championships.
Ireland also include Brian McIlhinney, crowned Amateur champion
at Royal Birkdale recently, and Darren Crowe, who reached
the quarter finals, while Wales have Walker Cup man Nigel
Edwards and James Williams, runner-up in their national championship
last year.
Scotland, five times champions and the winners in 2001 in
Belgium, could take some beating this time. They include all
four members of the side - George Murray, the current Scottish
champion, Andrew McArthur, Richard Ramsay and Lloyd Saltman
- that finished runners-up to Spain in this year’s Sherry
Cup. In Saltman they have someone who has been at the pinnacle
of the game this year with back-to-back victories in the Brabazon
and St Andrews Links Trophies.
The Dutch could also have a say in the destination of the
title. Their team includes Joost Luiten, winner of the Spanish
Amateur back in March, and Taco Remkes, who qualified for
the Amateur Championship, while the vastly experienced Eduardo
Molinari, who won the English under 16 title back in 1996,
lines up for Italy.
The Scandinavian countries are also likely to be strong.
Norway’s team includes Eirik Tage Johansen, third behind
Richardson in last year’s European individual, while
Iceland line-up with the accomplished Heidar Bragason.
This will be the 24th playing of the Championships and England
has lifted the title on eight occasions, the last being in
Spain in 1991.
Entrance to the Championships is free and golfers young and
old are encouraged to come and support their home team or
favourite player. With so much talent on display this will
be the best opportunity to see tomorrow’s Ryder Cup
team in the making.
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