IN-FORM SALTMAN EYES SECOND BRABAZON TITLE
When Lloyd Saltman won at The Oxfordshire two years ago he
became the first Scot in 27 years to win the Brabazon Trophy.
You would arguably get short odds on him winning again when
the event gets underway at the Forest of Arden this morning.
He made a brave defence a year ago in the wind and rain at
Ganton, finishing tied sixth. But don’t bet against
him lifting the trophy this week, especially in view of his
current run of form.
The 21 year old Walker Cup player has hit a purple patch,
winning four successive tournaments so he must start among
the favourites on a course that is not that unlike The Oxfordshire.
Saltman’s run began with the Scottish Champion of Champions
and continued through the Craigmillar Park Open and the Lytham
Trophy before his victory last week in the Irish Open Amateur
at Royal Dublin.
“I’m in good form at the moment and I hope it
continues,” says Saltman. “This is the first time
I’ve seen this course but when I won at The Oxfordshire
it was the start of another good run for me so I’m feeling
confident.”
Saltman is a firm favourite for this year’s Walker
Cup team, however he faces one of the best ever Brabazon fields
including 17 fellow members of the squad from which this year’s
GB&I team to face the United States will be selected.
Their presence underlines the importance of the title and
the quality of the field for what will be the 60th anniversary
of the event which was inaugurated at Birkdale in 1947.
The Brabazon Trophy, or to give it its official title, the
English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship,
is arguably the premier amateur stroke play event in the world
and therefore one of the English Golf Union’s key championships,
and a title which every top amateur seeks. An international
field with golfers from 20 nations, including Iceland, Luxembourg,
South Africa, Turkey, the Czech Republic and the United States,
are among a starting field of 156 including 75 players who
were exempt from qualifying.
Among those exempt is Gary Wolstenholme whose long list of
major victories is missing the Brabazon. Having completed
his 200th appearance for England in last weekend’s international
with Spain at Royal Ashdown Forest in Sussex, he has a good
chance of getting his hands on the Brabazon this time. Victory
would kick off a special week for the England veteran as he
collects his MBE next Wednesday at Buckingham Palace.
Every one of his England team-mates are also competing, including
Gary Boyd, David Horsey, joint winner of the West of England
Stroke Play, and Stephen Lewton, winner of two titles in Australia
earlier this year.
Nigel Edwards, another Walker Cup man, will spearhead the
Welsh challenge along with Zac Gould, and the Irish cannot
be ruled out. They also have a strong entry including talented
teenager Rory McIlroy.
A total of 240 players were involved in the two day’s
of qualifying and among the successes is Oscar Sharpe, the
current English under 14, 15 and 16 champion, from Gloucestershire.
At the tender age of 14, Oscar has already been capped by
England at under 16 level and is current attending Millfield
School in Somerset. He may not be experienced enough to win
this week but he could easily feature among the front-runners.
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