WALKER CUP CANDIDATES SEEK BRABAZON TROPHY GLORY
Eighteen members of the Walker Cup squad from which this
year’s GB&I team to face the United States will
be selected will be in action when the Brabazon Trophy gets
underway at the Marriott Forest of Arden Golf Club near Birmingham
on 18th - 20th May.
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 (pictured left - photo courtesy of Tom
Ward) 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. So spectators are guaranteed
a feast of quality golf from many who are likely to become
leading tour professionals.
Golfers from 20 nations, including Iceland, Luxembourg, South
Africa, Turkey, the Czech Republic and the United States,
are among a starting field of 315 from an original entry of
404.
Once again, there will be two days of qualifying with 120
players competing on Wednesday 16th May and another 120 on
Thursday the 17th, the leading 32 from each day plus ties
joining the 75 exempt players for the competition proper.
Among those exempt is Gary Wolstenholme whose portfolio of
major victories doesn’t include the Brabazon. Ready
to celebrate his 200th appearance for England in this week’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 on the following Wednesday at Buckingham
Palace.
However, he knows he faces strong opposition, not least from
his England team-mates, including Jamie Moul, Gary Boyd, David
Horsey, joint winner of last week‘s West of England
Stroke Play, and Stephen Lewton, winner of two titles in Australia
earlier this year.
There will also be a considerable challenge from the other
Home Countries, not least Scotland. Wolstenholme’s Walker
Cup colleague Lloyd Saltman, this weekend’s winner of
the Lytham Trophy and one of only two former winners in the
field, will line up along with fellow Scots Kevin McAlpine,
Glenn Campbell and John Gallagher, runner-up in the 2005 Amateur
Championship.
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.
The title has gone overseas several times in recent years
with the likes of Ignacio Garrido from Spain (1992), Peter
Hanson from Sweden (1998), Germany’s Jochen Lupprian
(2000), and Charl Schwartzel from South Africa (2002) coming
out on top. This year the overseas challenge is again likely
to be significant with six members of the Spanish team from
Royal Ashdown Forest in action.
The Brabazon will also be breaking new ground with the 7,213-yard
Marriott Forest of Arden course staging the event for the
first time.
The event is free to attend and both the EGU and Marriott
Forest of Arden are looking forward to welcoming golf fans
and can guarantee everyone will see stars of the future playing
some spectacular golf.
Play starts at 7am each day including the qualifying rounds,
which also include junior internationals such as Oscar Sharpe,
the current England under 14, 15 and 16 champion, Darren Wright,
the England under 18 champion, and boy caps Luke Goddard,
Adam Hodkinson and Dale Whitnell.
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