Mike Smith reports from Alwoodley GC Yorkshire teenager Ben Schmidt came of age when he became the youngest ever winner of the Brabazon Trophy. The 16-year-old from Rotherham beat an international field by five shots at Alwoodley, Leeds, pipping future major winners Sandy Lyle and Charl Schwartzel who were respectively 17 and 18 when they won the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play – one of the most sought-after titles in men’s amateur golf worldwide. “Being the youngest makes it even more special,” said Schmidt, who was under par in all four rounds of the championship, scoring rounds of 69, 64, 69, 69. “I’m just so pleased I got over the line, it takes a very long time to play the back
LOOKING back on how many flights I’ve taken since turning professional back in 2006 is a pretty scary thought, and just thinking back to last year alone it must have been somewhere in the region of 70. An attempted landing into Samsun, Turkey, from a Heathrow-Istanbul connection was the first time I’d had that strange sinking feeling after the plane nearly touched down, but then pulled full throttle and hit the sky once more. I immediately feared the worst and my thoughts went straight to my family. Planes amaze me and to this day seeing how even the small planes get airborne and stay airborne is simply incredible. And the fact a plane can now fly direct from London to Australia blows my min
THEY’RE calling Howley Hall the comeback kids after they clawed back a five-point deficit going into the final round of the inaugural Yorkshire Am-Am Series to triumph. Miles Foster, Bob Carr, Jimmy Appleyard and Paul Blackshaw amassed a superb 14-under-par tally of 86 points in the final round at Alwoodley to go from five behind to winning by a clear six points. Appleyard was in fine form throughout the event, which saw the first two rounds played at Fulford and Moortown in this exciting addition to the Yorkshire golf scene. Now 48, but a scratch player for more than 20 years, he made 13 birdies over the three days, crucially making gross birdies at both of his shot holes at Alwoodley. Car
SEATON CAREW Golf Club could not have wished for a more fitting climax to the 50th anniversary of their annual open scratch competition for the Seaton Salver. Slightly overcast skies and the gentlest of breezes greeted the early starters in the 58-man field and with such benign conditions the expectation was for low scores. Within four hours those expectations were being realised with home players dominating the leaderboard. Scott Phillips and Cameron Wallace were tied for first place with opening rounds of 68, two shots clear of David Hague from Malton & Norton, closely followed by three more Seaton players, Chris Gilbraith, Ian Hendry and Phil Nicholson. However, as is often the case on Se
BRADFORD Golf Club member Jas Athwal met his golfing idol Tom Watson, above, on a recent trip to Royal Portrush, which will host the Open Championship next month. Athwal is one of the founder members of the Asian Golf Society and was the first Asian to be named captain of an English golf club when he took office at Waterton Park in 2000. He is also a Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a board member at Welcome to Yorkshire. He was a guest of Doosan CEO David Clarkson at a Patron’s Day ahead of the Open Championship. Five-time champion Watson was at Royal Porthcawl in his role of global ambassador for The Open and played a hole with each of the groups. Athwal says his favourite shot is a
SELBY’S Megan Garland captured her third Yorkshire Ladies’ county championship when she defeated Debs Henery from Hickleton in the final at Malton & Norton Golf Club. It was Garland’s third win in the event in the last four years and she said: “I’m over the moon to have won the Yorkshire championship again. “Thank you to Malton & Norton and also to Selby members for their support including Lady Captain Sue Porter, Jenny Knights, Julie Rae and Mark Rae.” It was Henery’s first final and she has been rewarded with a place in the Yorkshire squad for the Northern Counties Match Week at Seaton Carew from June 24-28. The other squad members are: Evie Cooke (Rudding Park), Mia Eales Smith and Nicola
