Yorkshire’s Ben Schmidt became just the fourth golfer in history to win both the Brabazon Trophy and the Carris Trophy in the same calendar year when he won the English Boys’ Under 18 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Moor Park Golf Club. The teenager from Rotherham Golf Club, who also plays at Waterfront Golf, became the youngest ever winner of the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship (Brabazon Trophy) at Alwoodley in June and he completed a rare double when he claimed his second national title of the season in the boys’ equivalent in Hertfordshire. His latest win saw him rise to a lofty seventh in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and must have strengthened his chances
Pictured from left – Lucia, Alex and Charlotte The future looks bright for Yorkshire after four players collected silverware at the North of England under 14 and under 12 Junior Strokeplay Championships at South Moor in Durham. The first day was washed out and conditions were very challenging when golf resumed on Yorkshire Day! Doncaster’s Josh Berry added to his haul of trophies in successfully defending his title with rounds of 74 and 69 to edge out Louis Vallis from Thorndon Park GC, Essex by a shot. Huddersfield’s Dylan Shaw Radfors tied with Vallis with rounds of 73 and 71 but lost the runner-up spot in a card play-off. And three girls made it a memorable day for Yorkshire with a clean
Dad and lad ... the Pymans The course of true love never did run smooth but watching the Open Championship from Royal Portrush helped rekindle Ian Pyman’s affection for a game that has given him wonderful highs and equally despairing lows. The Dunluce course was the scene for Pyman’s win in the 1993 Amateur Championship with the final against Paul Page going to the 37th hole. The biggest win of his career earned him a place in the Open Championship at Royal St George’s a few weeks later, where he won the Silver Medal as the low amateur, and an invite to Augusta for the 1994 Masters. Pyman recalled: “I had a chance to beat Paul on the last but missed from three feet. Stood over that putt was
As one of Europe’s leading coaches Sheffield swing guru Pete Cowen has long had an eye for spotting talent as he did over 20 years ago with new Open champion Shane Lowry. Last December during the annual Q&A he puts on for members of the Pete Cowen Golf Academy in Rotherham, he recalled the first session he conducted as the new coach of the Irish Boys squad. The player with the most potential was a young kid by the name of Rory McIlroy. And at the end of the day, officials from the Irish Golf Union were keen to hear what Cowen thought of their potentially outstanding prospect. “Rory’s going to be great,” confirmed the man who these days works with the likes of last week’s WGC champion and mul
They say the best things in life come in threes as Waterfront’s Luca Houlgate can testify. He shot a course record of 66 in the July monthly medal and followed up the next day at Lees Hall with a one under par round of 70 to win the Sheffield Union junior strokeplay championship. Houlgate, 16, who is part of the Wath Academy Sixth Form Scholars’ Programme, then added the Waterfront club championship in his red hot month. The Scholars’ Programme started last September and is a joint collaboration between the school and Waterfront Golf which lies just over a mile away. It provides students with Level 3 qualifications alongside the opportunity to experience a range of other progression routes i
The England squad featured Alex Fitzpatrick, front left There were mixed fortunes for the Yorkshire players who represented their country in the European Team Championships England narrowly missed out on the chance to win the European Men’s Team Championship for a record 12th time when they lost to hosts Sweden in the final at Llunghusen. Hallamshire’s Alex Fitzpatrick claimed a top-10 finish as England finished second behind Ireland in the 36-hole stroke play qualifier and they went on to defeat both Wales and Scotland by 4-3 before losing 4.5-2.5 to the home team in a keenly contested final in which all but one of the matches went at least as far as the 17th green. The English team compri
Home club member Ben Hutchinson enjoyed an early birthday present when he won the Yorkshire Open at Howley Hall Golf Club. But England squad member Hutchinson, who turned 25 the following week, needed a three hole play off against Abbeydale professional Gareth Davies to get over the line, after blowing a big lead in his second and final round. The pair had tied on -4 and were the only players under par in a field which comprised 48 of the best professional and amateurs in the county. Hutchinson also retained the Howley Hall Scratch Trophy which is played in tandem with the event. Cookridge Hall amateur Tom Broxup was next best placed on one over par. In the three-hole play off over 16, 17 an
Hallamshire Golf Club professional Holly Morgan’s first appearance in the Women’s PGA One-Day Series was one to remember. Morgan, who is in her first year of training to become a PGA professional, posted a six-under-par score of 68 at Kedleston Park, Derbyshire, to secure victory with five shots to spare. In doing so, she left two of the WPGA’s most accomplished players in her wake. Suzanne Dickens and Ali Gray, who will represent Great Britain and Ireland in the inaugural Women’s PGA Cup in Austin, Texas, later this year, finished six and nine shots respectively behind the 22-year-old. Playing alongside Dickens, Morgan showed it was possible to score well without dawdling or going through t
Nigel with golf legend Bernhard Langer Nigel Sweet says his first Senior Open Championship was the best experience of his professional career so far. Due to injury he only picked up a club again five weeks before the pre-qualifying event at Hillside on the Monday of the championship week, and turned up at the Southport course which had hosted the Betfred British Masters a few weeks earlier with minimal expectations. “I developed polymyalgia in my shoulder and wasn’t able to play or practise for 6 months. “I couldn’t even get my arms above my shoulders during that time, but I started taking steroids and they eventually worked so I didn’t go there with much hope.” And Nigel had to endure a sev
