Boys Amateur Championship
The Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A.[1]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Established | 1921 |
| Course(s) | Royal Cinque Ports (2021) |
| Format | Stroke play followed by match play |
| Month played | August |
| Current champion | |
 Jack Bigham | |
History
The Boys Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921.[1] In 1921 boys had to be under-16 but this was raised to under-17 in 1922 and to under-18 in 1923, which is the age limit that has been retained since.
The venue for the competition has been played at many golf courses throughout the United Kingdom and has frequented several golf courses on more than one occasion. Notably the first two completion were both played at Royal Ascot.[1]
The first championship started on 5 September 1921 with nearly 50 boys competing. The first day saw 14-year-old Henry Cotton play the eventual winner, Donald Mathieson, Cotton losing by 2 holes.[2] Cotton was all square after 16 holes but lost the 17th, after being incorrectly penalised for placing his bag in a bunker, and then went out of bounds at the final hole.[3] The Scot, Mathieson, met an English boy, Guy Lintott in the 36-hole final. Lincott won the final three holes to tie the match but Mathieson won the 37th hole to win the championship.[4] Mathieson was the son of Donald MacKay Mathieson, a well-known golf journalist.[3]
Format
The currently used format for the Boys Amateur Championship is the format used in 2010 and comprises an initial stroke play stage with all 252 competitors playing two rounds of 18 holes, one on each of the two courses. The 64 lowest scores over the 36 holes and ties then compete in the match play final stage of the Championship. Each round of the knockout is played over 18 holes with the exception of the final which is played over 36 holes. Boys must be under 18 at the start of the year in which the championship is held.[5]
The 2020 event was cancelled, while the 2021 event was run with a reduced field of 144 played at a single venue, Royal Cinque Ports.[6]
Results
| Year | Venue | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Royal Cinque Ports | Jack Bigham | 37 holes |  Riccardo Fantinelli |
| 2020 | Moortown | Cancelled[6] | ||
| 2019 | Saunton |  Tom Gueant | 37 holes |  Wilmer Ederö |
| 2018 | Royal Portrush and Portstewart | Conor Gough | 3 & 1 |  José Luis Ballester |
| 2017 | Nairn and Nairn Dunbar |  Pedro Lencart | 5 & 4 |  Falko Hanisch |
| 2016 | Muirfield and The Renaissance | Falko Hanisch | 37 holes | Alejandro Aguilera |
| 2015 | Royal Birkdale and Southport & Ainsdale | Marcus Svensson | 4 & 3 |  Keegan De Lange |
| 2014 | Prestwick Golf Club and Dundonald Links | Oskar Bergqvist | 1 up |  Rowan Lester |
| 2013 | Royal Liverpool and Wallasey Golf Club |  Ewen Ferguson | 10 & 9 | Michael Hirmer |
| 2012 | Notts Golf Club and Coxmoor Golf Club | Matt Fitzpatrick | 10 & 8 |  Henry James |
| 2011 | Burnham & Berrow and Enmore Park | Harrison Greenberry | 37 holes | Patrick Kelly |
| 2010 | Kilmarnock (Barassie) and Dundonald Links | Adrián Otaegui | 4 & 3 | Max Rottluff |
| 2009 | Royal St George's | Tom Lewis | 5 & 4 | Eddie Pepperell |
| 2008 | Little Aston | Pedro Figueiredo | 39 holes | Fraser McKenna |
| 2007 | Royal Porthcawl | Emilio Cuartero | 1 up | Fraser Fotheringham |
| 2006 | Royal Aberdeen | Matthew Nixon | 38 holes | Björn Åkesson |
| 2005 | Hunstanton | Bernhard Neumann | 3 & 2 | Jordan Findlay |
| 2004 | Conwy | Jordan Findlay | 2 & 1 | Tom Sherreard |
| 2003 | Royal Liverpool | Rhys Davies | 1 up | Pablo Martín |
| 2002 | Carnoustie | Mark Pilling | 37 holes | Rhys Davies |
| 2001 | Ganton | Pablo Martín | 3 & 2 | Rafa Cabrera-Bello |
| 2000 | Hillside | David Inglis | 1 up | David Skinns |
| 1999 | Royal St David's | Alfonso Gutierrez | 1 up | Michael Skelton |
| 1998 | Ladybank | Steven O'Hara | 1 up | Stefano Reale |
| 1997 | Saunton | Sergio García | 6 & 5 | Richard Jones |
| 1996 | Littlestone | Kenneth Ferrie | 2 & 1 | Mark Pilkington |
| 1995 | Dunbar | Steven Young | 7 & 6 | Sam Walker |
| 1994 | Little Aston | Christopher Smith | 2 & 1 | Chris Rodgers |
| 1993 | Glenbervie | David Howell | 3 & 1 | Viktor Gustavsson |
| 1992 | Royal Mid-Surrey | Leif Westerberg | 3 & 2 | Freddie Jacobson |
| 1991 | Montrose | Francisco Valera | 4 & 3 | Robert Walton |
| 1990 | Hunstanton | Michael Welch | 3 & 1 | Matthew Ellis |
| 1989 | Nairn | Carl Watts | 5 & 3 | Colin Fraser |
| 1988 | Formby | Simon Pardoe | 3 & 2 | David Haines |
| 1987 | Kilmarnock (Barassie) | Calvin O'Carroll | 3 & 1 | Per Olsson |
| 1986 | Seaton Carew | Leslie Walker | 5 & 4 | Graham King |
| 1985 | Royal Burgess | James Cook | 5 & 4 | Wayne Henry |
| 1984 | Royal Porthcawl | Lee Vannet | 2 & 1 | Adam Mednick |
| 1983 | Glenbervie | José María Olazábal | 6 & 5 | Marc Pendaries |
| 1982 | Burnham & Berrow | Mark Grieve | 37 holes | Giles Hickman |
| 1981 | Gullane | Jesús López | 4 & 3 | Reeves Weedon |
| 1980 | Formby | Duncan Muscroft | 7 & 6 | Aled Llŷr |
| 1979 | Kilmarnock-Barassie | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Ronan Rafferty | 6 & 5 | David Ray |
| 1978 | Seaton Carew | Stephen Keppler | 3 & 2 | Mark Stokes |
| 1977 | Downfield | Ian Ford | 1 up | Colin Dalgleish |
| 1976 | Sunningdale | Mark Mouland | 6 & 5 | Graham Hargreaves |
| 1975 | Bruntsfield Links | Brian Marchbank | 1 up | Sandy Lyle |
| 1974 | Royal Liverpool | Toby Shannon | 10 & 9 | Sandy Lyle |
| 1973 | Blairgowrie | David Robertson | 5 & 3 | Stefano Betti |
| 1972 | Moortown | Garry Harvey | 7 & 5 | Robert Newsome |
| 1971 | Kilmarnock-Barassie | Howard Clark | 6 & 5 | Garry Harvey |
| 1970 | Hillside | Ian Gradwell | 1 up | Ewen Murray |
| 1969 | Dunbar | Martin Foster | 37 holes | Martin Gray |
| 1968 | Royal Lytham & St Anne's | Stephen Evans | 3 & 2 | Kim Dabson |
| 1967 | Western Galies | Peter Tupling | 4 & 2 | Stephen Evans |
| 1966 | Moortown | Andrew Phillips | 12 & 11 | Alan Muller |
| 1965 | Gullane | Graham Milne | 4 & 2 | David Midgley |
| 1964 | Formby | Peter Townsend | 9 & 8 | Roddy Gray |
| 1963 | Prestwick | Alex Soutar | 2 & 1 | David Rigby |
| 1962 | Royal Mid-Surrey | Peter Townsend | 1 up | Cameron Penman |
| 1961 | Dalmahoy | Finlay Morris | 3 & 2 | Clive Clark |
| 1960 | Olton | Patrick Cros | 5 & 3 | Peter Green |
| 1959 | Pollok | Alan Murphy | 3 & 1 | Eddie Shamash |
| 1958 | Moortown | Richard Braddon | 4 & 3 | Ian Stungo |
| 1957 | Carnoustie |  David Ball | 2 & 1 | John Wilson |
| 1956 | Sunningdale | John Ferguson | 2 & 1 | Clive Cole |
| 1955 | Kilmarnock (Barassie) | Stewart Wilson | 39 holes | Brian Aitken |
| 1954 | Royal Liverpool | Alan Bussell | 38 holes | Keith Warren |
| 1953 | Dunbar | Alec Shepperson | 6 & 4 | Tom Booth |
| 1952 | Formby | Michael Bonallack | 37 holes | Alec Shepperson |
| 1951 | Prestwick | Neville Dunn | 6 & 5 | Michael Lunt |
| 1950 | Royal Lytham & St Anne's | John Glover | 2 & 1 | Ian Young |
| 1949 | St Andrews | Harry MacAnespie | 3 & 2 | Norman Drew |
| 1948 | Kilmarnock (Barassie) | John Pritchett | 37 holes | David Reid |
| 1947 | Royal Liverpool | James Armour | 5 & 4 | Ian Caldwell |
| 1946 | Bruntsfield Links | Alan MacGregor | 7 & 5 | Donald Dunstan |
| 1940–1945: No tournament due to World War II | ||||
| 1939 | Carnoustie | Sandy Williamson | 4 & 2 | Ken Thom |
| 1938 | Moor Park | Willie Smeaton | 3 & 2 | Thomas Snowball |
| 1937 | Bruntsfield Links | Ian Roberts | 8 & 7 | James Stewart |
| 1936 | Royal Birkdale | Jimmy Bruen | 11 & 9 | William Innes |
| 1935 | Royal Aberdeen | John Langley | 6 & 5 | Ralph Norris |
| 1934 | Moortown | Robert Burles | 12 & 10 | Frederick Allpass |
| 1933 | Carnoustie | Laddie Lucas | 3 & 2 | William McLachlan |
| 1932 | Royal Lytham & St Anne's | Ian MacDonald | 2 & 1 | Leslie Hardie |
| 1931 | Glasgow Golf Club | Hector Thomson | 5 & 4 | Francis McGloin |
| 1930 | Fulwell | James Lindsay | 9 & 8 | James Todd |
| 1929 | Royal Burgess | James Lindsay | 6 & 4 | John Scott-Riddell |
| 1928 | Formby |  Stuart Scheftel | 6 & 5 | Archibald Dobbie |
| 1927 | Royal Burgess | Eric Fiddian | 4 & 2 | Ken Forbes |
| 1926 | Coombe Hill | Eric McRuvie | 1 up | Charles Timmis |
| 1925 | Royal Burgess | Robert Peattie | 4 & 3 | Andrew McNair |
| 1924 | Coombe Hill | Robert Peattie | 2 up | Pierre Maneuvrier |
| 1923 | Dunbar | Donald Mathieson | 3 & 2 | Hugh Mitchell |
| 1922 | Royal Ascot | Hugh Mitchell | 4 & 2 | William Greenfield |
| 1921 | Royal Ascot | Donald Mathieson | 37 holes | Guy Lintott |
Source:[7]
Future venues
- 2022 - Carnoustie Golf Links[8]
References
- "The R&A - The Boy's Championship - History". Archived from the original on 6 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- "The Boys Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 6 September 1921. p. 3.
- "Boy golfers at Ascot". The Sphere. 17 September 1921. Retrieved 7 July 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- "The boys' championship". The Glasgow Herald. 12 September 1921. p. 12.
- "The R&A - The Boy's Championship". Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
- "Amateur Championships and Matches Update". The R&A. 22 June 2020.
- "Past Winners The Boys Amateur Championship". Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- "Championship Venues for 2022 Announced". randa.org. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.