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Rotherham’s Daughtrey leads northern qualifiers for Brabazon Trophy

Liam Phipps from The Warwickshire, who works at The Belfry, lead the Brabazon Southern Qualifier at Hindhead GC. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

Liam Phipps from The Warwickshire, who works at The Belfry, lead the Brabazon Southern Qualifier at Hindhead GC. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

MORE than 60 players came through regional qualifiers to clinch their places in the field for the prestigious Brabazon Trophy, when Leeds’ Alwoodley Golf hosts the English Amateur Strokeplay Championship at the end of the month.

At the northern event at Yorkshire’s Lindrick GC, Charlie Daughtrey – from the host county – and Scotland’s Blair Morton shared the honours after posting two-under 68s.

Daughtrey, a member at Rotherham GC where Masters champion Danny Willett hails, came in late in the day with a very tidy card of three birdies and a bogey.

The 18-year-old said: “I’ve had a tough couple of years swing-wise, but I’ve worked really hard over the winter and it all seems to be coming together. I played really solid round a tough course. It was stress free, which is nice, fairways and greens.”

Daughtrey, who has twice helped Yorkshire win the English Boys’ County Finals, will be playing in the Brabazon for the first time.

So, too, will Blair Morton, from Royal Troon. He reaped the benefit of great preparation, having arrived on Friday, in time to play the Lindrick Open over the weekend.

His scores then included a 67 and he came second. “It was probably the fifth or sixth time I have played the course and it definitely helped,” said the 22-year-old.

Behind them were three players on 69 – Ben Goodison (Coventry), James Cass (Fulford) and Sam Turner (Royal Lytham & St Annes).

Warwickshire’s Liam Phipps and Essex’s George Leversuch, led the way at the southern event, both scoring four-under 66s at Hindhead Golf Club, in Surrey.

Phipps, who works at The Belfry – which staged the Ryder Cup on its Brabazon Course three times – also qualified for last year’s English Amateur Strokeplay Championship, and had the top individual score at the 2018 English Champion Club tournament.

The 23-year-old from Olton said: “It’s a goal to try to get a little bit better every year. I’ve played the county stuff and done well in that and now the plan is to try to play well in national events this year.”

The Brabazon is England Golf’s flagship tournament for men, attracting an international amateur field and two past winners have gone on to win Majors – South Africa’s Charl Schawartzel, who claimed the Brabazon at Royal Cinque Ports in 2002, nine years before his Masters triumph at Augusta, and Sandy Lyle, the winner at Hoylake in 1977, 11 years before he became the first Briton to claim the Green Jacket.

The last winner at Hoylake in 2010 – Hampshire’s Darren Wright, who regained his amateur status last year after six years playing on the EuroPro and Challenge Tours, will play at Alwoodley after being granted an exemption as a past champion by England Golf.

Click here for the northern scores from Lindrick

Click here for the southern scores from Hindhead

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