The Players Club’s Jack Cope claimed the English Amateur Championship by beating Royal Lytham’s Callan Barrow 4&3 at Woodhall Spa. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

JACK Cope revealed a deep sense of pride at adding his name to an illustrious list of winners at the English Men’s Amateur Championship.

The Gloucestershire golfer’s name now sits on the imposing trophy alongside Masters champion Danny Willett, Ryder Cup winners Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Nick Faldo, David Gilford and Mark James.

Cope lifted the famous trophy after a 4&3 victory over Lancashire’s Callan Barrow in a 36-hole final that produced some outstanding moments of golf in the Lincolnshire sunshine.

Cope showed skill and nerve to fend off his friend and rival around the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa Golf Club, the home of England Golf.

The Bristolian was five-up at lunch, shooting seven-under without a blemish on his card.

Barrow – a member at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s Golf Club – can consider himself with a mountain to climb despite shooting two-under over the first 18 holes.

However, Cope’s ball-striking and his touch on the greens proved decisive.

And after racing six holes clear as they turned for home in the afternoon, the Players Club member was finally able to shake off his friend with three holes to spare.

Former England junior international Cope, who celebrated his 21^st birthday on Friday, was clearly emotional at the end of six days of competition.

In the strokeplay qualifying, only fellow Gloucestershire team-mate Joe Long headed Cope with a nine-under total three better than Cope over 36 holes.

And in the matchplay, Cope was superb and deserved to end the week as champion to succeed last year’s teenage sensation Conor Gough, from Stoke Park.

‘Thrilled to be named champion’

COPE could not quite believe what he had just achieved after being handed the trophy at Lincolnshire’s “Home of England Golf.”

“I’m absolutely thrilled to hear it,” admitted Cope after being announced as the winner, two years after he finished third in the Brabazon Trophy at Frilford Heath.

“It’s been a gruelling week, but I’m thankful and proud.

“The morning round was very good. I was seven-under and bogey free.

‘And this afternoon, I kept my wits about me as Cal is an exceptional golfer and he made it a very good game.”

The significance of joining the likes of Sir Nick Faldo, Fleetwood, Willett, Casey – and amateur legends like Gerald Micklem and Sir Michael Bonallack, who claimed the title a record five times – had yet to sink in.

“It feels fantastic – I’m very honoured to be alongside the names on the trophy,” added Cope, who had a spell away from the game recently after breaking his arm.

“The last two years have been exceptionally tough on-and-off the golf course, and I have to thank my parents, coach Russell Covey and Gloucestershire County Union,” Jack said.

“I hope this a big leap in the right direction. I always knew I had ability, but it’s about producing it when it counts.

“I played the West of England fourball at the weekend before this and was asked about my form. I said a big win was close the way I was playing.

“I finished second in the stroke and won the matchplay,” added Cope, who became the youngest-ever Gloucestershire champion in 2017, aged 17.

Callan Barrow was two-under over the first 18 holes, but found himself trailing by five holes in the English Amateur Championship final. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

Cope was quick out of the traps going five-up

BARROW and Cope racked up a total of 10 birdies between them in the morning’s play.

Cope was quick out the traps and was four-up through seven holes thanks to birdies at the third, fifth, sixth and seventh.

Barrow had barely put a foot wrong, but the quality on show from his 21-year-old opponent was impressive.

A quality iron into the par three, eighth hole allowed Barrow to roll home a birdie putt from 15 foot and he followed that up with two more on the ninth and 10^th holes to peg back Cope’s lead to just one.

But Cope won both the 13^th and 14^th to restore his grip on the match and he never let it go.

Barrow’s 10-footer down the slope at 18 grazed the hole, while Cope knocked his in from eight feet to take a five-hole lead into lunch.

Yet the Lancashire man refused to give up. He birdied the first hole of the afternoon to get one back, but then lost the next.

A birdie two at the fifth offered hope again, but Barrow couldn’t quite reel in his man.

Even though he found himself six down with nine to play in the afternoon Barrow’s fighter’s instinct took over.

A birdie at 10 and then another 14 kept the match alive. But a par four on the 15^th sealed with a tricky six-foot putt down the slope clinched the title for Cope.

Jack Cope will have the chance to complete a rare English double later this month.
Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

Can Jack be the lad at Brabazon too?

COPE will now look to carry his form into the Brabazon Trophy later this month at Sherwood Forest.

He will head to Nottinghamshire bidding to become just the fourth player to win both major trophies in the same season – and the first since Mark Foster in 1995.

Cope appeared to play all this week without nerves.

“I’m glad it looked like that but it didn’t feel like that,” he said with a smile. “My attitude was the main thing.

“I just kept plugging away and tried to keep hitting good golf shots.”

“Cal’s a great guy and a great golfer. That’s the way it goes. I just played exceptionally well.”

•For full scores from the championship click here.

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Mill Green’s Ellen Hume who was crowned English Women’s Amateur Championship at Saunton Golf Club last summer. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

ENGLAND Golf will attempt to break new ground this summer by holding its men’s and women’s national championships at the same time at one venue – at its Lincolnshire headquarters at Woodhall Spa.

The national governing body had revealed its plan to try to salvage some events from the season wrecked by the COVID-19 crisis.

Both the English Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships will now be held at England Golf’s HQ at Woodhall Spa – dubbed by many as the country’s finest inland golf course – subject to Government approval.

Both the renowned Hotchkin and Woodhall’s Bracken course will be utilised for both championships, IF England Golf can resume play as planned in the last week of July.

That is the traditional date for the men’s event – while the women’s has been moved from the end of May, having orginally been scheduled to be played at Sheringham, in Norfolk.

The Brabazon Trophy also moves from the end of May to a new date in August – Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire, will remain the host.

The McGregor Trophy – the English Boys U16 Championship – remains at Haworth, but moves back a fortnight to the end of July.

And the Carris Trophy – the English Boys U18s – will switch from St George’s Hill, in Surrey, to Broadstone, in Dorset, and will now be played from August 25-27.

Revised schedule if lockdown allows

England Golf stressed the release of a revised 2020 championship schedule remains a provisional plan and is subject to “further change in accordance with the latest government and expert medical advice on the COVID-19 outbreak.”

A spokesman said: “England Golf’s priority at this time remains to assist the national effort to combat the threat of Coronavirus and ensure we protect our NHS and save lives during the pandemic.

“However, should there be a relaxation to the restrictions on public life in the weeks ahead, our aim is to make sure we are well placed to serve our community of elite and handicap golfers.”

A total of 16 England Golf events have been provisionally rescheduled for late summer and early autumn.

Eight events remain in their original place in the 2020 calendar.

A further three events have yet to be allocated new dates and will be added to the schedule in due course.

The spokesman added: “Unfortunately, it has been necessary to cancel 31 of our national and regional events.”

Single venue mirrors professional game

COMBINING the English Men’s and Women’s Amateur Championships mirrors moves in the professional game to play some European Tour events at the same venue in recent seasons.

Both events will utilise both of Woodhall Spa’s courses – but will see the women’s event limited to 66 players.

And after 36 holes of strokeplay the top 16 women qualifiers will progress into the matchplay phase – with the 36-hole final being played on the Saturday.

The men’s event – which normally attracts a field of 288 entries – will see the top 64 qualifiers progress into the matchplay as normal on the Wednesday.

The 36-hole final will be played on the Sunday, a day later than the women’s, to accommodate two extra knockout rounds.

In 2019, Hertfordshire’s Ellen Hume won the English Women’s Amateur at Saunton Golf Club by defeating 2017 champion Lily May Humphreys, from Essex, at the 19^th hole.

Stoke Park’s Conor Gough emerged triumphant in the men’s event – beating England team-mate Callum Farr, from Northamptonshire County, at Hankley Common.

The 16-year-old, who went on to play for Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup, just missed out on breaking Harry’s Ellis’s record as the youngest winner at 16, set in 2012.

Stoke Park’s Conor Gough will now defend his English Amateur crown at Woodhall Spa, the home of England Golf, in August. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES

The English Men’s and Women’s Seniors Championships are following suit by moving to the same venue on the same date.

Oxfordshire’s Frilford Heath – which has three championship courses, the Red, the Green and the Blue, and which are regularly used for European and EuroPro Tour Qualifying Schools – will host them between August 11 and 13.

The English Boys Final is the biggest casualty in the championship, having been cancelled – the regional qualifiers are normally held during the Whitsun half-term holiday.

The full list of provisional and revised dates and venues for the 24 events currently remaining on the 2020 schedule is:–

• 28 JULY – 1 AUGUST: ENGLISH WOMEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP, WOODHALL SPA GC (HOTCHKIN & BRACKEN)
• 28 JULY – 2 AUGUST: ENGLISH MEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP, WOODHALL SPA GC (HOTCHKIN & BRACKEN)
• 28-30 JULY: ENGLISH U16 & U14 GIRLS’ AMATEUR STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, THORNDON PARK GC
• 28-30 JULY: ENGLISH U16 BOYS’ AMATEUR STROKEPLAY – MCGREGOR TROPHY – HEWORTH GC 
• 4-6 AUGUST: ENGLISH U14 BOYS’ AMATEUR STROKEPLAY – REID TROPHY – PRESTBURY GC
• 11-13 AUGUST: ENGLISH SENIOR MEN’S AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP FRILFORD HEATH GC (BLUE)
• 11-13 AUGUST: ENGLISH SENIOR WOMEN’S AMATEUR STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, FRILFORD HEATH GC (GREEN)
• 12 AUGUST: ENGLISH WOMEN’S PAR THREE CHAMPIONSHIP, AMPFIELD GC
• 18-20 AUGUST: ENGLISH WOMEN’S OPEN AMATEUR STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, BURNHAM & BERROW GC
• 18-21 AUGUST: ENGLISH MEN’S OPEN AMATEUR STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP – BRABAZON TROPHY – SHERWOOD FOREST GC
• 25-27 AUGUST: ENGLISH U18 BOYS’ AMATEUR STROKEPLAY – CARRIS TROPHY – BROADSTONE GC
• 25-27 AUGUST: ENGLISH U18 GIRLS’ AMATEUR STROKEPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, SANDY LODGE GC
• 11-13 SEPTEMBER: EUROPEAN SENIORS CHAMPIONSHIP, WOODHALL SPA GC (HOTCHKIN)
• 14-18 SEPTEMBER: ENGLISH WOMEN’S COUNTY FINALS (NEW FORMAT TBC), SPALDING GC
• 25-27 SEPTEMBER: ENGLISH MEN’S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP (NEW FORMAT TBC), SEACROFT GC
• 6-9 OCTOBER: ENGLISH SENIOR MEN’S COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP (NEW FORMAT TBC), TORQUAY GC

SENIOR SERIES
4 AUG: STOWMARKET GC
26 AUG: ST MELLION GC
5 OCT: SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE GC
TBC – HESKETH GC

GOLF CAPTAINS
5 AUG: STOWMARKET GC
27 AUG: ST MELLION GC
23 SEPT: BROADWAY GC
29 SEPT: MOORTOWN GC
6 OCT: SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE GC
TBC – HESKETH GC
NORTHANTS COUNTY GC

All England Golf coaching sessions remain cancelled

ALL England Golf regional and national squad coaching sessions for men, women, boys and girls remain cancelled until further notice.

Individual coaching sessions – apart from those done remotely by video call – have also been cancelled, England Golf said.

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