Last year’s Reid Trophy winner French teenager Joseph Linel – the 2020 English U14s Championship has been cancelled. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

THE Reid and McGregor Trophy will not take place in 2020 – because of the continuing COVID-19 crisis, England Golf has announced.

England Golf believes the English U14 and U16 championships – due to be held in the last week of July and early August – pose to many obstacles to overcome for them to go ahead.

The England Girls U16 and U14 Championships – which were due to be held at Brentwood’s Thorndon Park Golf Club, in Esssex – have also been called off.

An England Golf spokesman said: “The safety and wellbeing of our junior competitors and their accompanying parents/guardians remains of paramount importance.

“While we are confident the golf element of a championship can be managed successfully, there are additional practical difficulties associated with running junior events.

“With parents and guardians necessarily joining competitors, staff and volunteers on site within the confines of a smaller club environment, it becomes more difficult to adhere to social distancing regulations.”

A spokesman said: “England Golf is most appreciative of the understanding and acceptance shown by the host clubs in making this tough decision.

“We look forward to working with them again in the future.”

England Golf is confident the Men’s and Women’s national championship can still go ahead at its national headquarters at Woodhall Spa, in Lincolnshire, at the end of July.

The spokesman added: “It should be noted that due to the size and layout of the Woodhall Spa facility at the home of England Golf, the English Men’s and English Women’s Amateur Championships – scheduled to be played from July 28-August 2 – remain in the diary.

“England Golf is confident it can celebrate the best of English amateur golf at this joint event.”

French teenager Joseph Linel – the 2019 winner – will have to wait a year longer to stand a chance of joining the elite group to have won the Reid and McGregor Trophy.

Justin Rose won the McGregor and Carris trophies in 1995

Carris and other events ‘unaffected’ at the moment says England Golf

ALL other England Golf championships remain provisionally scheduled as before – but are subject to regular review in accordance with updated government advice and regulations, England Golf has confirmed.

The biggest junior event is the Carris Trophy, which was moved to the end of August, from the third week in July, becasue of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The venue was switched from St George’s Hill, at Weybridge, in Surrey, to Broadstone, in Dorset, back in April.

The English Seniors Men’s and Women Amateur Championships have also been rescheduled to the middle of August.

The McGregor has been won by the likes of Justin Rose, back in 1995, and Edoardo Molinari, a year later.

The Italian denied a back-to-back victory for the North Hants GC teenager – a feat only achieved by Lincolnshire’s Jim Payne, in 1987.

It was one of three national victories in one stunning season for Rose, who only turned 15 after he had completed the double by adding the Carris Trophy at the English Boys Amateur Championship, at Burnham & Berrow.

The winners from 1995 and 1996 at Radcliffe-on-Trent GC. The Nottinghamshire’ club ran the comptetion before it became the English U16 Championship in 1982 – both went on to play in the Ryder Cup for Europe.

Graeme Storm, the winner in 1994, played in the 1999 Walker Cup and won twice on the European Tour.

Essex’s Oliver Fisher, the McGregor winner in 2004, broke Rose’s record as the youngest ever player in the Walker Cup in 2005, at just 16.

•The 2020 McGregor Trophy was due to be played at Gateshead’s Heworth GC (July 28-30). It is still played at its spiritual home at Ratcliffe-on-Trent every five years.

Conor Gough – one of just three winners of both the Reid and McGregor Trophy. Picture by Leaderboard Photography

Gough one of three to win men’s and U16s

ONLY three McGregor champions have gone on to win the English Amateur – James Heath (1999 and 2004), Paul Waring (2001 and 2006) and Stoke Park’s Conor Gough (2018 and 2019).

Just two years ago, Gough won the McGregor before adding the British Boys title at the age of 15.

He also became the second-youngest English Amateur Champion by beating Northamptonshire County’s Callum Farr, in the final at Surrey’s Hankley Common last summer.

The Walker Cup player was four days older than when Harry Ellis broke Sir Nick Faldo’s 1975 record in the 2012 English Amateur final.

Only three juniors have won the Reid and McGregor Trophy.

And unsurprisingly Gough became the latest player to have achieved the feat in 2018 after winning the Reid in 2016.

Worthing’s Oscar Sharpe became the first in 2006, followed by his Sussex clubmate Toby Tree, when he won the McGregor in 2010 – two years after claiming the U14s title.

Eddie Pepperell won the Reid in 2005 at Bristol & Clifton and is the only winner so far, to have earned a European Tour card.

Kent’s Jonathan Bell ended up on the bag when Tyrrell Hatton claimed two European Tour wins back-to-back in 2017.

The Reid Trophy was created back in 1995, with Porters Park in Hertfordshire staging what became the English U14 Championship for the first five years.

The English U14s was due to be played at Prestbury Golf Club, in Cheshire, for the first time, from August 4-6.

Quartet of Carris winners played Ryder Cup

NOTABLE Carris Trophy winners include Sandy Lyle (1975), Peter Baker (1983), David Gilford (1981) plus Hertfordshire’s Ken Brown (1974) and Peter Townsend (1965) – who all went on to play in the Ryder Cup.

Ken Brown – Picture: WOJCIECH MIGDA

Another Hertfordshire junior destined for the European Tour was Welwyn Garden City’s Tom Lewis, who won the Carris just along the M25 at Moor Park – the event’s spriritual home since it was first played in 1935.

Lewis went on to beat Frilford Heath’s Eddie Pepperell in the British Boys final at Royal St George the following month.

He became just the third player to win the UK’s top two junior events in the same season, matching Townsend, who won the British title for a second time in 1964, the year he claimed the Carris.

Nine Carris winners have gone on to add the English Amateur Championship to their silverware collection.

The first was Ronnie White, who added the men’s title 12 years after he became the third-ever winner of the Carris at Moor Park, in Hertfordshire.

The other double winners are (Carris Trophy first): –
John Langley (1936 and 1950)
Ian Caldwell (1947/8 and 1961)
David Gilford (1981 and 1984)
Ian Garbutt (1989 and 1990)
Mark Foster (1992 and 1994)
Scott Godfrey (1998 and 2001)
Gary Lockerbie (2000 and 2003)
Callum Shinkwin (2010 and 2013)

Lyle rewrote the record books for the Brabazon Trophy – the English Men’s Amateur Strokeplay – by winning it as a 17-year-old in 1975.

The future Masters winner broke the record set in October 1949 by Hampshire’s Paddy Hine, who had won the Carris Trophy at Moor Park earlier that summer, also aged 17.

Ben Schmidt the youngest to complete the Carris and Brabazon Trophy double at just 16. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

Schmidt became youngest winner of Carris and Brabazon

YORKSHIRE’S Ben Schmidt smashed Sandy Lyle’s record by claiming the Carris at the age of just 16 last summer.

His win came just six weeks after claiming the Brabazon at Alwoodley, in Leeds.

The Reid and McGregor Trophy may not bear Schmidt’s name. But he became just the ninth player – and just the second in the 21st Century – to claim the Carris and Brabazon double.

Hampshire’s Darren Wright was the first. Rowlands Castle’s England international added the Men’s title at Hoylake in 2010 – four years after his Boys’ victory at Sherwood Forest.

Lyle became just the second player to land that double in the same season after Hine. Peter Baker became the third 10 years later,

Sussex’s Gary Evans – who won the Carris in 1986 – shared the Brabazon Trophy two years in a row in 1990 and 1991 – before earning his card on the European Tour.

Nottinghamshire’s Mark Foster was the only player to complete the double in the 1990s.

Kent’s Paul Page became the first Carris winner away from Moor Park, in 1988, at Durham’s Brancepth Castle.

That was the year the English Golf Union adopted the tournament as its official England U18 Boys Open Strokeplay Championship.

The tournament now returns to its original home at Moor Park every five years.

In three of the seven Carris Trophies held at Moor Park since 1989, Hertfordshire players have triumped on three occasions.

David Griffiths, from nearby West Herts won in 1997, was followed by The Hertfordshire GC’s Thomas Haylock in 2005, and Welwyn Garden City’s Tom Lewis in 2009.

•A full list of winners of the Reid and McGregor Trophy can be found on the England Golf website.

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Lucas Herbert won a play-off against South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout to secure his first European Tour event at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

LUCAS Herbert won his maiden European Tour title with a play-off victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout on a dramatic final day at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The duo entered the final day six shots off the lead but with strong winds and showers at Emirates Golf Club, the leaderboard was blown wide open.

Lucas Herbert, who survived a trip to the water 18 before winning at the second extra hole, said: “The last ten minutes feel like I’ve been dreaming.

“It’s so weird. It’s awesome. It’s just the best thing ever. It is so good. We’ve got a bottle of Scotch at home to celebrate, so I can’t wait to get into that with the boys.

“Last week, I was probably like 20th going into the weekend, and probably like for the 10th time in the last 12 months seemed to just back it out and finish at the back of the field.

“We got really frustrated, so put in some really good tactics this week with my mental coach, Jamie Glazier, trying to be positive and a lot of positive stuff.

“It’s so cliché but it works so much. I felt so confident out there and just felt like good golf was going to come.

“I spoke to him just before the play-off, and we talked about the fact that I hit some really poor shots out there today.

“Obviously the second shot on the first play-off hole, probably not one of my best, but you know, you go back and watch any sort of winners, final nine holes, final round, play-off holes, it’s never a perfect scenario.

“Everyone always hits bad shots, and everyone will probably forget about that now that I’ve just gotten that up-and-down and won a tournament.”

Plenty of people have admired Herbert’s talents, so a maiden win was always likely to be a question of when, not if.

So for it to happen after a tumultus few months for his native Australia, and on Australia day itself, proved to be bitter sweet for the 24-year-old from Victoria, who is now exempt on the European Tour until the end of the 2022 season.

Lucas Herbert said: “I know everyone back home is going to be still up, and obviously there’s some pretty awful stuff happening right now in Australia with the fires.”

And it meant yet another young Aussie has joined the winners’ circle after Cameron Smith claimed the Sony Open in Hawaii, on the PGA Tour, two weeks ago.

Herbert added: “Cam Smith sort of said it a couple weeks ago when he won, and I’d like to say the same thing.

“Everyone around the world is behind us and hopefully we can keep fighting harder than what I did on the first play-off hole.

“That’s nothing compared to the firefighters and volunteers putting out the fires. Sending all my love back home and hope everyone is well, and thanks for the support.”

Bezuidenhout and Herbert both fired brilliant rounds of 68 to get to nine-under par, with the South African finding water after laying up on the last.

The winner of last year’s Andalucia Masters – at Spain’s equally tough Valderrama – made a clutch putt for bogey, while Herbert birdied the 17th and 18th to get into the play-off, having taken on the water at the daunting last to make his birdie four.

This time it was the Australian who found the water with his second on the first play-off hole before saving par thanks to a stunning shot from the drop zone to take it back to the tee.

His second shot next time around could not have been more different, as he got within 20 feet and a two-putt birdie handed him the title, and second position in the Race to Dubai Rankings.

LUCAS HERBERT LEADS AUSTRALIAN PGA AFTER FIRST ROUND

Bezuidenhout has overcome his own battles – having been banned for taking a banned substance as an amateur prescribed to help him overcome a serious stammer and nervousness problem.

He was putting a positive face on the disappointment of his first play-off defeat.

“I was hitting something great putts. Made great saves coming in,” said Bezuidenhout.

“Made a great up-and-down on 14 and 15 to keep myself going. I just think we played in the tougher conditions.

“Those last five holes played quite brutal. Happy to finish off the way I did and make the save.

Reflecting on the trip to the water in regulation, he added: “I laid it up to my perfect yardage, 78 to the flag.

“The first shot just came out a little bit right – didn’t fly the yardage, just spun back.

“If it landed on the green, it was quite firm, and it landed just in the fringe and spun back into the water. With the spin, it was always going to be in the water.

“Me and my coach Grant have been doing work which I believe in.

“I believe we’re doing the right things and we’re working towards the right stuff, and nice to see all the hard work’s paying off, and paying off on the course, especially in big tournaments like this.”

Spaniard Adri Arnaus, South African Dean Burmerster and Hertfordshire’s Tom Lewis finished at seven-under – a shot clear of American Kurt Kitayama and China’s Wu Ashun.

•To see the final results click here.

The post Lucas Herbert celebrates Australia Day with maiden win in Dubai Desert Classic appeared first on Golf North.

Matthias Schwab birdied the last at The Montgomerie Maxx Royal to tie Tom Lewis at the top of the first round leaderboard in the Turkish Airlines Open. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

HERTFORDSHIRE’S Tom Lewis and Matthias Schwab share a one-shot lead fter a low scoring opening day in the Turkish Airlines Open at The Montgomerie Maxx Royal.

Perfect conditions greeted the leading players on the 2019 Race to Dubai as they gathered in Antalya for the sixth Rolex Series event of the season.

And it was former British Boys Champion Lewis and Schwab who took the most advantage of the conditions, carding rounds of 65 to get to seven-under par.

Austrian Schwab has nine top 10s so far this season, including two top fives in his last three events at the Italian Open – his best finish in a Rolex Series event – and on his debut at the WGC-HSBC Champions, in Shanghai, last week.

Lewis’ two European Tour wins have both come at the Portugal Masters and the Welwyn Garden City member birdied six of his last seven holes to rocket up the leaderboard.

But 28-year-old Lewis was a recent winner in the USA , claiming the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, at Indiana’s Victoria National GC, in September, to earn his PGA Tour card for 2020.

And that form followed him across the Atlantic to Belek. Lewis said: “I just holed the putts.

“I felt like I wasn’t comfortably rolling it on the front nine, even though I hit some good shots.

“On the back nine I continued to hit good shots, and I felt more confident on putts,” said Lewis who was in the same Walker Cup team that faced America at Royal Aberdeen in 2011, as Steven Brown, the winner at this last month’s Portugal Masters.

“That’s going to be the difference this week between the guy that wins and the guys that don’t,” added Lewis, who also won the prestigious St Andrews Links Trophy at the Home of Golf in 2011, before going on to lead the Open at Royal St George’s as an amateur on the first day that summer.

“I think he’s going to get good breaks, he’s going to roll it well,” said Lewis, who hails from the same club where Nick Faldo became the country’s top teenage talent, in the mid 1970s.

Schwab made the quicker start of the two leaders before catching Lewis on the 18th with his ?? birdie of the day.

“It was a very good round for me,” said Schwab. “I got off to a nice start – five-under through eight and managed to keep the momentum going on the back nine.

“I was hitting it nicely today and made a few putts, so overall it was a good day for me.

“I’m just trying to give it my best. Every time I tee it up, it seems to be working well the last few months, but I have no recipe.”

The leaders have an elite chasing pack behind them, with Ryder Cup stars Alex Noren, from Sweden, and Belgian Thomas Pieters just a shot further back at six-under, alongside the USA’s two-time European Tour winner David Lipsky.

Hampshire’s two-time defending champion Justin Rose finished with three birdies in a row.

He sits at five-under alongside Yorkshire’s double Rolex Series tournament winner Danny Willett, Belgian Thomas Detry, Frenchman Benjamin Hebert, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and Dutchman Joost Luiten.

Noren, who has struggled to find the form that earned him a Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National, said: “I hit it well off the tee, especially after hole three, four onwards – I played really well.

“I got a lot out of my driver, which helped on the back nine, and especially on the two par fives. Just felt like an easier round than a lot of other rounds this year.

“The focus is there, definitely, and I think my game has gotten a lot better the last few months. I’m just trying to kind of put all the parts of the game together, which I did today.”

Pieters who made his debut in the big defeat by the USA at Hazeltine, in 2016, is also looking to rekindle the form that brought him an 11th housr win in the Czech Republic to earn a wildcard from European captain Darren Clarke three years ago.

“It felt lovely,” said Pieters who made a birdie at the first from the sand.

“After two weeks off, it’s nice to start like that, holing the bunker shot on the first.

“I was really striking it well with the irons, maybe not as good off the tee, but my putter bailed me out a couple times for par as well.

“All in all, very pleased. The game is in good shape. Putting well, hitting my irons very well. So maybe some work on the driving and we’ll be good.”

Lipsky said: “It’s the lowest round I’ve shot in a while and to go out there and play as solidly as I did gives me a lot of confidence going forward.

“The season has been up-and-down. I played really well in spots. Played really poorly in spots.

“I missed five, six, seven cuts in a row or something like that. It’s been up-and-down, but I feel like the game’s turning around and getting a bit of consistency back.

“I look forward to the last three events,” added Lipsky, whose last win came at last year’s Alfred Dunhill Championship, nearly a year ago.

Rose is looking to join the Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam as the only players to win a regular European Tour event three years’ running.

The North Hants GC member who birdied the last three holes said: “I guess job done. The hot finish was exactly what we needed.

“I was aware of the leaderboard. Obviously, it was a perfect day to play golf as it normally is here in Turkey, and I could see the lads got in low.

“Our group was having some frustrations – just trying to make the birdies, certainly make the putts.”

Rose added: “As the sun got low, you could kind of see what you’re facing and it’s difficult to trust your reads coming in.

“I managed to wiggle in there the last few holes, so delighted with the score, really, more than anything.”

•For live scoring from the Turkish Airlines Open click here.

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Wentworth’s Steven Brown resecued his European Tour card for 2020 by winning the Portugal Masters by a shot from South Africa’s Brandon Stone at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

SURREY’S Steven Brown overturned a three-stroke deficit to win his first European Tour title at the Portugal Masters and secured his playing rights for the 2020 season in the process.

The Wentworth member arrived in Portugal needing a top-three finish to secure his card for 2020– and started the final day in the Algarve in fourth place.

But the 2011 English Amateur Champion put the pressure on 54-hole leader Brandon Stone after the turn with a birdie on the 11th.

And a spectacular eagle on the 12th – after hitting his second shot to just four feet – would ultimately hand him his maiden European Tour victory at Vilamoura’s Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course.

Brown, who had finished tied eighth on the much tougher Le Golf National course in Paris a week ago, said: “It’s hard to put into words. It hasn’t sunk in. It was a weird day. You never know with this game.

“It’s crazy to think how well I’ve played this month and how bad the first two-thirds of the year were. I never thought this would happen – I was counting down to Tour School and getting ready for that.

“That shot I hit into 12 was probably the best shot I’ve ever hit. It couldn’t have come off more perfect,” said Brown, who was a winning member of the 2011 Walker Cup team against the USA at Royal Aberdeen.

“I saw the leaderboard at 13 and saw Justin was playing well and Brandon was still ahead of me,” added Brown, who lost a play-off to Matt Wallace in the Made in Denmark last year.

“I kept telling myself to keep going – we had holes to play. It seems like everyone fell away at the end. It went my way because I just parred in,” said Brown who was greeted by the Hertfordshire ace in the scorer’s hut after posting the clubhouse lead on 17-under, with Stone on the 18th tee.

“I’ve just had a calmness in my head the last few weeks – even today. I like the fact I had to go for it and wasn’t trying for a good result,” Brown added.

“I had to seize the chance to win the tournament. That’s the difference.

“Before I’ve thought… ‘I’m up there and had a good week, that’s great’ – this week it was do or bust.

“I can’t believe it,” said Brown, who was congratulated by Walker Cup team-mate Andy Sullivan – a former winner at Dom Pedro Victoria – spraying him with champagne, on the putting green after Stone failed to birdie the 18th hole, playing in the last group.

A gaggle of English players joined in the celebrations, including Essex’s Oliver Fisher, who had a chance of winning going into round four, plus two-time Portugal Masters winner Tom Lewis, another of the Great Britain and Ireland team that saw off the Americans eight years ago in Scotland, including PGA Tour winners Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Harris English and Russell Henley.

Brown and Stone were tied with just five holes to play after the South African bogeyed the 13th, with the Englishman moving ahead after his rival dropped another shot at the 16th.

Brown held his nerve with par on each of his final six holes to secure his first European Tour title – his playing rights for 2020 – and his spot in the Turkish Airlines Open in a fortnight’s time.

The latest product of the Wentworth Academy programme – that includes Ross Fisher and Annabel Dimmock on the Ladies European Tour – will now play in the first of three consecutive Rolex Series events at the end of the 2019 season.

Stone shared second place with his compatriot Justin Walters – who needed a strong week to secure his playing rights for next year, which he did after moving up to 79th from 121st on the Race to Dubai rankings.

Frenchman Adrien Saddier finished fourth, while Northumberland’s Chris Paisley – another who congratulated the new champion as he was preparing for a possible first play-off in the Portugal Master’s history rounded out the top five.

Similarly to Walters, Hampshire’s Jack Singh-Brar needed a strong performance to secure his card for 2020.

The 22-year-old, who started playing for the county’s juniors while a member at Bramshaw, started the week as the last man in on the Race to Dubai in 117th place.

But, as the cut-off moved to 115th, the 2017 Walker Cup player responded with a final round of 66 to move to 109th and a share of eighth place.

Singh-Brar, who first played on the European Tour as an amateur in Russia after winning the Faldo Series in 2012, said: “I’m over the moon.

“I got off to a great start – three-under through nine – I just tried to keep pushing.

“It’s hard when you know how much is on the line, I’m just so glad to have done it,” added Singh-Brar, who played in the same Great Britain & Ireland team as fellow Hampshire junior graduates Scott Gregory and Harry Ellis, in Los Angeles.

“You wake up with thoughts racing round, even today. I knew I had to shoot a good number because there were so many people chasing me down.

“Trying to control my emotions, even coming down 18 I could barely hold the club. I struggled to get comfortable all year – hence my results. Now I feel like I can push on.”

Gregory, from Corhampton, will join Wentworth member Ellis at the second stage of the European Tour Qualifying School next week after crashing out at the halfway mark on Friday, having taken a ninth at the par four seventh, in round two, missing the cut by eight shots.

Ellis came through the first stage last month, and has produced back-to-back runner-up spots on the MENA Tour in October.

•Full results from the Portugal Masters click here.

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Tom Lewis has won the Portugal Masters twice since turning pro in 2011, and after earning his US Tour card in September, will be confident of a hat-trick. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

DEFENDING Portugal Masters champion Tom Lewis could complete a hat-trick this week as he tees it up at Dom Pedro Victoria in the Algarve, starting tomorrow (Thursday).

The Hertfordshire player won his second Portugal Masters crown last season, finishing three strokes ahead of Lucas Herbert and Oxfordshire’s Eddie Pepperell – his first victory since winning the same event seven years ago.

Lewis produced the largest 54-hole comeback of the 2018 season, sitting nine strokes behind Herbert after a level-par first round.

The ???? year old – who hails from the same Welwyn Golf Club that produced six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo – then carded rounds of 63. 61 and 66 to reach 22-under for his second European Tour title.

Lewis, who is in great form having won a PGA Tour card by winning the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, said: “I got off to a slow start but had a really good Friday-Saturday and a great day on the last day.

“Hopefully I can get off to a faster start and not put too much pressure on myself, like I did on that Friday.

“The course suits me and the greens are really good. They’re firmer and faster – hopefully I can hole as many putts as I did last year.

“I feel like I know where the lines are, I’m confident where I know I can hit it and where my bad shots can go.

“There are a few changes out there, with a few more trees that have been planted, but they don’t come into play that much.

“You’d have to be very unlucky for those to come into play. If I hit it well and hole putts, I feel comfortable on this golf course.”

Lewis, who can now plan a world schedule with his PGA Tour card secure for 2020, might also fancy his chances of defending his crown at Dom Pedro Victoria – his Korn Ferry win came at Indiana’s Victoria National GC, in what was his first appearance on America’s equivalent to the European Challenge Tour.

Lewis’ first win at Vilamoura’s Victoria Course came in just his fourth event as a professional – he had led the 2011 Open after the first round at Royal St George’s while still an amateur.

That summer he had won the St Andrews Links Trophy – one of the top three amateur strokeplay championships in Europe – against a world-class field,

Later that summer Lewis would help Great Britain and Ireland beat the USA in the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen, alongside the likes of Andy Sullivan and Jack Senior and lost his singles matches against Peter Uihlein and Russell Henley, who will be

Wentworth’s Steven Brown, the English Amateur Champion in 2011, was also in that Walker Cup team with Lewis and the Surrey man needs a big week in Portugal to stand any chance of keeping his European Tour card for 2020 having flirted with the top five in the Open de France in Paris week, on Sunday, before finally finishing in a share of 11th.

Last year, Dom Pedro Victoria witnessed history as Essex’s Oliver Fisher carded the first 59 on the European Tour.

In 46 years and over 690,000 rounds of golf, no one had recorded a sub-60 score before Fisher’s 12-under par round on the par-71 Victoria Course, which was designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer.

Fisher, who was the youngest player to appear in the Walker Cup as a 16 year old in Chicago in 2005, is another big fan of the Victoria course.

“It’s always a course I like to come back to, we come back every year, it’s a nice week,” said Fisher, who hails from West Essex GC.

“The hotel is on site and everyone is in a good mood. It’s the end of the year.

“Last year I had a great round on the Friday, but a mixed week apart from that. The previous years have been similar to this year – I need a decent-enough week to secure my playing rights for next year.

“There’s a bit of an added pressure on it which means a lot. There are mixed feelings in terms of what to expect and my own goals this week.

“It’s nice to come back to a place where people are talking about something I’ve done before. It’s nice to walk around and think I’ve hit some good shots around here and had some good rounds.”

Another Hertfordshire ace – Matt Wallace – the highest-ranked player on the Official World Golf Ranking in the field this week in 29th place, will also draw on fond memories as he prepares for this week’s Portugal Masters.

The Moor Park GC member returns to the country where he won his first European Tour title three years ago – the Portugal Open at Morgado Golf Resort, also on the Algarve.

Wallace, who has since won three further titles after his Open de Portugal success in 2016, is currently fifth on the Race to Dubai rankings, and is hoping for a strong finish to the 2019 season, with just five events left to play.

Wallace, who was playing against a Hampshire team containing future Amateur Champion Scott Gregory in the South East Colts League Final eight years ago, said: “It’s playing a little differently this year.

“This morning was windy, which it can get around here. The greens are fabulous. They are fast and true. I know they’ve spent quite a bit of money on the course – it’s in great nick.

“The rough is down, but you can get some fliers. If you can hit the fairways, people will still go low.

“With Oli shooting 59 last year, people can go low. But it’s about getting it in play and hitting lots of greens – I’d expect some long putts going in this week.”

•For live scoring in the first round of the Portugal Masters, click here.

Matt Wallace was playing for Hertfordshire Colts back in 2012. Eight years on he is looking for his fourth European Tour win. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES

Bjerregaard back at Vilamoura

ALSO teeing it up at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course this week are former Portugal Masters Champions Lucas Bjerregaard and 2020 Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington.

Bjerregaard won his first European Tour title in Vilamoura in 2017, one year after Harrington secured his first victory in Europe in eight years when he emerged victorious in 2016

Bjerregaard, who went on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links at St Andrews last year, said: “I’ve played well here a couple of times and won a couple of years ago, so it’s nice to be back here.

“It’s a place I’ve come for six years now, with the family. They’ve enjoyed it every time we’ve been here. It’s nice to be back.

“It plays different this year. The greens are rapid, I don’t think I’ve played on greens this quick all year.

“I played nine this morning and they were super quick. The course is beautiful, it’s in amazing shape.

“The rough isn’t that thick, but you get a lot of fliers out of it. It’ll be tough to control your approach shots from there.

“It’ll be fun to see if scoring will be different with greens this quick – I thought it wasn’t as easy getting up-and-down as it has been in previous years.

“The greens are firmer too. If the wind picks up, it’ll be interesting,” added Bjerregaard.

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Lee Westwood’s win in Portugal came 10 years ago and he will be joined at Dom Pedro Victoria, in Vilamoura, by fellow past champions Andy Sullivan and Tom Lewis.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

FORMER World No. 1 Lee Westwood and fellow past champion Andy Sullivan will tee it up alongside compatriot Eddie Pepperell at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course when the Portugal Masters returns to Vilamoura this week.

Westwood, who hails from Worksop, will be making his first appearance at the event since winning what was his 30^th professional title 10 years ago.

Meanwhile Sullivan, from Nuneaton, secured his third European Tour victory at Dom Pedro Victoria, in 2015, when he finished nine strokes clear of the chasing pack.

In 2009, Westwood ended a two-year wait for a European Tour victory as he finished two strokes ahead of Francesco Molinari after carding his third six-under par round of the tournament to post a 23-under total.

The win sparked a rich vein of form which saw him win the Race to Dubai that same season and then become the first Englishman since Nick Faldo in 1994 to become World No. 1 the following year.

“I have some happy memories of Dom Pedro Victoria after winning there in 2009,” said Westwood, who had 26 top-10 finishes between his 2007 British Masters title and his Portugal Masters victory.

“There had been a few close calls between those two wins, so I was really pleased to get over the line in Portugal.

“A lot of players talk about how this tournament has gone from strength-to -strength over the last few years.

“I’m looking forward to coming back and seeing how the tournament has grown. It also gives me a great opportunity to tune-up ahead of my defence of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, so I’m excited for the week.”

Sullivan, who was a teammate of Westwood’s at the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, was denied back-to-back Portugal Masters titles three years ago when he finished just one stroke behind champion Padraig Harrington.

“The Portugal Masters is an event I always look for when the schedule is released,” said Sullivan. “It’s a great event and it’s always nice to return to a course where you’ve won before.

“I always bring my family to the event as they love it as much as I do – and it never hurts to have some extra support while competing.

“This tournament gives us an opportunity to start building some momentum ahead of the final three events of the year.”

Sullivan added: “I really want to end the season strongly and this event provides the platform for that.”

Two-time European Tour winner Eddie Pepperell has also confirmed he will return to Dom Pedro Victoria later this month as the Frilford Heath member looks to maintain his position inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

The trio will join Europe’s 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn in the field, as well as defending champion Tom Lewis, from Hertfordshire, and Essex history-maker Oliver Fisher, who carded the European Tour’s first 59 at last year’s tournament.

•Tickets for the Portugal Masters (October 24-27) are available from €8 for juniors (ages 12-17), €17 for concessions and €20 for adults. Season tickets are available for €24 for juniors, €50 for concessions and €60 for adults. To purchase tickets, click here.

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Matt Wallace was playing for Hertfordshire Colts eight years ago this week… next week he returns to the Algarve for next week’s Portugal Masters, having won the Portuguese Open two years ago at Morgado. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

A STAR-studded field is set to tee it up at next week’s Portugal Masters at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, on the Algarve.

Former World No.1 1 Martin Kaymer, 2020 Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington, four-time European Tour winner Matt Wallace and 2017 Portugal Masters champion Lucas Bjerregaard have all confirmed their attendance on the Iberian peninsula.

The quartet join a field which includes a host of European Tour winners and Ryder Cup players as the 2019 season reaches its climax with just four events left to play following the Portugal Masters which takes place in Vilamoura, from October 24-27.

Wallace, who hails from Pinner, in Middlesex, has happy memories of Portugal after securing the first of his four European Tour titles at the Open de Portugal in 2017.

The Moor Park amateur, who played junior golf at nearby Batchworth Park, in Rickmansworth, helped Hertfordshire beat a Hampshire team featuring future European Tour player Scott Gregory in the South East Colts League Final, eight years ago this week.

Since then Wallace reached a career-high position of 23rd in the Official World Golf Ranking earlier this season, and is currently fourth in the Race to Dubai Rankings.

“Portugal is a very special place for me,” said Wallace who graduated via the Alps and Challenge Tours, having attended the same Jacksononville State University in Alabama as Hampshire’s Tom Robson for 12 months.

Wallace added: “Winning for the first time on the European Tour there a few years ago was huge for me, and I’m proud of how I’ve developed as a golfer since then.

“There’s still so much to play for in the last few events of the season and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer is looking forward to returning to Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course after a long absence. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Kaymer, who won the US Open Championship at Whistling Straits in 2010, will make his first appearance at the Portugal Masters since 2015.

The German, who has played in four Ryder Cups, has a quartet of top-20 finishes this season and is looking to secure his place in the final three events on the 2019 Race to Dubai.

“It’s an event I’ve always enjoyed playing,” said Kaymer. “The move to October has given me the opportunity to add it to my schedule again.

“I’ve had some encouraging results this season, but it’s my goal to make the last three tournaments on the Race to Dubai, so Portugal gives me a great opportunity to take some momentum into those events.”

Harrington, who will captain Europe at Whistling Straits in next year’s Ryder Cup, won his first European Tour title in eight years when he was crowned champion at the 2016 Portugal Masters.

“I’m really looking forward to coming back to Dom Pedro Victoria,” said Harrington. “It’s a golf course which suits me, and it’s always nice to return to a venue where you have won before.

“We might be nearing the end of the season, but there’s still a lot for everyone to play for. It should be an exciting week.”

Padraig Harrington claimed the Portugal Masters title in 2016. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Defending champion Tom Lewis, another graduate from Hertfordshire’s junior programme that produced Wallace, and Essex’s history-maker Oliver Fisher, who carded the European Tour’s first 59 at last year’s Portugal Masters, will also return to Vilamoura.

Meanwhile Ricardo Gouveia and Pedro Figueiredo will fly the flag for Portugal as the two highest-ranked players from the host country in the field.

Tickets for the Portugal Masters are available from €8 for juniors (ages 12-17), €17 for concessions and €20 for adults.

Season tickets are available for €24 for juniors, €50 for concessions and €60 for adults. To purchase tickets, click here.

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Sergio Garcia shakes hands with Shane Lowry after his 4&2 win in the first round of the WGC-Dell Technologies World Match Play Championship at Texas’ Austin Country Club. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

IT was a hugely successful opening day for the stars of the European Tour at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Texas’ Austin Country Club.

Francesco Molinari, Sergio Garcia, Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Casey were among the 18 members to register victories, while Tom Lewis halved his match with World No. 3 Brooks Koepka.

There were a plethora of notable stories in round one of the group stage, with Stenson overcoming Phil Mickelson 2&1 in a rerun of one of the greatest final round battles in Open Championship history back in 2016.

Lucas Bjerregaard and Lewis both produced massive upsets as the Dane beat World No. 5 Justin Thomas 3&2, while Hertfordshire’s Lewis – who was playing on the Challenge Tour a mere six months ago – clinched a half point against three-time Major Champion Koepka.

Lewis said: “Every game will be tough this week. I knew that I was going to get a tough draw, being one of the last guys in.

“Brooks is a nice guy, I’ve known him through the European Tour and it was a good day. We weren’t at our best. I handed him the first couple of holes. It’s a bit frustrating but I’m pleased I made that birdie on the last hole.

“I’ve been working on my wedge play the last couple of weeks, and it’s obviously shown through there.

“I pulled it the tiniest bit. I knew that the slope wasn’t really going to kick in. I was pleased to have a putt for the winning hole.”

Moor Park’s Matt Wallace, who also hails from Hertfordshire, also won on his debut, overcoming former Major Champion Keegan Bradley, as did Justin Harding who staged a remarkable comeback to beat Matt Fitzpatrick, having been two down stepping onto the 16th tee.

Ryder Cup legend Sergio Garcia beat the current Race to Dubai leader Shane Lowry 4&2, while Ian Poulter – a former winner of this event – sealed a two-up victory over Kevin Kisner.

Poulter, who went to school in Hertfordshire before becoming a club pro in Bedfordshire, said: It was a fun match. Up, down, up, all square with a couple to go, so it was interesting.

“When you’re two-up with four to play, you hit a great shot in there to about five feet and Kevin had a putt from about 15 or 17 feet.

“You’ve always got to expect him to hole it, which he did. But I wasn’t expecting to miss my five-footer there. So that was a bit of a shame.

“And then I hit driver-driver on 16, which I’d like to play the hole over again. It doesn’t matter now.

The Woburn member added: “It kind of got up on to the green and it just trickled off and obviously he holes out from 70 yards, he goes square, and it’s really game on from a position where I kind of had control of it.

Tiger Woods won his opening group stage match, beating Aaron Wise 3&1, while four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy cruised to a 5&4 triumph over Luke List.

Bjerregaard, who claimed the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, in October, said: “The last couple holes were a little more stressful than I was hoping. I hit a good drive on 15 and then, it was a pretty simple pitch shot in there that I messed up pretty bad.

“But I played well today, I didn’t make many mistakes. I made that one on 15 and hit a shot in the hazard on three. Other than that I put it in some good spots and drove the ball nicely.

“I didn’t give too much away. And then I made a couple of good putts where JT had hit it closer than me and he missed those.

“So there was a couple of match play moments in there that were pretty key for me there.”
Molinari, a 5&4 winner over Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira, said: “I played really well, made some nice putts at the beginning and throughout the match.

“So I’m really happy the way I played. Obviously, it’s a little bit easier when you start that way, but you still have to play a lot of golf and close the match out.

“So there were a couple of moments where I could have done maybe better, but all in all a very good day. It’s great to start with a win.

“It doesn’t mean a lot unfortunately, with this format. So I need to show up tomorrow and try to play some similar golf to today.”

“And I had a big putt there at 17 to leave myself just under the hole to give myself a right-to-left putt, which was a good one. I holed it, and obviously up and down from the last.”

Stenson, after getting the better of Mickelson again, said: “You could say it maybe wasn’t the most well-played match from either one of us, but there were still some good golf in there.

“I was pretty happy with my performance today. I hit some really nice iron shots and made a couple of important putts, as well.

“Phil is always worth the price of admission. He hit some fabulous short-game shots on three or four holes.

“He’s in some areas where you just can’t get up and down, and he’s Phil Mickelson and he gets it up and down. So that’s always tough to compete against.”

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Frilford Heath’s Eddie Pepperell, who has soared up the world ranking rankings from outside the top 500 to No. 36 in less than two years , makes his WGC World Matchplay Champinship debut at Austin Country Club today.

OXFORDSHIRE’S Eddie Pepperell will take his mindset back to his amateur days when he makes his debut in the WGC Matchplay Championship at Austin Country Club, in Texas, this week.

The Abingdon ace, who takes on big hitting American Gary Woodlands, at 5pm GMT, on Wednesday, will be full of confidence after a top five at The Players Championship two weeks ago.

Pepperell will then face Hampshire’s Justin Rose – his playing partner in the final round of the recent Players championship where he finished tied for third – 24 hours later.

His final group stage opponent will be Argentinian Emiliano Grillo, on Friday, for a place in the last 16 where the group winner could face defending champion Bubba Watson, or former Masters Champion Jordan Spieth, on Saturday.

The 28-year-old, who will make his Masters debut at Augusta in two weeks, said: “Matchplay is very different. I’ve haven’t played matchplay for a decade or so – since I was an amateur. Although Matt and I played in the GolfSixes last year.

“I had a good matchplay record as a kid. I love playing the man, as opposed to the course.

“I’ve not got any expectations or pressure on this event. I mean out here, all these guys are very good golfers, so I think you’re taking it all with a pinch of salt.

“Anything can happen on the day. You’ve just first of all got to make sure that you play well. But I’ve historically loved matchplay so it will be nice to – hopefully we can use some of those positive memories and get positive.

“I think that’s going to be the hardest thing for me this week,” added the former Great Britain and Ireland junior international, who has been resting since his exertions at Sawgrass.

“I don’t know how competitive I am. I think I’m competitive. But the position these guys are in, I don’t know. It can sometimes be hard to be positive because they’re golfing very lovely. But then again if you stand on the tee, there might be more positive juices flowing. It’s hard to say.

“I think I’m prepared for it. I don’t think too much about those things, so I like to just play golf and make sure I’m playing as good as I can.

“And the good thing is as I’m getting a bit older, it seems that the results are coming better, and better results are coming as I tend to reach the levels I want to reach, let’s say.

“So that’s nice. And the fact if it does is great, and if not, so be it.”

Certainly, Pepperell, who claimed his second European Tour victory at Walton Heath – claiming the Skysports British Masters, in October – is benefitting from growing confidence levels following his latest display in the States.

Eddie said: “It was a bizarre week at The Players, I didn’t feel like I played very good. I was ready to go home pretty early in the week.

“And then before you know it, I found a good run here and there on a Sunday.

“One of those weeks I wouldn’t be able to say I expected or saw it coming, because I really didn’t.

“It was a lot of fun, that’s for sure. Playing with Justin on Sunday was great.”

Pepperell produced a string of birdies on the back nine to leapfrog the leaders thanks to a 30-foot snaking putt on Sawgrass’ infamous par three island green at the 17^th, to become the clubhouse leader before Rory McIlory caught him.

Eddie added: “Obviously the 17^th was a pretty magical moment for me. And I had a lot of people at home saying how much they enjoyed it.”

ABOVE: Experienced caddy Mick Doran (left) compared Eddie Pepperell to a younger Lee Westwood in his prime after the Frilford Heath ace finsihed third at The Players two weeks ago

Pepperell has formed a very good partnership over the last year with veteran caddy Mick Doran (above), who has worked with Lee Westwood when they won 16 tournaments together, having also caddied for Italian Constantino Rocca in the play-off at the 1995 Open at St Andrews, and for Justin Rose, Luke Donald and Camillo Villegas.

Doran was very impressed by Pepperell’s Players Championship performance – especially as it was his first look at a very fiddly Sawgrass, which tests players’ patience and course management to the full.

Mick told Golf South: “Eddie has something which a lot of golfers don’t – and that is when he is in a position near the top of a leaderboard he goes one way… forward.”

And Eddie also displayed a lot of grit having played poorly in practice but somehow found a way of scoring around the Pete Dye design where even the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have seriously struggled before finding a way to win around Sawgrass, at Ponte Vedra Beach, the home of the PGA Tour.

Mick added “The Players was something I haven’t seen before where I can honestly say, in my eyes, Eddie was really struggling with his swing.

“I have been very fortunate to work with many great golfers and Westwood in his prime reminds me of Eddie. Both very humble guys with something in them where they have another gear. It’s been a week now from The Players and we finished third.

“To a lot of people that means nothing. But I promise you that week was very special as sometimes it’s about the bigger picture.”

It will be interesting to see how Eddie fares in his WGC debut – there will be more appearances for sure given his world ranking now which sees him in 36^th – the seventh highest ranked Englishman – behind Rose (2^nd), Paul Casey (11^th), Tommy Fleetwood (12^th), Ian Poulter (32^nd), Matt Wallace (35^th), with former B.B.&O. team-mate Tyrrell Hatton in 37^th place.

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