Carlise GC’s Archie Davies picked up Wales Golf’s top playing award for a second year running – having spent seven months at East Tennessee State University in the first season of a four-year golf scholarship – it will now be extended because of the coronavirus pandemic

WELSH Amateur champion Archie Davies has claimed the Wales Golf Amateur of the Year Award for the second-year running.

Davies is currently back in the UK while his American college career is interrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, working on his game where possible and also carrying on his studies online during lockdown.

Davies was due to collect the award at the Wales Golf Annual Awards Lunch at Ryder Cup venue Celtic Manor, but the event had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Archie also won the Wales Golf Boys Order of Merit, as well as a successful start to his US college golf with East Tennessee State University, part of the team which won the Hoakalei CC Collegiate Invitational in Hawaii after a string of second place finishes.

Heading to Tennessee on the back of his Welsh Amateur win in Tenby, which he described as the biggest of his career, Davies was a strong performer for the college team with two individual top 10 finishes before coronavirus brought an early end to the season.

Carlisle-based Davies has a strong Welsh sporting tradition, his great-grandfather played rugby for Wales against New Zealand.

“It is pretty special to get this award,” said Davies. “When I got it the first time, I thought it was pretty cool, but to get it a second time is awesome.

“It shows what hard work can do, coming from where I was to where I am now is pretty pleasing.

“It is a pleasant surprise, there are other players who could have got it, but the Welsh Amateur win helped a lot.

“That was really great because it had been quite a slow season with exams, I felt I wasn’t doing as well as I wanted and so that win was very important for me just before going to the US.”

Davies claimed both the Welsh Amateur title and the Welsh Boys Order of Merit in 2019

Freshman benefits from USA game

WHILE his first year as a freshman has been interrupted for obvious reasons, former Ireland Boys champion Archie Davies feels the move across the Atlantic has provided a big boost to his development.

“I feel I have learned a lot this year in terms of golf, social skills, everything,” said Davies.

“It is a completely different style of golf to what I have been used to in England and Wales and that has been beneficial for me.

“You have to hit the ball further, the greens are slopier and quicker, it has been a good experience for me and hopefully I can move forward.

“East Tennessee have a couple of really good players in the team, top 25 in the nation, so that has helped me too, given me something to work towards.

“We have a new coach this year, Jake Amos, and he has done a great job with the team, spending a bit of time with me because he likes to work with the freshmen.

“They have changed the rules because of coronavirus and so I will count as a freshman again in September, under the national colleges eligibility, because we did not finish our first season – but I will have had some experience which should help.

“I hope to push on again next year. My main goal is to win a tournament and then hopefully more than one.”

With the coronavirus having brought both the US and UK to lockdown, Davies is trying to make the best of the situation.

“I am back home in Carlisle,” he revealed. “The last few tournaments were called off in the US and I had to come home, doing classes online – trying to finish my first-year studies.

“I have got a net at home so I am trying to work on what I can, the same as everyone. It is important to stay positive and do all I can to come out of this a better player.

“Golf is still being played in some areas of the US, but the majority are in the same position.”

Archie Davies won the Welsh Amateur crown at Tenby last summer

Praise from Wales performance director

WALES Golf prformance director Gillian O’Leary congratulated Davies on the award – and becoming the first player to win the Welsh Amateur and Boys Order of Merit in the same season.

She said: “Well done to Archie on this award, winning it two years running is quite an achievement.

“There were many strong performances by Welsh golfers in 2019, but his Welsh Amateur win, and the way he has made a good start in America were the decisive factors.

“This is a difficult time for all our squad players, but we know they are working as hard as is possible on their games and we look forward to seeing them back in action when it is safe to do so.

“We look forward to making the formal presentation of this well-deserved award at an event later in the year.”

•Davies was knocked out in the fourth round of the British Boys at Saunton, in Devon, in August, just days after his Welsh Amateur triumph.

He beat Aberdovey’s Connor Jones 8&7 in the final. In 2018, he won the Irish Boys crown.

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The Continent of Europe team who beat Great Britain and Ireland to win the Jacques Leglise Trophy at Aldeburgh GC. Picture by THE R&A / GETTY IMAGES

THE Continent of Europe won the 2019 Jacques Léglise Trophy after defeating Great Britain and Ireland 15½-9½ at Aldeburgh Golf Club.

Leading 6½-5½ at the start of play on the second day, the Europeans consolidated their lead by winning three of the four morning foursomes matches leaving them 9½-6½ up going into this afternoon’s singles matches.

Joachim Fourquet’s side then picked up six of the nine available points in the afternoon singles to seal their first win in the boys’ international match since 2017 when they triumphed 15½-9½ at Ballybunion, in Ireland.

The visitors strengthened their grip on the contest in the morning foursomes.

While Yorkshire’s Ben Schmidt and Welsh Amateur Champion Archie Davies combined well to defeat the French pair of Charles Larcelet and Tom Vaillant, it was the only point won by the GB&I in the early session.

Adam Wallin and Loic Ettlin were too strong for the fancied GB&I pairing of GB&I captain Barclay Brown, from Hallamshire GC, and England’s Florida-based junior international Joe Pagdin, who lost 4&2.

Bård Bjørnevik Skogen and Matteo Cristoni were always in control of their match over Scotland’s Connor McKinney and Ireland’s Aaron Marshall winning two-up.

While Irish junior internationals Tom McKibbin and Josh Hill held the early advantage in their match against Daniel da Costa Rodrigues and David Puig the European pair fought back from being two-down after three holes.

They squared the match at the sixth hole and at the 14^th the GB&I pairing again gained an advantage that was quickly lost at the next.

With da Costa Rodrigues and Puig winning the final two holes of the match they went on to seal the Continent of Europe’s third point of the morning.

With Europe needing just three-and-a-half points from the nine singles matches in the afternoon, Larcelet was the first to strike.

He landed a big blow to the GB&I team, fighting back from three-down after five holes to defeat Brabazon and Carris Trophy double winner Schmidt, the highest ranked player in the field, 2&1

Wallin staved off a late charge from McKinney, defeating the Scott 2&1 to provide the Continent of Europe with its second point in the singles matches.

Bjørnevik-Skogen made short work of Davies, needing just 16 holes to win his match 4&2 against the Welsh international, who plays at Carlisle GC.

Now needing just half a point to win the 2019 Jacques Léglise Trophy it was Ettlin who secured the victory for the Continent of Europe – when he disposed of Ireland’s Luke O’Neill 4&3.

Puig and da Costa Rodrigues also secured points for the Continent when they won their matches against Marshall and McKibbin.

Playing in the first singles match out in the afternoon, Pagdin did his best to mount a comeback for GB&I. In control from the start, the Lake Nona member defeated Alvaro Mueller-Baumgart 3&1.

However, with the Continent of Europe claiming the next three matches, the GB&I had left their charge too late.

Brown, last year’s Daily Telegraph Junior Champion, won his match against Matteo Cristoni putting on an impressive display to fight back from three-down at the eighth hole to win two-up on the 17^th.

McGregor Trophy winner Hill claimed GB&I’s final point when he recorded a one-up victory over Vaillant.

Europe’s non-playing captain Joachim Fourquet said: “I am very, very proud of my team, they showed a lot of things this afternoon.

“First, they showed that they are not just 16, 17 or 18 years old, they are real players – they know how to manage the course.

“It was so different to yesterday afternoon, with the attitude and everything, they played really well this afternoon.

“The thing with the European team is you have 48 hours to create team spirit, it was better and better as the week went on.

“I could feel it last night, they were all talking and joking so I think today we were a real team, yesterday it was 75 per cent and two days ago it was 50 per cent. The attitude and team spirit was amazing today.”

Stuart Wilson, chairman of the Great Britain and Ireland’s Boys Selectors, put a brave face on the defeat at the Suffolk club overlooking the North Sea and River Alde, which strangely has no par fives.

Wilson said: “There were a lot of positives, I think the guys changed their approach a little bit to put the challenge up to the European guys this afternoon.

“But unfortunately they were just too strong for us. They kept the ball in play a little more than us and holed a few more putts – and in the end that makes all the difference.

“We knew they were going to be good, they definitely brought a strong team.

“But we were hopeful with the guys that we had assembled and confident coming into the match that we could repeat a result from Finland last year – but it just wasn’t to be I am afraid.

The victory marks the 13th time that the Continent of Europe has won the Jacques Léglise Trophy since the boys’ international match between the two teams was rejuvenated in 1977.

The GB&I has won the Jacques Léglise Trophy on 29 occasions, with one match tied at Royal Dornoch in 2015.

The 2020 Jacques Léglise Trophy will be played at Blairgowrie in Scotland from August 28-29.

Wilson, the Scottish winner of the 2004 Amateur Championship, added: “It will be nice to be up in Scotland at Blairgowrie.

“It’s a cracking course up there. The players will enjoy it and they have another a year to get ready for it.”

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SCOTLAND’S Connor McKinney lead the qualifiers into the matchplay stage of the 93rd R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship, at North Devon’s Saunton Golf Club.

Playing in challenging conditions, McKinney posted an even-par round of 71 on the West Course to finish on five-under par after two rounds.

McKinney was a shot clear of Frenchman Martin Couvra and Welshman Archie Davies as a total of 18 English players made it through to the knockout, including Hallamshire’s Daily Telegraph Junior Champion Barclay Brown, Heysham’s John Wilding and Northamptonshire County’s latest England prospect Joe Quinn, plus three other Scots.

Experiencing a mixed day on course, McKinney’s round was almost derailed by a double bogey seven on the par-five 10^th hole after he hit his drive out of bounds.

However, he held his composure to record four birdies and a bogey on his way into the clubhouse as the leading qualifier.

McKinney said: “It was really windy so that was always going to be a factor. When the rain came it made it really tricky, but I handled my game pretty well and stuck to my plan.

“I stayed committed after a bad start to the back-9, it can really get away from you in that wind.

‘I hit my driver out of bounds on 10 and made double – but I made four birdies in my next six holes, so I really bounced back.

“It gives me an extra bit of confidence going into the matchplay, I know that I have already beaten everyone in the field so I know that I can do it in the match play.”

Finishing as the leading qualifier has filled McKinney with confidence heading into the matchplay, a format in which he is showing form.

He won four-and-a-half out of six matches for Scotland at last week’s &A Boys’ Home Internationals which England won for a fourth year in a row..

Couvra recorded his second 69 in as many days thanks to a birdie on the 18^th hole of Saunton’s East Course.

At 16 years of age Couvra was pleased to go through to the matchplay in his Boys’ Amateur Championship debut.

Couvra said: “This is my first time in this championship. I played very well this week. The rain and the wind was really hard but I still played well.

“I am happy but the matchplay will be a new competition. I will just try and play the same as I have been.

Playing the West Course early on Wednesday, Davies recorded an impressive 67, the lowest round of the day.

It featured five birdies and a lone bogey. The Cumbrian-based Welshman will be one to watch in the knockout having recently won the Welsh Amateur Championship, when he defeated Connor Jones 8&7.

A delighted Davies, who plays his golf at Carlisle GC, said: “I started off while the weather was awful, rain and windy, but I held onto a score early on and pushed on towards the end.

“So I am really pleased with the overall performance.

“I hit the ball better yesterday to be honest but today, around the greens, I was a lot better, a lot sharper and I made some good up and downs quite early on which kept the momentum going.

“I feel like my game has come together pretty well for this championship. I won the Welsh Amateur a couple of weeks ago. I won five matches in that so hopefully I can keep it going again this week.”

Overnight leader Tom Gueant, from France, was bogey-free for his first 29 holes before a triple bogey seven on the 12^th hole on the East, saw him slip down the leaderboard.

Guean recorded a bogey on the par-five 15^th followed quickly by a double bogey six on the 16^th to record a five-over 76.

However, Guean will head into last 64 having qualified tied fourth on three-under alongside another Scot, Cameron Adam, and Sussex’s Habebul Islam, after they recorded even-par second rounds on the East and West Courses respectively.

Also comfortably making the matchplay stage is England’s Florida-based junior international Joseph Pagdin, who is the highest-ranked player in the field.

Pagdin, another member of the Home Internationals-winning team, recorded rounds of 70 and 70 to be two-under-par and tied seventh.

He is joined on the same score by Czech Vaclav Tichy, Norway’s Alexander Settemsdal, Kevin Christopher Jegers, from Estonia, and Spaniard Rodrigo Martin.

The cut fell on four-over with 74 players progressing to the matchplay. Twenty – including four English teenagers and one Scot – will play in Thursday’s preliminary round with the second round commencing later in the morning.

Each match will consist of one round of 18 holes on the East Course before concluding with a 36-hole final, on Sunday.

For the full matchplay draw and scoring visit here. Admission and parking at Saunton are free.

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