Five tied for lead on opening day of English Amateur
Alex Fitzpatrick is among the Walker Cup hopefuls in the field (AGC photo)
The weather was far from ideal for the opening day of the English Men’s Amateur. Regardless, 20 players managed to finished 18 holes under par at Hankley Common Golf Club in Farnham, England. It’s thick at the top, too, as five men share the lead at 3 under.
The leading group includes Samuel Rook, Callum Farr, Jake Bolton, Jamie Li and Harvey Byers. Among them, Rook had perhaps the most impressive run. He was nine pars on his front side, but was 3 under for Nos. 17 and 18 after going eagle-birdie.
Behind the leaders, the next big group is at 2 under. Four men are on that number.
As the Walker Cup approaches, both sides are looking to build their best amateur squad for the Sept. 7-8 matches at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England. A practice session for Great Britain and Ireland hopefuls was conducted last week at Royal Liverpool, and eight of the men invited to that are playing in Farnam this week.
Among that group, Thomas Plumb played the best on Tuesday, logging a 1-under 70 to fall into the group tied for 10th.
Two more practice squad attendees, Wake Forest player Alex Fitzpatrick and Jake Burnage, are part of a group at even par. Bobby Leopold, a Hankley Common member and a mid-amateur who splits his time between England and the U.S., is also at even par.
Thomas Thurloway, the defending champion, opened with a round of 7-over 78.
The field will be trimmed to 64 players after Wednesday’s round for the start of match play.
ABOUT THE English Amateur
The English Amateur was played in its inaugural
year of 1925 at Hoylake when local golfer T
Froes Ellison captured the title. He successfully
defended the following year at Walton
Heath, a feat achieved by only six others: Frank
Pennink, Alan Thirlwell, Michael Bonallack, Harry
Ashby, Mark Foster, and Paul Casey. Sir Nick
Faldo is the most famous to have won the event
as the six-time major champion won the 1975
tournament at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
The tournament consists of two stroke
play rounds, after which the top 64 players
will advance to the match
play rounds, culminating in a 36-hole final
between two finalists.
View Complete Tournament Information