English Amateur: Top seeds advance on men's and women's side

August 3, 2023 | by Sean Melia of AmateurGolf.com

Men's and Women's England Amateur trophies (England Golf)

After heavy rains washed out the second round, match play began and the top seeds proved their worth with solid wins

After the second round was washed away by rain, the 18-holes played on Tuesday served as the only round that would count toward match play qualifying. That meant that Rory McDonald-O’Brien earned the top seed and Ben Brown slotted in behind him in the second spot. The two golfers shot 6-under 65 at Ferndown Golf Club.

Both Brown and McDonald-O’Brien advanced through the round of 64. McDonald-O’Brien needed all 18 holes to fend off a feisty Oliver Lewis-Perkins 1 up. Brown lost the third hole in his match against Jake Antoun but then won four holes without relinquishing another hole to Antoun, winning 3&2.

On the women’s side, Jessica Hall safely earned the top seed after a 4-under 67. She won her first match over Ellie Burdis 2&1. The pair tied every hole on the front nine. Hall broke the stalemate on the 10th hole, but Burdis returned the favor on the 11th hole. As is the case in close matches, the 15th hole proved pivotal, as Hall won it and then gained an insurmountable lead with a win on the 16th hole.

Second-seeded Caitlin Whitehead had a tough battle against Honor Johnson. After grabbing a 2-up lead after six holes, but Johnson won hole Nos. 7,9, and 11 to pull ahead. Johnson maintained her 1-up lead after Whitehead won the 12th and Johnson won the 13th. Whitehead turned the match when she won holes 14 and 15 en route to a 1-up lead as the two tied the final three holes.

The longest match of the day was between Mia Eales-Smith and Isla McDonald-O’Brien, the sister of the men’s co-medalist. They needed 20 holes to decide a winner. McDonald-O’Brien had a 2-up lead after winning hole Nos. 8-10 on the trot. Eales-Smith bounced back to tie the match by the 15th hole and she clinched the win on their 20th hole.

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Round Two Update

Round two of the English Amateur Championship was abandoned due to torrential downpours of rain all day at the Ferndown and Broadstone Golf Clubs.

Rory McDonald-O'Brien earned the top seed for the matchplay bracket on the men's side, and Jessica Hall earned the top seed on the women's side.

Normally a 36-hole cut, England Golf decided to cancel the second round altogether because of the weather and move it to a one-round cut.

☔️ Play at the English Amateur Championship at Broadstone & Ferndown has been abandoned for the day due to torrential rain.

The decision has been made to abandon Round 2, therefore the top 32 men & top 16 women from each venue from yesterday's round, will progress to the match… pic.twitter.com/zxfnD5oH07
— England Golf (@EnglandGolf) August 2, 2023

ROUND ONE RECAP

The men's and women's English Amateur Championships are underway at Ferndown Golf Club and Broadstone Golf Club. It's an interesting event, as both the men and women compete on the same courses.

Following 36 holes of stroke play, the field of 204 men will be cut to 64 players and the field of 84 women will be cut to 32 for match play.

Following the opening round, Rory McDonald-O'Brien and Ben Brown recorded the lowest scores of 6-under par 65 at Ferndown Golf Club.

McDonald-O'Brien had a blemish-free card, recording six birdies on his trip around Ferndown. He is a rising sophomore at University of South Carolina - Aiken. Rory McDonald-O'Brien For Brown, a double-bogey on the 18th hole stands between him and the solo lead. He made eight birdies in his round.

Just one shot behind the co-leaders are three golfers. Freddie Surgey recorded the low score at Broadstone with his 5-under score. His 67 was highlighted by seven birdies.

Rory Browne's card and Rio Saigal's cards were a bit different even though they both signed for a 67. Browne was steady, making five birdies and not dropping a shot. Whereas Saigal made eagles on hole Nos 8 and 10. He played holes 7-10 in a stunning 6-under par, but bogeys on hole Nos. 2,5, and 13 kept him from sitting atop the leaderboard.

Defending champion Joe Sullivan shot an even-par 71, putting him hovering around the cut line. In an exciting moment, Mike Hay recorded a hole-in-one.
💥 HOLE-IN-ONE! @MikeHayGolf with his first hole-in-one in 9 years at the English Amateur Championship @FerndownGC!

The @HunleyHotel member aced the 179-yard 2nd for his 3rd HIO, aged just 22!

🇺🇦 #EGStandswithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/dOVGODxbdw
— England Golf (@EnglandGolf) August 1, 2023

On the women's side, Jess Hall was the only player under par in the opening round. She made four birdies en route to a 67.

Caitlin Whitehead is the nearest to Baker after an even-par 71 highlighted by four birdies and bouncing back from a bogey-bogey start.

Results: English Amateur

Place	Player	Location	Pts
Win	Ben Brown	, England	700
Runner-up	Tyler Weaver	, England	500
Semifinals	Joshua Berry	, England	400
Semifinals	Jack Whaley	, England	400
Quarterfinals	Michael Hay	, England	300

View full results for English Amateur

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 Thirlwe...