The battle for Wales selection hots up in Prestatyn showpiece
WITH the men’s amateur season heading towards the home straight, the race to earn selection for Wales’ Home International team is hotting up.
The Welsh Open Stroke Play Championship, which begins this morning at Prestatyn, offers another opportunity for players to further stake their claim and send another message to the selectors.
It is the penultimate event on this year’s Welsh
Order of Merit t o ur nament schedule.
The top four finishers in the OOM after next week’s
Scottish Open
Stroke Play at
The Duke’s, St Andrews, will be guaranteed a place in the 11-man team for the Home Internationals which, this year, are being staged at Lahinch in Ireland between September 11-13.
The team will be named on August 27.
The current top three in the OOM are among those teeing it up this weekend.
Jacob Davies, with two victories under his belt in 2019, currently leads the way, while Ben Chamberlain and Lewys Sanges, second and third respectively, were the joint leading qualifiers at this year’s Welsh Amateur.
Also looking to impress at Prestatyn will be three of the four Welsh Amateur semi-finalists in Connor Jones, Shaun Harpin and Tom Froom, while there will be also be plenty of interest in talented Welsh Boys’ champion Dylan Thomas.
Played over 72 holes, the near 150-strong field will contest 18 holes today and tomorrow before the cut falls at 45 and ties ahead of the final 36 holes on Sunday.
Scotsman James Wilson returns to defend the title he won at Pyle &
Kenfig last year, while the last Welsh winner of the event was Rhys Pugh back in 2013.
Meanwhile, there is a new name on the Welsh Team Championship trophy.
Mountain Ash are celebrating their first-ever victory in the event after battling the elements to prevail at St Pierre.
The club had not gone past round two in more than a decade, but overturned a semi-final deficit at the halfway stage against hosts St Pierre and then edged a tight final against Wrexham, with former Welsh Amateur champion Luke Thomas bagging the crucial point.
Rhos-on-Sea, Bargoed and Holywell were also seen off along the way.
“To put our name on the trophy means a lot to the club,” said captain Rhys Carhart.
“It is the first time we have won the championship, in the last 10 years at least we have never got past the Saturday morning.
“Playing at St Pierre was a massive contrast to our course, which is a lot shorter, not as tight and the greens are slower.
“But we are used to digging deep in the valleys and what really brought us through was the character of the boys.”