Major changes to blue riband event
Hayling Island to host rearranged county championship
The county’s major amateur championships have now all been rearranged for later in the season.
But Hampshire Golf has warned the county’s leading players they still cannot guarantee the tournaments will go ahead.
And there will be major changes to the format to the county championship.
North Hants Golf Club was due to stage the 115th Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship this weekend.
But the county have been forced to put their blue riband event back until early September, following the lifting of restrictions on competitive golf by England Golf this week.
Instead of a three-day championship, Hayling Golf Club will now host the 36-hole qualifying event on Friday, September 4.
But only the top four will now qualify for the matchplay knockout 24 hours later – instead of the normal top 16. The semi-finals will be played over 18 holes before the 18-hole final in the afternoon.
The county championship normally includes three medal competitions for higher handicap players played over the weekend – but they have been scrapped.
Hayling last hosted the county championships in 2016, which saw Martin Young claim his third title. Prior to that, it also hosted the event in 1995 and 2006, with the tournament first being held there in 1896.
Hayling member Toby Burden won last year’s tournament at The Army. He was Hayling’s first winner since Mark Thistleton in 2004.
The Courage Trophy – Hampshire’s 36-hole strokeplay championship won in 2019 by Rowlands Castle’s Billy McKenzie – and the Mid-Amateur Championship (over 35s) will take place at Stoneham, on Sunday, September 20.
That will help county captain Neil Dawson in his plans for picking a fourman team to compete at the English County Finals at the end of September.
The usual four regional qualifiers – which take place in July and August – have been scrapped this year.
Instead, England Golf has invited all 40 counties to send a team to the finals, which will also be played to a different format.
That will give counties who struggle to make it through the tough regional round a chance to win the trophy.
Hampshire have the best record in the South East Division – having won the qualifier eight times since 2000.
But the victory at the 2017 finals was only their second English County Championship victory ever – and came 21 years after a teenage Justin Rose was on the winning side.
But the County Foursomes
– which offers the Hampshire captain a dress rehearsal when they reach the finals – has been moved from its original September date. It will now take place at Waterlooville Golf Club on September 27 – the last day of the English finals. The Hampshire Seniors Championship, over 27 holes, will take place at Hartley Wintney (August 27). The County Sevens interclub
2
Hampshire have only ever twice won the English County Championship
knockout – which has several rounds between March and August before the finals are held in September or October – were called off in March, along with the junior equivalent, the Royal Greenjackets.
The South East League matches in the U16, U18, Colts, Men’s and Seniors divisions have also been cancelled, and will be replaced by a series of final days for all 10 counties in October.
The U18 and U16s championship will be at Sherfield Oaks, near Basingstoke, on July 29 – 24 hours after the U14s event.