Press Release from St Andrews Links Trust

GREAT FIELD (as usual) FOR

THE ST ANDREWS LINKS

TROPHY TOURNAMENT

Sponsored By Burberry

Lloyd Saltman and Jamie Moul, currently the ‘men in form’, lead a high-class international field of 144 players who will be competing for the St Andrews Links Trophy over the Old Course and Jubilee Course from June 8 to 10.
Saltman, pictured right, the winner of the Links Trophy in 2005, has started the season in sensational style by winning four consecutive tournaments including a recent two-shot win in the Irish Amateur Open Championship. In attempting to increase that tally and to add his name to the Links silverware for a second time, he will have to beat a field that includes 50 players of +3 handicap or better.
With Walker Cup selection in the minds of players from the four Home Countries, the St Andrews Links Trophy has again underlined its position as one of the strongest stroke play tournaments anywhere in the world.
Saltman’s victory two years ago saw him finish four strokes clear of Jamie Moul, the English international who has held the No 1 spot in the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings for 14 weeks. That position was underlined at the weekend with his joint win in the English open stroke-play championship at Forest of Arden.

ENGLISH CHALLENGE
Moul must be considered a contender for the Links Trophy but is only one of many top English players who will be competing at St Andrews. Others include John Parry, the newly crowned Spanish Amateur Champion, Gary Boyd who had a 100% record in the recent match against Spain, David Horsey, joint winner of the West of England Championship and Stephen Lewton, a double-winner earlier in the year in Australia.
Irish hopes for the title lie with 18-year-old Rory McIlroy, the backmarker at plus 5.1 and the current European title holder and Irish close champion.
The field includes 17 of the GB&I Walker Cup squad for the match at Royal County Down on September 8 and 9. Nigel Edwards, one of the squad, is already a three-time member of the team and is keen to play well at St Andrews to reinforce his claim for a fourth appearance in the match. Edwards is joined in the field by fellow Welsh Internationals Zac Gould and Llewellyn Matthews.
The St Andrews Links Trophy has always attracted a strong overseas entry although since Stuart Bouvier of Australia won the Trophy in 1990, its second year, the winners have all come from Scotland or England. This year, with a strong overseas entry from 13 countries the time might be right for a second foreign name on the Trophy.
South Africa has entered seven of its strongest players including Louis de Jager, winner of the South African Amateur, the Boland Open and the Gauteng North Open, plus Prinavin Nelson, the North West Open Amateur Champion.

SEVEN FROM AUSTRALIA
Australia also has seven players, one of whom, Rohan Blizard, the Australian Amateur Champion, also has the SBS International and the Tasmanian Open titles to his name.
Other overseas countries with strong entries include the U.S. with 10, Germany, seven and Portugal four.
The field of 144 will play one round on the Jubilee Course on Friday, June 8, one on the Old Course on Saturday, June 9 and the top 40 qualifiers and ties then play 36 holes over the Old Course on the Sunday.
The draw for the first two days can be viewed at http://www.standrews.org.uk/.