English Amateur Championship qualifying rounds
Junior Ryder Cup cap Lloyd celebrates by claiming top seeding
FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
The cream certainly rose to the top as the qualifying rounds for the English Amateur Championship were completed at Little Aston and Sutton Coldfield with internationals Chris Lloyd, Tommy Fleetwood and Laurie Canter heading the cast list for the match play rounds.
Boy cap Lloyd led the way with 66 for 136, eight under par, finishing a shot ahead of full international Fleetwood, who shot 69, both at Little Aston.
For Lloyd, it was a welcome return to form after a poor display, by his high standards, in last week’s Carris Trophy at Woodhall Spa and the news that he has been selected for the European team in the Junior Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September.
“Getting selected was a nice touch after a disappointing Carris,” said the lad from Bristol. “Yesterday was a bit of a battle but I’m very happy with 66 today. I drove the ball well and if you do that around here it only leaves you with a wedge in and you can leave your putts in A1 positions.”
Lloyd had an eagle, with a chip-in on the 12th, plus five birdies, was out in 32 and dropped just one shot, at the ninth.
“Now I’m looking forward to the match play,” added Lloyd. “I’ve had my fair share of wins and losses but I’m playing well and I don’t see why I can’t go a long way.”
Fleetwood’s 69, which included a front nine of 33, was his sixth consecutive round in the Sixties in what has been an extremely busy time for the Lancastrian.
In recent times he played in the French Open on the European Tour, then jetted off to Sweden to help England win the European Men’s Team Championship and finished runner-up on Sunday in the European Challenge Tour event at Stoke by Nayland before dashing up to Birmingham.
“I’ve probably played more golf than anyone in this field this week,” he remarked. “I won’t be having a rest unless I get beaten in the match play.
“My 69 could have been better but I cruised round and just hit the middle of the greens. I didn’t know the course and I didn’t have time for a practice or even walk round.”
Canter was the low man of the day with a seven birdie, blemish-free 65 at Little Aston for 138. “After 73 yesterday, I was nervous at the start as I didn’t want to miss qualifying,” said the man from Somerset.
“That’s the best I’ve putted since the start of the season while my long game was better than yesterday. I’ve only had a double bogey in two days and no other dropped shots”
Having won the South African Amateur back in the winter and with an unbeaten record in the singles during the European Men’s Team Championships in Sweden, Canter feels he has a great chance of the title.
“Because I make a lot of pars, I’m tough to beat in match play,” he added.
Fellow international James Robinson matched Lloyd’s 66 at Sutton Coldfield to climb the leaderboard on 141. In an amazing round, he signed for nine birdies, seven coming in nine holes from the fourth, while he came home in 31 strokes.
Yet another England cap, Jamie Abbott, who suffered in the gale during the Open Championship at St Andrews, returned a bogey-free 68 at Little Aston, which included an eagle, two birdies and 15 pars.
“It was a bit different to the Open and better than yesterday,” he said after going out in 32.
Tyrrell Hatton, another who made it to St Andrews, fired 69 at Sutton Coldfield for 139 for joint third place with Andrew Cooley, who had 70 at Little Aston.
James Doswell was in the second game out at Little Aston and has a habit of shooting low in the second round to qualify.
He returned 66 at Rye a year ago and managed just one more this time for 141 with an eagle and four birdies.
“I only hit one bad shot and it cost be a bogey at the fourth,” said the 23 year old from Hastings.
A total of 81 players qualified for the match play on 146, two over par, or better.
Click here to read the qualifying scores
FROM THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION WEBSITE
The cream certainly rose to the top as the qualifying rounds for the English Amateur Championship were completed at Little Aston and Sutton Coldfield with internationals Chris Lloyd, Tommy Fleetwood and Laurie Canter heading the cast list for the match play rounds.
Boy cap Lloyd led the way with 66 for 136, eight under par, finishing a shot ahead of full international Fleetwood, who shot 69, both at Little Aston.
For Lloyd, it was a welcome return to form after a poor display, by his high standards, in last week’s Carris Trophy at Woodhall Spa and the news that he has been selected for the European team in the Junior Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September.
“Getting selected was a nice touch after a disappointing Carris,” said the lad from Bristol. “Yesterday was a bit of a battle but I’m very happy with 66 today. I drove the ball well and if you do that around here it only leaves you with a wedge in and you can leave your putts in A1 positions.”
Lloyd had an eagle, with a chip-in on the 12th, plus five birdies, was out in 32 and dropped just one shot, at the ninth.
“Now I’m looking forward to the match play,” added Lloyd. “I’ve had my fair share of wins and losses but I’m playing well and I don’t see why I can’t go a long way.”
Fleetwood’s 69, which included a front nine of 33, was his sixth consecutive round in the Sixties in what has been an extremely busy time for the Lancastrian.
In recent times he played in the French Open on the European Tour, then jetted off to Sweden to help England win the European Men’s Team Championship and finished runner-up on Sunday in the European Challenge Tour event at Stoke by Nayland before dashing up to Birmingham.
“I’ve probably played more golf than anyone in this field this week,” he remarked. “I won’t be having a rest unless I get beaten in the match play.
“My 69 could have been better but I cruised round and just hit the middle of the greens. I didn’t know the course and I didn’t have time for a practice or even walk round.”
Canter was the low man of the day with a seven birdie, blemish-free 65 at Little Aston for 138. “After 73 yesterday, I was nervous at the start as I didn’t want to miss qualifying,” said the man from Somerset.
“That’s the best I’ve putted since the start of the season while my long game was better than yesterday. I’ve only had a double bogey in two days and no other dropped shots”
Having won the South African Amateur back in the winter and with an unbeaten record in the singles during the European Men’s Team Championships in Sweden, Canter feels he has a great chance of the title.
“Because I make a lot of pars, I’m tough to beat in match play,” he added.
Fellow international James Robinson matched Lloyd’s 66 at Sutton Coldfield to climb the leaderboard on 141. In an amazing round, he signed for nine birdies, seven coming in nine holes from the fourth, while he came home in 31 strokes.
Yet another England cap, Jamie Abbott, who suffered in the gale during the Open Championship at St Andrews, returned a bogey-free 68 at Little Aston, which included an eagle, two birdies and 15 pars.
“It was a bit different to the Open and better than yesterday,” he said after going out in 32.
Tyrrell Hatton, another who made it to St Andrews, fired 69 at Sutton Coldfield for 139 for joint third place with Andrew Cooley, who had 70 at Little Aston.
James Doswell was in the second game out at Little Aston and has a habit of shooting low in the second round to qualify.
He returned 66 at Rye a year ago and managed just one more this time for 141 with an eagle and four birdies.
“I only hit one bad shot and it cost be a bogey at the fourth,” said the 23 year old from Hastings.
A total of 81 players qualified for the match play on 146, two over par, or better.
Click here to read the qualifying scores
Labels: Amateur Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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