ENGLAND SEND FOUR TO SOUTH AMERICAN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

European amateur champion Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park) has the chance to conquer another continent later this month. The 24-year-old has been selected along with Paul Howard (Southport and Ainsdale), Nick Marsh (Huddersfield), and Jimmy Mullen (Royal North Devon) to contest the South American amateur championship at Barranquilla Country Club in Colombia from January 22 to 25. Chesters (image copyright Tom Ward Photography) won the European title by one stroke from Spain’s David Morago at El Prat last August.   His selection means the England international, who finished eighth on the Titleist/FootJoy England Golf Order of Merit last year, has the chance to emulate Callum Shinkwin, now a professional, who brought the South American crown back to England a year ago. Howard made his full England debut in last year’s winning Home Internationals team at Ganton, which capped a successful 2013 for the 23-year-old. He finished fifth in the Welsh Open stroke-play championship and equal ninth in the St Andrews Links Trophy and helped Lancashire lift the English men's county championship by winning five of his six games. Marsh also made his full England debut at Ganton, having reached the quarter-finals of the British amateur championship and finished tied fifth in the Chiberta Grand Prix in France. The 19- year-old also finished runner-up in the North of England youths and the Welsh open youths championships and was ninth on the England Golf 2013 Order of Merit. Mullen, 20, was another England debutant at Ganton in a season in which he lost a play-off for the Bernard Darwin Salver, finished tied third in the Brabazon Trophy (achieving a hole-in-one during the final round) and equal fourth in the South-east of England links championship. Like Howard, he won five of his six games representing Devon at the English men's county championship finals at Minchinhampton. The South American amateur championship is a 72-hole stroke play event. Press Office England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 01526 354 500