England Golf announce Order of Merit schedules for 2015

NEWS RELEASE
England Golf has announced a revised schedule of tournaments and championships to form the basis of the Orders of Merit for 2015. 
There are six tables: the Orders of Merit for girls, women and senior women are sponsored by Ascot Golf, while the boys, men and senior men contest their respective England Golf Orders of Merit. 
In addition to the new-look schedules, a consistent system of awarding points across all six tables will be introduced.
Also for the first time, the senior men’s Order of Merit will be used for automatic selections for teams for the European Team Championships and the Home Internationals. This system was successfully adopted two years ago for the senior women who, in 2014, won both their European Team Championship and Home Internationals.
England Golf Performance Director Nigel Edwards commented: “2015 promises to be another competitive year across the board in amateur golf.
 “In addition to the European Team Championships and Home Internationals for our England teams at all levels, the men also have the incentive to strive to make the GB and I team for the Walker Cup at Royal Lytham and St Anne’s in September.”
Ashley Chesters, the 2014 winner of the England Golf Men’s Order of Merit.  has the opportunity to defend his title as he enters another year of amateur golf. He is already 20,000pts ahead of all his rivals, courtesy of qualifying for the 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews. 
Sarah-Jane Boyd, who won the 2014 Ascot Golf Women’s Order of Merit will be looking to build on her successes in the paid ranks, having turned professional at the close of last season.
Previous Order of Merit winners include a host of successful tournament professionals including Charley Hull and Holly Clyburn in the women’s game and Tom Lewis, Chris Wood and Gary Wolstenholme MBE in the men’s. All have won professional titles since graduating from the amateur ranks over the last few years.

Lyndsey Hewison
Press Officer