European Ladies’ Amateur Team Championship preview
THE COURSE
Fulford staged 23 successive European Tour events up until 1991 and former winners include Tony Jacklin, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman and Sandy Lyle. Best known is Bernhard Langer’s shot from up the ash tree by the side of the 17th.
THE HISTORY
The competition began in 1959 and Sweden will be defending the title that they won in both 2010 and 2011. England have won the championship eight times but their last success came in 1993 in the Netherlands. The last time the event came to England, at Wentworth in 1991, the hosts also prevailed. Ireland have two wins, Scotland have managed three runner-up spots while Wales were second in 1987. Sweden or Spain have won seven of the last eight renewals.
THE FORMAT
All teams will play two strokeplay qualifying rounds and the best eight teams will progress to the matchplay stages; the best five scores from six will count each day. The leading player from the first two rounds will win a place at the European Masters at The Buckinghamshire.
THE ONE TO WATCH
Remedy Oak’s Georgia Hall is currently the sixth highest ranked amateur in the world and the highest in Europe. We were lucky enough to play with Georgia in the media day at Fulford and it’s easy to see why. Among many other things the teenager has won two gold medals at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival and played in this year’s Kraft Nabisco. Yet she remains giggly, funny and modest as well as being ridiculously talented. Her current handicap is plus four and it is still coming down – or should that be going up?!
Read more about Fulford HERE
Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
