English international Harley Smith capped a superb 2021 season when he cruised to victory at the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Championship staged over the Old Course at Walton Heath.
This summer the 16-year-old from the Rayleigh club in Essex became the first player since Justin Rose to win the England Under-18 and Under-16 titles in the same season, and he followed in Rose’s footstep once more with a remarkable performance that left the rest of the field trailing in his wake.
Smith held a three-shot lead after opening rounds of 70 and 67 but then moved up a gear by closing with 9-under-par 63 that enabled him to finish 13 shots ahead of Slaley Hall’s Angus Buchanan and host-club member Kris Kim on 16-under 200.
“It’s special to have completed that treble and extra special to win the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Open at one of my favourite courses,” said Smith moments after lifting a trophy won by Rose in 1997. “It has been a great year for me and to have met Justin has only added to it. He was here Wednesday and has gone over to Las Vegas to play on the PGA so for him to call us with his congratulations was awesome.”
Smith’s only disappointment was that a missed 5-foot putt on the final green meant he missed out on a share of the Walton Heath’s Old Course record.
“I can’t moan at a 63, it’s my lowest ever round in competition, but I wish I’d got that putt on the last to make it a 10-under-par round,” he added. “Of course, this will give huge confidence going forwards.”
Smith’s fellow English international Rachel Gourley survived a massive late scare to win the concurrent Girls’ championship played on the same course.
The 17-year-old from Arcot Hall Golf Club in Northumberland boarded the final tee with a five-shot cushion ahead of fellow international Lottie Woad from Farnham before a catalogue of disasters almost let Woad back in.
Gourley’s problems started when she hit her tee shot into a bush and took a penalty drop. She elected to go for the green but ended up in another bush. Dropping out again, she then thinned her fifth shot out of bounds before in a remarkable display of resilience she managed to hit a wedge from just under to 100 yards to 7 feet and hole the resultant putt for an 8 and a one-shot victory on 5-under par 217.
“I was shaking. I couldn’t breathe and I felt sick,” Gourley admitted. “To say this is a relief is an understatement. I can’t even remember the putt, but I do know that I didn’t forget to fist-pump after I holed it.
Dubai is to stage another European Tour double header with the news the $1.5 million AVIV Dubai Championship will precede the DP World Tour Championship for the second consecutive year.
The tournament is set for 11-14 November on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the week before the Race to Dubai will be decided on the resort’s neighbouring Earth course.
The tournament replaces the cancelled Nedbank Golf Challenge, which will return to the schedule in 2022 for its 40th anniversary.
“Last year’s tournament on the Fire course, created to complete our 2020 schedule, was a great success and we are delighted to bring the AVIV Dubai Championship to our schedule as the final piece in our jigsaw this season,” European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said. “It means we will have two strong ‘swings’ to end our 2021 campaign – the Iberian Swing in Spain and Portugal and now this Dubai double header at Jumeirah Golf Estates.”
Frenchman Antoine Rozner will defend the title he won last year, when the tournament was called the Golf in Dubai Championship presented by DP World. The event will provide European Tour players with a final chance to qualify for the $9 million DP World Tour Championship, which features the leading 50 players on the Race to Dubai standings.
The Iberian Swing started with last week’s Acciona Open de España at Club de Campo and continues with this week’s Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters at Valderrama and the following week’s Mallorca Golf Open at Santa Ponsa, before concluding with the Portugal Masters over the Dom Pedro Victoria course at Vilamoura on 4-7 November.
AVIV Clinics, according to the European Tour press release, is “the healthcare partner of DP World, which provides unique, personalised medical programmes to enhance the aging process by improving cognitive and physical performance in healthy aging adults.”
The Asian Tour has announced the staging of four tournaments to complete its 2020-21 schedule.
The Far East circuit hasn’t held a tournament since March of 2020 because of COVID-19 but will return to action with $1 million events in consecutive weeks in Thailand beginning in November.
Asian Tour players will return to action at the Blue Canyon Championship at Blue Canyon Country Club on 25-28 November and will then move on to the Laguna Phuket Championship at the Laguna Phuket Resort on 2-5 December. The tour is planning another two tournaments in Singapore in consecutive weeks in January.
Tournament bubbles will be in operation at all four events, with players needing to be fully vaccinated to compete.
“After a difficult 18 months the Asian Tour is thrilled to announce that it is able to restart in Q4 of 2021, and most importantly expedite the return of our membership to elite competition,” Asian Tour chief executive officer Cho Minn Thant said. “The Asian Tour have been working around the clock to resume competition and crown the (Order of) Merit list champion ‒ a challenge made more difficult by our reach across many countries and each of their COVID-related protocols. We are confident of being able to complete our season despite several remaining challenges created by the pandemic.”
The tour is yet to announce its 2022 schedule other than staging of the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club near Jeddah on 3-6 February. The Saudi International was part of the European Tour schedule since its 2019 inception.
English international Caley McGinty didn’t waste time making an impression at Oklahoma State University after transferring there from Kent State.
McGinty, who made her Curtis Cup debut this summer and helped England win the European Ladies Team Championship, finished third on her Oklahoma State debut, and then won the Schooner Fall Classic by four shots in her second start. She moved into the World Amateur Golf Ranking top 40 for the first time with a nine-ranking rise to 35th.
Stewart Hagestad’s reward for a second U.S. Mid-Amateur championship in five years was a move back into the top-10 of the men’s ranking.
Hagestad’s 2-and-1 victory against fellow American Mark Costanza saw him climb four spots up the ranking to ninth place. Costanza’s consolation for finishing runner-up was a jump of 120 positions to personal best of No. 221.
The Old Course Hotel at St Andrews experienced a loss of £14 million pounds last year as a result of COVID-19, according to The Courier.
The Dundee-based newspaper reports revenue for the hotel beside the Old Course’s 17th hole dropped 63 percent on 2019 figures.
Turnover sank from £22.7 million to £8.3 million for the year ending 31 December 2020. Additionally, Old Course Limited, which also runs the Duke’s Course just outside St Andrews, suffered a pre-tax loss of £7.1 million for 2020 compared to a 2019 profit of £233,000.
Staff numbers fell from 455 in 2019 to 382 last year, which meant a reduced wage bill of £5.6 million compared to the £6.7 million 2019 figure.
“Our 2020 accounts reflect a difficult year through a global pandemic and where we have made a considerable investment into expanding and improving the hotel,” a hotel spokesperson told The Courier.
Herb Kohler, chief executive of Kohler Co and a 98-percent owner of Old Course Limited, said: “Due to global uncertainty surrounding the UK’s exit from the EU, as well as COVID-19, the directors recognise potential risk in the recruitment and retention of casual staff in 2021 and beyond. The weakening pound presents a risk of increased costs to the company, but could also stimulate overseas tourist numbers visiting the UK.”
Alva Golf Club in Scotland is one of three British golf clubs to have reported recent incidents of vandalism to the police. Alva, in the Scottish Lowlands, reported the removal of flags, tee markers, damaged machinery and potential arson to Police Scotland.
“In addition to the damage caused to a tractor, flags and markers were removed from the fourth and fifth holes on the golf course,” Sgt. Ally Goldie of Alloa Police Office said. “There was evidence that alcohol had been consumed and fires were spotted in the area near to the fifth hole. Officers will be carrying out regular patrols in the area to prevent any further disorder, vandalism or anti-social behaviour.”
Nairn Golf Club, which served as the host venue for this year’s Amateur Championship and has staged the Walker Cup and Curtis Cup in the past, has reported the removal of safety signs prohibiting cyclists from using a coastal path running along the course beside the Moray Firth.
The signs proved a contentious issue with locals wanting to cycle the coastal path. However, the club says there is a danger of being struck by golf balls, and that the signs were erected with the approval of the Highland Council.
“One of the signs was removed on September 3 and five more were removed on the 22nd. We have reported the matter to the police,” Nairn Golf Club’s chief executive, Colin Sinclair, said. “It’s very disappointing because this is all about public safety and we have a duty of care to our members as well as the public who use the access paths on the course.”
Vandals recently caused significant damage at Gloucester Golf Club by driving onto the greens and tearing up the putting surfaces.
All of the above follows a story in the Yorkshire Post of a former member of Woolley Park Golf Club in Yorkshire being caught and arrested for causing nearly £16,000 damage by pouring weedkiller onto the third green. Glen Newton, 55, whose membership was terminated in 2020, pleaded guilty and was given a three-month jail sentence suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay the golf club £10,000 in compensation.
The 2022 England Golf Boys’ squad features four new players alongside a quartet who return from this year’s squad.
Joining existing squad members Josh Berry (Doncaster), Josh Hill (Trump Dubai), Frank Kennedy (Prestbury) and Harley Smith (the Rayleigh) are Hugh Adams (Hagley), Seb Cave (the Belfry), Tyler Weaver (Bury St Edmunds) and Sam Easterbrook (Wishaw). Adams, Berry, Easterbrook, Kennedy, Smith and Weaver all are 16 years old while Cave and Hill are 17.
“There’s a fresh look to the squad for 2022 and we remain hopeful we can get back to a full schedule of team and individual championships after two COVID-19 affected seasons,” Boys’ squad manager Stephen Burnett said. “The pinnacle will be the European Team Championships at Golf Club St Leon Rot in Germany and we’ll be looking to defend the Home Internationals title in August.”
England's Under-16 match against Ireland, scheduled for last weekend in Cork, and the forthcoming mixed team challenge match against Spain in Tarragona will not now take place. Authorities are trying to find new dates for the matches next year.
Colin Callander and Alistair Tait