Sixteen Irish golfers will tee it up in The Amateur and Women’s Amateur championships at Royal Birkdale and West Lancashire respectively this week.

In the men’s event, Marc Boucher (Carton House), Paul Conroy (Enniscorthy), Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin), Rowan Lester (Hermitage), Matthew McClean (Malone), Peter McKeever (Castle), Tom McKibbin (Holywood), Robert Moran (Castle), Mark Power (Kilkenny) and Michael Young (Saint Nom La Breteche) will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of holder James Sugrue, who has adhered to the GUI’s recommendation that Republic of Ireland golfers do not undertake non-essential travel during the pandemic.

Just 13 countries or Federations are represented this year — with none from outside Europe due to the coronavirus pandemic — Denmark (8), England (44), Estonia (1), Finland (3), France (2), Germany (9), Iceland (1), Ireland (10), Italy (10), Norway (2), Scotland (17),  Switzerland (9) and Wales (4).

The men will be battling for the traditional prizes, which include starts in The Open, the US Open and by tradition, the Masters Tournament while the winner of the women’s event will earn starts in the AIG Women’s Open and, traditionally, the US Women’s Open, The Evian Championship and the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

Men’s draw

Irish eyes will be on Kilkenny’s Mark Power and Holywood’s Tom McKibbin, who at 77th and 93rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, are among the top-10 ranked players in the field behind English trio Ben Schmidt (27th), Ben Jones (30th) and Conor Gough (37th), and France’s David Ravetto, who beat Power in a three-man playoff for the Brabazon Trophy last week.

Emily Toy (England) returns to defend her Women’s Amateur title at West Lancs after the former R&A Scholar edged out Amelia Garvey at Royal County Down last year.

Women’s draw

Due to travel restrictions and the restarting of US college activities, a number of ILGU players will miss this year’s staging of the event. However, there are still six players from Ireland who will tee it up from August 25. 

Beth Coulter (Kirkistown Castle), Paula Grant (Lisburn), Katie Poots (Knock) and Jessica Ross (Clandeboye), all residents of Northern Ireland, have travelled to West Lancashire.

Laura Webb (East Berkshire) and Chloe Ryan (Castletroy) currently reside in England and will also compete.

Notable past champions of The Women’s Amateur include Anna Nordqvist (2008), Stephanie Meadow (2012), Georgia Hall (2013), Céline Boutier (2015) and Leona Maguire (2017).

As for the Amateur, past winners at Royal Birkdale include Ireland’s Brian McElhinney (2005) and Jimmy Bruen (1946). 

Pádraig Harrington also won the 2008 Open Championship at the Southport venue.

Defending women’s champion Toy, 22, said, “I’m really looking forward to playing at West Lancashire to defend the Women’s Amateur Championship title. It is a great championship, well run and on a world-class track.

”Last year, I gained lots of great opportunities, including teeing it up in two major championships. I’ve got the US Open to come in December and then Augusta next year. It’s amazing to have these opportunities.”

Two of the world’s top ten players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) will start in the field at The Women’s Amateur Championship – Italian duo Alessia Nobilio (3) and Benedetta Moresco (9).

The highest-ranked Englishwoman is Lily May Humphreys at 13, who won the 2017 R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship and was also a Curtis Cup team member for Great Britain and Ireland in 2018.

In-form Emily Price defeated Humphreys to win the English Women’s Amateur Championship earlier this month, while West Lancashire’s Hollie Muse will hope to use local knowledge and build on her run to the semi-finals in 2018.

Former Curtis Cup players Annabell Fuller, who won the English Women’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship last week, Paula Grant and Shannon McWilliam also compete, along with 2018 R&A Girls’ Under-16 Open champion Hannah Darling.

Teenager Schmidt from England is the top-ranked player in the field and last year’s Brabazon Trophy winner will look to fend off a strong challenge from his countrymen, including Jones, Gough and Thomas Plumb.

Plumb, a Great Britain and Ireland team-mate of Gough at the Walker Cup at Royal Liverpool in 2019, shared top spot in stroke play qualifying at Portmarnock last year and hopes to continue his love for the event.

The 21-year-old, who went on to reach the last-32 in Ireland, said, “The course suited me in the wind last year and I’m looking to do even better at Royal Birkdale.

“I played the Boys Amateur there in 2015 and it is such a good course, I’m really excited to go back. Since lockdown, I’ve struggled a little with my game but I feel like the quality is getting better and hopefully I can peak this week.”

This week offers the opportunity for the world’s leading amateur players to challenge for two prestigious titles following interrupted seasons due to the global pandemic.

Euan Mordaunt, Director – Amateur Championships at The R&A, said, “We have worked closely with our medical advisors, health and safety consultants and the local authority to ensure we can play the championships safely this week and it will be a real boost for the world’s leading amateur golfers, who have found playing opportunities limited by the pandemic.

“We are now looking forward to an exciting week of elite amateur golf when two players will emerge to join an illustrious list of past champions and earn exemptions into major championships, including The Open and AIG Women’s Open.”

Notable past champions of The Amateur include major winners José María Olazábal (1984) and Sergio Garcia (1998), with former Women’s Amateur victors including Anna Nordqvist (2008), Georgia Hall (2013), Céline Boutier (2015) and Leona Maguire (2017).

Live scoring, news and video from both championships can be followed on www.randa.org and The R&A’s social media platforms.