Carris Trophy - 25-27 July
The English Boys’ Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship is a real Junior Major attracting entries from all over the world. With the field limited to 132 and the cut made at 45th and ties after two rounds, this is without doubt the toughest 72 hole stroke play event for under 18's in the UK golfing calendar. Not surprisingly the scouts from National Unions and American Universities are out in force. This year, the event was held at Sherwood Forest Golf Club and the Northumberland and Durham had just two representatives, both from Prudhoe, James Curry and Danny Shevill who joined from Stocksfield earlier in the year. James and Danny started with two solid rounds of 72 and 73 respectively. Then James fired himself into second place with a fine 67, reducing his handicap to plus 3, whilst Danny shot another 73 to make the cut on the qualifying mark. The third round however produced a very different story. Danny came in with a steady 77 but James suffered a maximum 4 stroke penalty for having a caddy over the age of 18 and shot himself out of contention with an 80. The final round saw an improvement in fortunes with James shooting 72 for a four round total of 291 (33rd) and Danny a 74 for 297 (44th). Whilst James will no doubt regret the penalty shots which cost him at least a top 20 place, both players did well to make the cut and bring the North East and their Club to the attention of the top players and selectors.