FOUR Hampshire players are through to the knockout stage of the English Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool’s Hoylake after another low-scoring day on Merseyside.
Corhampton’s Jamie Markwick and Liphook’s Sam West headed the list of players from the South Coast who will be teeing it up in Thursday’s first round at Hoylake
It would have been four but Hartley Wintney’s Charlie Preston crashed out after a triple-bogey seven at his penultimate hole at Wallasey.
The beaten finalist in last month’s county championship final was one shot inside the qualifying mark with two to play – but signed for a 74, two shots outside the cut, despite a fine 69 at Hoylake on day one.
On Thursday, the top 64 players move into the matchplay phase of the competition, which has been won by the likes of Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood and Danny Willett in the last 25 years.
Markwick and West are both winners of the Hampshire Colts Championship over the last three years – the former completed a long spell at college in the US after completing his Masters earlier this year, while West has another year playing for Ohio’s Miami University.
Corhampton’s Jamie Markwick was the leading Hampshire qualifier at the 2025 English Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool GC. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES
Jamie, who played for Hampshire in the recent romp over Kent in the Challenge League at Lee-on-the-Solent, shot a second round 70 at Hoylake, having produced a fine 67 at Wallasey yesterday, to finish in a share of 10th spot.
Former English Schools U16 Champion West matched that seven-under total with a 71 round the famous Open Championship venue, after shooting 66 in the first round a few miles further along the Cheshire coast towards the mouth of the River Mersey.
Stoneham’s Harvey Denham – the youngest-ever winner of the 36-hole qualifier at the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship aged 16, in 2021 – was just a shot worse off in a share of 20th place.
The top-12 ranked player in junior college golf in the States this year shot 71 at Wallasey after his first round 67 at Hoylake, where Rowlands Castle’s Darren Wright won the Brabazon Trophy 15 years ago, beating the likes of Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and a very young Jon Rahm.
Stoneham’s current county champion Joe Buenfeld survived courtesy of a countback. His second round 70 at Wallasey was good enough to take his place in the draw, after a 71 at Hoylake, on Tuesday.
Yet again, Liphook’s George Saunders suffered heartache in a national championship, missing out by a shot despite a fine 69 under the cosh at Hoylake in the second round.
This year’s Hampshire Salver winner made five birdies at Royal Liverpool but a dropped shot at the ninth and the 12th ultimately proved the difference.
Heading south down the M6 were North Hants James Atkins, who finished one-over after a 73 at Wallasey on Wednesday.
Stoneham’s Elliot Thomas, who was two shots worse off having struggled to a 77 at Hoylake in round two, while Test Valley’s newly-crowned English Mid-Amateur Champion Stuart Archibland finished on four-over.
Max Hopkins – the winner of the Hamsphire Hog at North Hants three years ago – topped the leaderboard on 14-under having shot a first round 63 at Hoylake and a 67 at Wallasey.
England’s Walker Cup prospect Elliot Baker, the highest ranked Englishman in the field, was two shots behind, after two 66s.
Saunders and Archibald both missing the cut does give Hampshire captain Toby Burden more options as he weighs up his line-up to face Surrey in Sunday’s final South Division clash with Surrey – at his home club Hayling.
Burden’s team need a good win to stand a realistic chance of reaching a third South East League Final in a row, with Surrey facing Kent in two weeks’ time.
With last month’s comprehensive win over Sussex and a draw against Kent back in May, Burden has 10 players on standby in case any of his squad go deep in the tournament with the quarter and semi-finals of the English Amateur being played at Hoylake on Saturday.
•FULL QUALIFYING SCORES FROM ENGLISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT HOYLAKE
Liphook’s Sam West, who plays for Ohio-based Miami University, finished 13th in the English Amateur Championshp qualiier. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES