On August 3rd 2016 the Estonian Golf & Country Club will have the honour of hosting the 30th European Amateur Championship. The historical importance of the amateur championship, run by the European Golf Association, is huge, given that many prior winners have gone on to enjoy professional success. Previous champions include Sergio Garcia (1995) and Rory McIlroy (2006). The winner of this year’s championship will be invited to play in 2017 at The Open in Scotland.
CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT
144 of the world’s best amateurs from 28 nations will compete this year, with an entry ballot applied based on World Amateur Golf Rankings. The European Amateur is a 72-hole stroke play event, where the 18-holes are played daily over four days. After three days the players will be cut down to just 60 (plus ties) that will compete on the final day, Saturday 6th August, to win the coveted trophy.
PARTICIPATION
Morning tee times are at 07.30 until 09.30, with the afternoon tee offs at 12.20 to 14.20, starting at the 1st and 10th tees. It is free of charge to spectate the event for the entire duration, including the final day.
Our course record is from 2010 when a teenaged Oscar Lengten played a 67 during the European Boys’ Challenge Trophy, five under par. There is a possibility the record could be beaten this year by one or more of the visiting internationals and we are excited at the prospect of that happening.
This is a great opportunity to see high-level golfers up close and personal for what is essentially the first time in Estonia. The two Estonian nationals competing this year are Sander Aadusaar and Egeti Liiv.
THE COURSE
Opened in 2005, the Estonian Golf & Country Club (EGCC) is the finest and the most distinctive golf resort in Estonia, and part of the European Tour Properties and World of Leading Golf. For 4 consecutive years, Golf World magazine has selected our Sea Course as among Continental Europe’s Top 100 Golf Courses.
The Sea Course is highly recognized as a world class tournament course. It has twice hosted the World Cup Qualifier, in 2009 and 2011, and numerous European individual championships in recent years. In 2014 the Ladies’ International European Championship was also played on Estonian Golf & Country Club’s Sea Course.
Situated just half an hour from the centre of Estonia’s capital Tallinn, and only a 15 minute drive from the airport, the club is ideally located and can be accessed easily from all major cities in Europe.
