69. Jack Davidson Reignites His Walker Cup Hopes With Welsh Amateur Win

5th August 2017

Jack DAVIDSON won the 2017 Welsh Men’s Amateur Championship yesterday at Aberdovey Golf Club.

The win pushes him firmly back into the Walker Cup picture after he had drifted out a little in recent months, primarily due to the good form of other players.

Jack didn’t make a great start to this event. He was +4 after 5 holes of the Stroke Play Qualifier. However, he recovered well and after rounds of 71 and 69 he finished tied 4th, out of a field of 75 players, on -2. Evan GRIFFITH achieved medalist honours with impressive rounds of 68 and 64 (-10).

The Newport man went on to win five Match Play games to secure the title: –
Round 1 (18) Theo BAKER – 6&5
Round 2 (18) Zach GALLIFORD – 3&2
Quarter Final (18) Shaun HARPIN – 3&2
Semi-Final (18) Evan GRIFFITH – 2 holes
Final (36) Tim HARRY – 8&7

For more information on this week’s Welsh Men’s Amateur Championship please click these links: Stroke Play Qualifying Results and Match Play Results

Jack Davidson (Photo: Jonathan Davidson)

In picking up his home Championship Jack became the first Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) player to win three elite amateur titles in 2017.

Back in March Jack won the Spanish International Amateur Championship and the European Nations Individual (Wales also came first in the Team competition). The first of these also involved a Match Play second stage like the Welsh Amateur.

It was good to see Jack reassert his match play credentials after a disappointing European Amateur Team Championship in Austria. Having qualified well in tied 12th he lost all three of his single games as Wales collapsed to a 16th (last) place finish.

It is easy to be dismissive of the Welsh Amateur title, in terms of the field size and depth, but I thought this win spoke volumes for Jack and his Walker Cup credentials. My view is a win is a win and as such should not be demeaned in any way. It also shows a bit of character to win when you are the favourite to do so as Jack probably was in Aberdovey.

David BOOTE, Wales’ highest ranked player, missed the Championship to play in the Western Amateur at Skokie CC in Illinois. He made the 36 hole Stroke Play Qualifier cut but missed the 72 hole ‘Sweet 16’ Match Play cut after rounds of 68, 73, 75 and 74. He finished tied 52nd in the Stroke Play standings.

For more information on the Western Amateur Championship please click these links: Stroke Play Qualifying Results and Match Play Results.

Jack Davidson wasn’t in my last Walker Cup team (see News Update 65) but I am now starting to think how can I not include someone who has won three times in 2017 ? When I do my imaginary gee-up speech before play begins in Los Angeles it would be nice to say “hey guys we’ve got the Spanish Amateur, the European Nations Individual and the Welsh Amateur champion on our side”.

The problem is someone else is going to have to come out to make way for him – who ?

The updated Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking (SPWAR) has Jack up 8 places to 61st following his Welsh Amateur win. He is 12th in the GB&I only list on the back of a strong 2017.

Jack Davidson’s Performance Record (Source: SPWAR)

ME.

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