The European Amateur Championship is an annual amateur golf tournament played at various locations throughout Europe. It is organized by the European Golf Association and was one of the "Elite" tournaments recognized by the World Amateur Golf Ranking. It was first held in 1986.

The winner receives an invitation to the next Open Championship, provided they maintain their amateur status prior to the Open. Before 2016, the European Amateur was played after the Open and the invitation was for the next year's Open. Since 2017, the European Amateur has been played before the Open and the invitation applies to the current year. Both 2016 and 2017 winners received entry to the 2017 Open.

Format edit

The top 144 amateur men golfers compete in a format consisting of four rounds of stroke play, with a cut after the third round, out of which the lowest 60 scores, including ties, qualify for the final round.

Winners edit

Year Venue Location Player Country Score To par Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up
2023 Pärnu Bay Golf Links Estonia José Luis Ballester   Spain 267 −21 2 strokes   James Ashfield
  Mads Laage
2022 Parador Campo de Golf El Saler Spain Filippo Celli   Italy 280 −8 1 stroke   Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
2021 Golf du Médoc France Christoffer Bring   Denmark 264 −20 2 strokes   Ludvig Åberg
2020 Golf & Country Club Zürich Switzerland Matti Schmid (2)   Germany 273 −11 3 strokes   Nick Bachem
2019 Diamond Country Club Austria Matti Schmid   Germany 273 −15 3 strokes   Euan Walker
2018 Royal Hague G&CC Netherlands Nicolai Højgaard   Denmark 281 −7 1 stroke   Robin Dawson
  Viktor Hovland
  Jerry Ji
  Mitch Waite
2017 Walton Heath Golf Club England Alfie Plant   England 273 −15 Playoff   Luca Cianchetti
  Lorenzo Scalise
2016 Estonian G&CC Estonia Luca Cianchetti   Italy 272 −16 Playoff   Viktor Hovland
2015 Penati Golf Resort Slovakia Stefano Mazzoli   Italy 269 −19 1 stroke   Gary Hurley
2014 The Duke's St Andrews Scotland Ashley Chesters (2)   England 282 −2 3 strokes   Gary Hurley
  Max Röhrig
2013 Real Club de Golf El Prat Spain Ashley Chesters   England 284 −4 1 stroke   David Morago
2012 Carton House Ireland Rhys Pugh   Wales 277 −11 1 stroke   James Frazer
2011 Halmstad Golf Club Sweden Manuel Trappel   Austria 278 −10 Playoff   Steven Brown
2010 Vanajanlinna G&CC Finland Lucas Bjerregaard   Denmark 273 −15 1 stroke   Tommy Fleetwood
  Andrea Pavan
2009 Golf de Chantilly France Victor Dubuisson   France 277 1 stroke   Ross Kellett
2008 Esbjerg Golf Club Denmark Stephan Gross   Germany 280 1 stroke   Richard Kind
2007 Sporting Club Berlin Germany Benjamin Hébert   France 277 Playoff   Joel Sjöholm
2006 Biella Golf Club Italy Rory McIlroy   Northern Ireland 274 3 strokes   Steve Lewton
2005 Antwerp G&CC Rinkven Belgium Marius Thorp   Norway 280 1 stroke   Rafa Cabrera-Bello
  Matthew Cryer
2004 Skövde Golf Club Sweden Matthew Richardson   England 273 1 stroke   Gary Lockerbie
2003 Nairn Golf Club Scotland Brian McElhinney   Ireland 283 1 stroke   Pablo Martín
  Matthew Richardson
  Michael Thannhäuser
2002 Troia Golf Club Portugal Raphaël Pellicioli   France 284 5 strokes   James Heath
2001 Odense Eventyr Golf Denmark Stephen Browne   Ireland 270 −18 5 strokes   Stuart Wilson
2000 Styrian GC Murhof Austria Carl Pettersson   Sweden 263 −25 5 strokes   Panu Kylliäinen
  Graeme McDowell
1999 Celtic Manor Wales Grégory Havret   France 207 −9 2 strokes   Barry Hume
1998 Golf du Médoc France Paddy Gribben   Ireland 274 −10 2 strokes   Craig Williams
  Gary Wolstenholme
1997 Domaine Impérial Switzerland Didier de Vooght   Belgium 278 −10 3 strokes   Luke Donald
  Robert Duck
  Sergio García
1996 Karlstad Golf Club Sweden Daniel Olsson   Sweden 276 −8 1 stroke   Barclay Howard
  Maarten Lafeber
1995 El Prat Golf Club Spain Sergio García   Spain 276 −12 1 stroke   Mattias Eliasson
1994 Aura Golf Club Finland Stephen Gallacher   Scotland 278 −6 2 strokes   Lee S. James
  Gordon Sherry
1993 Dalmahoy Hotel G&CC Scotland Morten Backhausen   Denmark 276 Playoff   Lee Westwood
1992 Le Querce Golf Club Italy Massimo Scarpa   Italy 284 −4 4 strokes   Fredrik Andersson
  Bradley Dredge
1991 Hillside Golf Club England Jim Payne   England 281 4 strokes   Álvaro Prat
1990 Aalborg Golf Club Denmark Klas Eriksson   Sweden 279 5 strokes   Paul Moloney
1989 No tournament
1988 Falkenstein Golf Club Germany David Ecob   Australia 284 E 1 stroke   Cristian Härdin
  Borja Queipo de Llano
1987 No tournament
1986 Eindhoven Golf Club Netherlands Anders Haglund   Sweden 282 3 strokes   David Gilford

In 2017, Plant won with a birdie at the second hole of a sudden-death playoff after he and Cianchetti had earlier tied a three-hole playoff at level par, Scalise being eliminated at one-over-par. In 2016, Cianchetti won with a par at the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff after he and Hovland had earlier tied a three-hole playoff. In 2010, Trappel won the three-hole playoff. In 1993, Backhausen won the three-hole playoff by two strokes.

External links edit