JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Following a tie for 14th at the St. Andrews Links Trophy last week, Carson-Newman men's golfer Tom Forster (Oundle, England) gears up for another top-tier amateur event at the 123rd Amateur Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland.
This tournament has been played since 1885 when 44 players took part in it. Now, the event has a field of 288 competitors and is the second-ranked event in the world, just behind the US Amateur.
The six-day long Championship begins with two qualifying rounds of strokeplay. Each day holds a round of 18 holes with the field of competitors splitting up between Royal Aberdeen and Murcar Links. After the first 36 holes of play, the 64 lowest scores in the field will move onto match play where each match will consist of a round of 18. The final, however, will be decided over 36 holes.
Last year's winner was England's Harry Ellis who edged out Australia's Dylan Perry in 38 holes for the match play final. They both came out even through the first two rounds of the finale despite Ellis sitting four shots back with five holes left in the 36-hole final. Ellis battled back with five pars to Perry's four bogeys heading into the final round where Perry shot a double bogey on the second hole of the third round to give Ellis the win.
Forster's stint in the Championship will begin early Monday morning at 7:33 a.m. British Summer Time, 2:33 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, from Murcar Links. Live scoring will be provided by the R&A.
