Bairstow Faces Potgieter in Amateur Championship Final

Manchester, England: Englishman Sam Bairstow and Aldrich Potgieter from South Africa will contest the Final of The 127th Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Bairstow, 23, convincingly came through an all-English semi-final against John Gough by 5 & 4 to seal his place in the 36-hole showdown, while 17-year-old Potgieter edged out Irishman Alex Maguire 3 & 1.

As well as winning one of the most prestigious titles in the amateur game, the victor on Saturday can look forward to competing in The 150th Open at St Andrews next month, the 2023 US Open and, by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.

Max Charles, bidding to become the first Australian to win the Amateur Championship since Bryden Macpherson in 2011, bowed out to Maguire in the quarter-finals.

In a tight match, Charles, who plays college golf for Boise State University in Idaho, won the 14th to go one-up. However, he followed it with three straight bogeys as Maguire came through on the 17th 2 & 1.

In the semi-finals, Sheffield native Bairstow won six holes in a row from the fourth, thanks to three birdies and errors from his opponent, to put the left-hander in full control. Beaconsfield’s Gough had only lost one of his previous 24 match play ties and won the Lytham Trophy over the Lancashire links in May, but his superb run came to a halt as the Hallowes member triumphed.

Bairstow came through Final Qualifying at St Annes Old Links to reach The 149th Open at Royal St George’s last year and is now just one match away from a quick return trip to golf’s oldest championship.

In windier afternoon conditions in front of large crowds, Potgieter eased to a three-up lead after eight holes against Maguire. But the Laytown & Bettystown player, winner of the East of Ireland Amateur last week, rallied after bogeys from the South African at the ninth and 11th.

Potgieter, who has won three times in his homeland this year at junior level, stayed strong to close it out on the 17th.

There have only been two previous winners of The Amateur Championship from South Africa – Jovan Rebula at Royal Aberdeen in 2018 and Bobby Cole at Carnoustie in 1966 – as Potgieter seeks to join an exclusive group.

In the quarter-finals, Bairstow finished with a flourish to knock out Ludvig Aberg. The Swede – the third best player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) – found problems off the tee on the final two holes, but Bairstow still holed a 50-foot putt on the 17th for par and rolled in another 15-footer on the 18th for birdie to secure a two-hole success and go further than his last-eight appearance at Nairn last year.

Gough was two down after six holes to Irishman Peter O’Keeffe, 40, in their last-eight tie but again displayed the battling qualities that have underpinned his efforts this week. Gough replied with birdies at the eighth and ninth and stayed strong on the back nine, finishing with birdies on 16 and 17 for a 2 & 1 triumph.

The finalists will now seek to join an Amateur Championship roll of honour that includes José María Olazábal, Sergio Garcia, Matteo Manassero and Romain Langasque.

The R&A provided live broadcast coverage of the quarter-finals and semi-finals today and will do so again for the 36-hole Final. This can be watched on The R&A’s website as well as its YouTube channel.