Some of the world’s best amateur players will be seen in action at the Doha Golf club from March 8 to 10 when they vie for the Bonallack and Patsy Hankins trophies, the symbols of supremacy at the non-professional level in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region for men and women.
Played in a match play format similar to the prestigious Ryder Cup this week’s amateur events are named after two of the world’s leading administrators of the game.
“These tournaments are the pinnacle for amateur golfers. As a sport golf unites Europe and we are very proud of this,” Richard Heath, General Secretary of the European Golf Association told reporters at a press conference yesterday.
“Over the last 20 years this match has played host to many of the world’s best amateur golfers and many who have become top professionals such as Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama.
“The EGA is in its 81st year and has travelled a long way. We’ve received a very warm welcome in Qatar. We have 24 young and eager players waiting to compete and co-operate with each other as a team and enjoy the sunshine here. It will be a challenging camaraderie between the players,” he said.  
Asia Pacific Golf Confederation Chairman J. Muratsu said, “This is the first APGC event in Qatar. As I have seen in my 
last three visits here in twelve years, Qatar is growing rapidly. We wish that golf also grows in the country at the same pace. Golf has a big presence in Qatar, thanks to efforts of QGA and DGC.”
He thanked the EGA for bringing the Bonallack & Patsy Hankins Trophies to Qatar. 
“Through these trophies, we’ve learnt a lot of things on the international scene of golf. For the players it’s a very important and prestigious event which has produced many international stars,” he added.
Qatar Golf Association General Secretary Fahad Nasser al-Naimi said he expects some tough competition at the Doha Golf Club which last month hosted the prestigious Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
“We are proud to host these prestigious tournaments. We are fully prepared for the event and we wish all the players the best of luck.”
Besides being a top amateur golfer who won several tournaments, Englishman Sir Michael Bonallack served as secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews from 1983 to 1999 and Chairman of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland from 1976 to 1981.
He was also the President of the Golf Club Managers’ Association from 1974 to 1984 and is currently the President of the International Golf Greenkeepers Association.
Similarly the Patsy Hankins Trophy will be played between the European and Asia-Pacific women’s teams and is named after one of New Zealand’s top golf administrators. 
Hankins, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 70, was Chairperson of the board of Women’s Golf New Zealand, and was only one in seven women offered the membership Royal and Ancient Golf Club. 
There are three days of play in both events. The first two days comprise five foursomes matches each morning and five four-ball matches each afternoon. On the final day, all twelve team players compete in singles match play. A win counts as one point, a half yields half a point and a lost match returns zero. 
In the event of a tie, the trophy shall be retained by the holders.

Europe Bonallack Trophy team: Edgar Catherine (France), Todd Clements (England), Robin Dawson (Ireland), Oliver Gillberg (Sweden), Marc Hammer (Germany), Rasmus Hojgaard (Denmark), Matias Honkala (Finland), Angel Hidalgo Portillo (Spain), Matthew Jordan (England), Frederic Lacroix (France), Kristoffer Reitan (Norway), Sami Valimaki (Finland).
Asia-Pacific Bonallack Trophy team: Rayan Thomas (India), Min Woo Lee (Australia), Shae Wools-Cobb (Australia), Takumi Kanaya (Japan), Kazuya Osawa (Japan) Jaemin Han (Korea), Dong-min Kim (Korea), Daniel Hillier (New Zealand), Lloyd Jefferson Go (Philippines), Gregory Foo (Singapore), Sadom Keawkanjana (Thailand) and Kammalas Namuangruk (Thailand).
Asia-Pacific Patsy Hankins Trophy team: Grace Kim (Australia), Liu Wenbo (China), Du Mohan (China), Ya-Chun Chang (Chinese Taipei), Yu-Chiang Hou (Chinese Taipei), Yuna Nishimura (Japan), Riri Sadoyama (Japan), Seo-yun Kwon (Korea), Hae-ran Ryu (Korea), Yuka Saso (Philippines), Paphangkorn Tavatanakit (Thailand) and Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand).
Europe Patsy Hankins Trophy team: Elaine Ratcliffe, non-playing captain (England), Gudrun Bjorgvinsdottir (Iceland), Zhen Bontan (The Netherlands), Bianca Fabrizio (Italy), Blanca Garcia-Poggio (Spain), Annabell Fuller (England), Paula Grant (Ireland), Frida Kinhult (Sweden), Amanda Linner (SWE), Clarisse Louis (Belgium) Puk Lyng Thomsen (Denmark), Elena Moosman (Switzerland), Isobel Wardle (England).




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