Machynys Peninsula

8 – 10 August 2012

2011 Champion: Chip Lutz

American Chip Lutz went one better than his 2010 runner-up finish to claim the Seniors Open Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush. Lutz carded a final-round 71 to finish with a total of two-under-par 214, a single stroke ahead of Irishman Arthur Pierce.

Next year he will attempt to defend his title at Machynys Peninsula, South Wales, a modern links championship course. The course, built in 2005, was designed by Jack and Gary Nicklaus and boasts a parkland front nine and an inward half that has the feel of a seaside links. It has hosted the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe every year since it opened for play, and will provide a true test of golf.
 

144 competitors play 36 holes on the Wednesday and Thursday, after which the leading 60 players and ties play a further 18 holes on the Friday.

The Seniors Open Amateur Championship was launched by The R&A in 1969 to help select a Great Britain & Ireland side to play in the World Senior Amateur Team Championship run by the World Amateur Golf Council. While the Seniors, played for the first time at Formby, was an instant success, the team event did not survive beyond 1969. Charlie Green has been the most successful player in the history of the event, winning six times in seven years from 1988.