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The Amateur
Clemons with unfinished business as stellar field set for The Amateur Championship
15 Jun 25
Long Read
Dominic Clemons was within touching distance of winning The 129th Amateur Championship so he has unfinished business with the competition.
A year on from losing to Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen, 4&3, in the 36-hole final at Ballyliffin, Clemons will be aiming to go one better at Royal St George’s and Royal Cinque Ports in The 130th Amateur Championship. The 22-year-old overcame his disappointment of losing to Olesen by coming through Final Qualifying to reach Royal Troon a year ago, and will now have the opportunity to put any lingering frustrations to bed once and for all. The Englishman said: “I’m looking forward to giving it another go. It was a frustrating finish last year, but it was still a great week at the same time. "I’m looking forward to getting back, getting into the match play, and getting some of those good feelings again. Hopefully, I’ll have a good week. “I’ve mentally got stronger following the loss in the final – if I can take a loss like that then I can take any kind of loss as it’s one of the worst matches to lose. Everything is up for grabs, and as I said, hopefully I can make the match play and see where the chips fall. “It always makes you more determined. It would be cool to give myself another chance and hopefully it will be my week.”
Dominic Clemons during a practice round at Royal Cinque Ports ahead of The Amateur Championship.
While Clemons arrives with plenty of pedigree in The Amateur Championship, there are no shortage of in-form contenders who will be looking to deny him.
Christiaan Maas sits in the top five of the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) and has the chance to become the latest South African winner of the title.
Christo Lamprecht, Aldrich Potgieter and Jovan Rebula have all done so over the past seven years, with Maas having caddied for the first two on their way to taking victory.
This will be his final chance to win The Amateur Championship as a player and it is one that he is desperate to take.
He said: “I’m excited for the tournament. This will be my fourth one – I’ve caddied twice and won twice as a caddy – but I haven’t made the cut yet and this will be the last time I play. Hopefully, I can play solidly for two rounds to make the match play.
“Caddying all those rounds, you learn not to get complacent, especially when I was caddying for Aldrich as there were times where I thought he was going to win a hole and then his opponent would hole a putt or something. Being patient and playing continuous smart golf is key.”
There is a chance that Maas could find himself up against a familiar foe, with University of Texas teammate and roommate Tommy Morrison another strong contender for the title.
Tommy Morrison at The Amateur Championship in 2024.
At 6ft9, he will no doubt look for Lamprecht for inspiration, the South African having also lifted the trophy as one of the tallest players in the field.
And while he is based in the States, Morrison is relishing another opportunity to come across the Atlantic and test himself in the toughest conditions.
He said: “I feel good. It’s nice to be back on this side of the pond and I love the golf over here.
“I think links golf is the fairest test of golf and it’s really fun to play. It suits my game nicely. The R&A and The Amateur Championship have been really good to me, so I can’t wait to get there.
“I’m good at controlling spin and the ball flight. Obviously, over here with the wind and conditions, I’ve been successful with my ball control, and I feel comfortable on courses like these. I just like the style of golf and believe it suits my game nicely.”
The action gets underway on 16th June with two days of stroke play at both Royal St George’s and Royal Cinque Ports before match play gets underway on Wednesday June 18th, running through to the 36-hole final on Saturday 21st June at Royal St George’s.