Played in glorious weather, a far cry from Tuesday’s stormy conditions which saw the first round of stroke play qualifying abandoned, Long opened with a bogey five as the match resumed. While Harvey recorded wins at the 19th, 23rd and 27th holes, he was unable to peg back his friend’s lead.Long recorded a 4&3 victory, to become the first Englishman since Harry Ellis in 2017 to win The Amateur Championship. By virtue of his triumph, the 23-year-old gained exemptions into The 149th Open at Royal St George’s next year, and by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament and an exemption into the US Open.“Wow, when you say all the exemptions. It still hasn’t hit me. It’s going to be incredible. This is what I have worked hard for since I started playing golf. I really stuck in there and battled, I am just so chuffed with it really,” added Long. via The R&A
Way back in the day, and I mean WAY BACK, the US Amateur and British Amateur were considered two of the four major championships. Its crazy to think about it now, especially since we see so many players turning pro at a younger age, but amateur events still carry a boatload of weight in the world of golf. These events bring the best of the amateur golf world to them, from the edges of the earth players come to these events to get their first taste of glory before turning professional.
This was the case for the 2020 champion, Joe Long. The 23-year old English native outlasted fellow Englishman Joe Harvery in the 36 final on Sunday at Royal Birkdale. Winning the match 4&3, Long was able to finish the match with a Birdie to become the 125th champion of this incredible event.
https://twitter.com/RandA/status/1300084538383781889
With this win, Long becomes the first English winner since 2017 to lift the Amateur trophy, and joins the likes of Sergio Garcia, Romain Langasque, and Jose Maria Olazabal as victors. More importantly, he receives invitations to play in the 2021 Open Championship, the 2021 Masters, and the 2021 US Open. This could be a huge kick-start to Joe Long's career, and I hope that he can make the most out of these opportunities.
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