Elite amateur golfers from Asia-Pacific and Europe will have to wait until 2023 to compete for the Bonallack Trophy and Patsy Hankins Trophy after both events were postponed for a second time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The biennial Ryder Cup-style match play contests between teams representing Europe and Asia-Pacific were originally due to be staged at La Manga Club in Spain in April, and then were pushed back to July, but officials from the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation and the European Golf Association have confirmed that the 11th edition of the Bonallack Trophy for men and the third staging of the Patsy Hankins Trophy for women will now be held in 2023.
Taimur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, said: “We had hoped that we’d be able to proceed with the Bonallack Trophy and Patsy Hankins Trophy this year, but given the on-going restrictions around travel and quarantines, that will sadly now not be possible.”
Haukur Örn Birgisson, President of the European Golf Association,, said: “It’s been a difficult decision, but with the health, safety and well-being of players, officials and organisers of paramount importance, we were left with little choice. We’re now focusing on staging the tournaments at La Manga Club in late July 2023.”
Launched in 1998, the Bonallack Trophy is named after Sir Michael Bonallack, a five-time British Amateur Champion and former Secretary of The R&A. Europe has triumphed in seven of the first 10 stagings of the event, although it was the Asia-Pacific team, under the captaincy of Australian Matt Cutler, that emerged victorious when the contest was last staged at Qatar’s Doha Golf Club in 2018.
The Patsy Hankins Trophy was launched in 2016. The trophy is named after the late Patsy Hankins (1945–2015), one of the most respected golf administrators New Zealand has produced.
