The European Men’s Team Championships, the Blue Riband of European amateur golf, will be returning to England in 2005 after a gap of 40 years. The venue will be Hillside Golf Club, Southport, Lancashire, with the five-day event taking place from 28 June to 2 July.
England has hosted the European Team Championships once before, in 1965 at Royal St George’s, Sandwich, when they finished third behind champions Ireland and runners-up Scotland. Since then, the Championships have been staged by Ireland twice, the most recent at Portmarnock in 1997, by Scotland in 1981, and by Wales in 1989.
The Hillside club, which borders Royal Birkdale, is no stranger to major events or European championships. It has hosted the Brabazon Trophy on three occasions, the English Amateur Championship and, in 1991, was the scene of the European Men’s Individual Championship when England’s Jim Payne was champion.
English Golf Union www.englishgolfunion.org