Royal Troon hosts 117th Amateur Championship

The 117th Amateur Championship takes place next week (from the 18-23 June 2012) at Royal Troon and Glasgow - Gailes Links.

A total of 288 competitors from 32 countries will compete for the title and, for the first time, all of the starting field will be taken from the top 1165 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

The winner of the championship will gain exemptions for this year's Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes and next year's US Open, and is traditionally invited to play in the Masters.

Leading the field, ranked six, seven and eight in the WAGR, are Australian Jake Higginbottom, American Corbin Mills and Dutchman Daan Huizing, who won last week's St Andrews Links Trophy.

The reigning European Amateur Champion and world number 28 Austrian Manuel Trappel, and highest ranked Briton Ben Taylor (59), will also play the event.

Euan Mordaunt, The R&A's Director of Amateur Events, said: "This must be one of the strongest Amateur Championships in recent years.

"Spectators will get the opportunity to see some great golf from many talented young players who will become the top professionals of the future."

The field also includes Rhys Pugh and Alan Dunbar, both members of the victorious GB&I 2011 Walker Cup team.

Former major champions, such as Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo, have played in the six-day event, which mixes strokeplay with matchplay.

For more details, visit www.randa.org