Cover images: ©INPHO
Eliot Baker (ENG) and Louise Uma Landgraf (FRA) have topped the men's and women's standings at the close of the Front-Nine phase of the 2026 European Amateur Order of Merit (EAOM), earning playing opportunities on the HotelPlanner Tour and Ladies' European Tour respectively.
The EAOMs, in their pilot season, were launched by the EGA to strengthen the appeal of the international amateur calendar for elite players competing in Europe and to promote the continent's most prestigious events.
Men's Standings
With six counting events completed, Baker leads a list of 418 players who have competed in at least one counting event so far. The English player has made an impressive start to the season: a top-20 finish in Portugal was followed by a runner-up at the Spanish International Amateur Championship before he claimed victory at the Copa Sotogrande. His Front-Nine triumph earns him an invitation to the Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour.
Two Nordic players have also caught the eye early in 2026. Denmark's Mads Heller has been perhaps the most consistent performer, posting two runner-up finishes and placing inside the top 10 in all four events played. Sweden's Erik Tjärnberg sits just behind in third, with three top-five finishes including a runner-up at the Lytham Trophy.
The Back-Nine swing gets underway this week with the Brabazon Trophy at Moortown Golf Club, followed shortly by the season's marquee events — The Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship.
Women's Standings
On the women's side, seven events constituted the Front-Nine phase, and French teenager Louise Uma Landgraf has emerged as the player to beat. She opened the season by successfully defending her title at the Portuguese International Ladies' Amateur Championship, then repeated the feat at the Flogas Irish Women's Amateur Open — becoming the first player to win multiple EAOM events. Her Front-Nine victory earns her a debut start on the Ladies' European Tour at the Dutch Ladies' Open next month.
Czech Republic's Anna Ludvová sits second. Runner-up to Landgraf in Portugal, she went on to claim the biggest win of her career at the German International Women's Amateur, a result that earned her a Ladies' European Tour start the following week in Germany.
Third place belongs to reigning European Mid-Amateur Ladies' Champion Jessica Ross. The Irish player has recorded two runner-up finishes in two events, at the Helen Holm Scottish Women's Open and the Flogas Irish Women's Amateur Open.
Attention now turns to the Back-Nine phase, beginning with the St Rule Trophy in Scotland ahead of the Women’s Amateur Championship, and European Ladies’ Amateur Championship at the end of July.
Players Earn Exemptions to European Amateur & Ladies' Amateur Championships
In addition to the two professional playing opportunities for the ranking leaders, the EAOM also provided the possibility for players to qualify for the EGA European Amateur and Ladies' Amateur Championships.
Players winning an EAOM Front-Nine event, finishing in the top-15 after the Front-Nine, as well as the top-5 U18 players after the Front-Nine, earned exemptions to the European-titled individual championships this summer, as well as all EAOM Final Sprint events.
17 players earned an exemption to the European Amateur Championship in Finland through the men's EAOM, while 15 have guaranteed their place at the European Ladies' Amateur Championship in Sweden through the women's EAOM.
On the men's side, this includes Finland's Lauri Rosendahl, who won the Lytham Trophy earlier this month. Ranked just inside the top 1000 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, the Finnish player would not have made the start list for the European Amateur Championship based on his ranking alone. Through the EAOM, Rosendahl has earned the opportunity to compete in the continent's biggest individual amateur stroke play event on home soil at Linna Golf.
