The EGA selection committee is delighted to announce a talented line-up of players for the 2022 Continent of Europe St Andrews Trophy Team.
The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial match between the best male amateur players from Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) and the Continent of Europe.
Selection to play in the match recognizes the players’ outstanding achievements in the amateur game.
Team Continent of Europe will take on GB&I at Penati Golf Resort, Slovakia on 21 and 22 July.
THE SELECTIONS:
Anton Albers (GER)
Pietro Bovari (ITA)
Martin Couvra (FRA)
Daniel Da Costa Rodrigues (POR)
Luis Masaveu (ESP)
Laurenz Schiergen (GER)
Maximilian Steinlechner (AUT)
Adam Wallin (SWE)
Kiet Van der Weele (NED)
Yves Hofstetter, a former Swiss international team player, will captain the Continent of Europe team. Hofstetter has represented the Continent of Europe four times in the match. Twice as a player, and twice as a captain. He will look to captain the team to victory for a second time, having led the Continent of Europe team to a final-day comeback win in 2018.
“My players and their captain are looking forward this great match in Slovakia” said Hofstetter ahead of the match. “We thank Penati for hosting the event and are sure that we will have a hard competition in a very sportive and friendly atmosphere. Welcome to Stuart and his team”
The team will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, and Francesco Molinari, who have all formerly represented the Continent of Europe in the match.
The victorious 2018 Continent of Europe St Andrews Trophy team
The contest will be held for the first time in four years, following the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to the Covid pandemic.
All nine players will be making their first appearance in the match, although three of the selections have formerly represented the Continent of Europe in the Jacques Léglise Trophy. Kiet van der Weele, Daniel Da Costa Rodrigues, and Adam Wallin will look to draw on their experiences gained from the identical boys’ match when they tee it up next Thursday.
The Nicklaus Design Legend course at Penati Golf Resort will set the stage for the first St Andrews Trophy to take place in Slovakia. The 2018 European Ladies’ Amateur Championship was played on the Heritage at the same venue, which is located an hour north of Bratislava.
Historically, the GB&I side has dominated the contest. The majority of wins up until 2010 went to this year’s away side, although the match has been closely contested in recent editions. The Continent of Europe has won three of the last five editions, including the most recent in 2018.
The Great Britain & Ireland team can be found here: https://www.randa.org/articles/gbi-team-selected-for-st-andrews-trophy
ABOUT THE ST ANDREWS TROPHY
The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial match played between nine-player teams from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland.
The match takes places over two days, with four foursomes matches on both mornings, eight singles matches on the afternoon of the first day, and nine singles matches on the afternoon of the second day. With 25 total points on offer, 13 points are needed to secure victory.
The contest is jointly organized by the European Golf Association and The R&A. The EGA selects the Continent of Europe team, while the GB&I team is chosen by The R&A.
The match was first played in 1956, with this year’s edition being the 33rd between the two teams.
A number of high-profile players have represented both sides in the match, including Rory McIlroy (2006), Francesco Molinari (2004), Sergio Garcia (1996), and Henrik Stenson (1998).
