The 2023 European Mens' Club Trophy is set to take place this week at Troia Golf, Portugal.
21 national-champion clubs will compete for the European title this year.
FIrst on the list is Golf Club de Cannes Mougins, who enter the week as reigning champions. The French club claimed the title at the same venue last year, earning the chance to defend their title this week.
Only two other clubs present at Troia have previously won the event, Golf de St. Nom-La-Bretèche (FRA) and Golf Club St. Leon-Rot (GER), both with one past victory. All 18 other teams will be looking to engrave their names on the European Men's Club Trophy for the first time.
Smørum Golf Club (DEN), narrowly missed out on the title last year, finishing just two strokes behind the eventual winners as runners-up. The Danish club will be one to look out for in the coming days as they look to go one better this year.
The format of the week is stroke play. All teams consist of three players, from which the two lowest scores on each of the three rounds count towards their final totals.
The field this week features some notable names from the amateur golfing world. Possibly top of that list is Mads Laage (DEN - Smørum) who finished runner-up to Jose Luis Ballester (ESP) at the European Amateur Championship in Estonia earlier this year.
The field this week also features Lev Grinberg (UKR) who helped the European team to the Junior Ryder Cup last month. Representing Rinkven Golf Club (BEL), Grinberg was also part of the winning Continent of Europe Jacques Léglise Trophy team in August.
Thijmen Batens (NED - Koninklijke Haasgsche) and Carl Siemens (GER - St. Leon-Rot) also featured in the Jacques Léglise Trophy in 2022, helping the Continent of Europe side to a tight victory over Great Britain & Ireland last year.
The field also includes 2020 European Mid-Amateur Men's Champion, Rodrigo Lacera Soares (SUI), who will represent Geneva Golf Club (SUI) this week.
Fresh off the plane from Abu Dhabi, after having competed in the World Amateur Team Championship (Eisenhower Trophy) last week, Fabian Lang (AUT - Murhof) and Max Sturdza (SUI - Geneva) will also be names to watch this week.
Troia Golf will provide the test to the players for a third consecutive time this year. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr, the links-style course is infamously tight and tricky. The par-72 faces the Atlantic Ocean, and can really show its teeth should the wind start to blow.
The full list of players and teams, as well as livescoring, can be found here: GOLFBOX
