Matthew Southgate

Joburg Open 2012

2012-01-10T20:55:00.000Z

Matt enjoyed a practice round with Tommy Fleetwood & Walker Cup man Andy Sullivan today. Says he's playing well and looking forward to getting started on Thursday afternoon. Tee Times on www.europeantour.com

European Tour

www.europeantour.com

First Round in Africa

2012-01-05T11:03:00.002Z

Matt has finished level par for his first round at East London GC. He will have to shoot a low score tomorrow to make the halfway cut. Lets hope he can do it.

BBC Report 22/12/2011

2011-12-28T13:43:00.001Z

Matt Southgate braced for European Tour debut

Page last updated at 11:11 GMT, Thursday, 22 December 2011

Southgate is ranked 519 in the world

Essex golfer Matt Southgate says he cannot wait to brush shoulders with the sport's elite on the European tour.

The 23-year-old, who lives in Southend, came through qualifying school earlier this month to book a place on the tour in 2012.

He told BBC Essex: "If I play well I'll be going head-to-head with some of the world's best. Just thinking about that alone is so exciting.

"Hopefully I can press on and start achieving dreams."

Southgate missed out on one of the 20 places given to the highest finishers on the 2011 Challenge Tour, finishing 26th in the standings.

To go to qualifying school, get stuck in and finish top 30 was just superb

Matt Southgate

But a finish of 8-under par after six rounds in the final qualifying stage for the tour in Spain ensured he placed inside the top 30, securing a tour card in the process.

Southgate added: "I never seem to do things the easy way. It was a long year on the Challenge Tour and I had lots of opportunities but there are so many other good players to beat.

"To go to qualifying school, get stuck in and finish top 30 was just superb."

Southgate is one of three Essex golfers to have qualified for the European Tour next year.

Jamie Moul (Colchester) secured a spot with a high finish on the Challenge Tour, whilst Lloyd Kennedy (Chelmsford) also came through qualifying school.

All three are set to make their European Tour debut in the Africa Open on January 5th.

2011-12-24T13:05:00.001Z

Happy Christmas to everyone that has supported me in this my 1st year on Tour I hope you all enjoy the Holiday and I wish you a Happy & Healthy 2012
Matt.

OWGR 513

2011-12-13T15:58:00.001Z

Apparently he has received his 1st World Ranking at 513 and I don't mean it's nearly quarter past five !! I know he will want to move forward from here as quickly as possible but just think about it ...........how many Pros play all around the world ? Very proud of you Matt , well done in your 1st year and we are all looking forward to 2012. Go Matt Go !

TWO ROUNDS TO PLAY

2011-12-13T15:26:00.002Z

Matt has made the 4 round cut at -4 and will play the last 2 rounds which will both be played on the 'Stadium Course' tomorrow & Thursday.
He needs to shoot a low score tomorrow and put himself within striking distance of those top twenty players.
It's all going to be very tight with the top 30 obtaining their cards for next year but hopefully not for Sam Hutsby, Andy Sullivan and Essex born Lloyd Kennedy. All of whom are Matts mates and playing great this week, good luck to all of you .

Steady Start in Spain

2011-12-10T14:44:00.002Z

Matt shot -2 today on the tougher of the 2 courses. Most of the players in front of him played the other course which Matt plays tomorrow.
Lets hope he carries on as he's started.

Q-School 2011

2011-12-10T11:35:00.003Z

Matt starts today in Spain to try and improve on his 26th position on the Challenge Tour.
He needs to finish in the top 30 to do this and obtain European Tour status.
He managed to break his driver on Wednesday so only had a couple of days to get used to new one.

We all wish him luck and will keep scores updated on his facebook page.

Final Qualifying Stage - PGA Catalunya Resort
PGA Catalunya Resort,Girona,Spain

GRAND FINAL ITALY

2011-10-31T17:20:00.002Z

Matt has flown to Italy to practice and prepare for this week's tournament which is the last of the year . He needs a good finish to obtain one of the twenty 'cards' for the European Tour 2012

Follow his progress from this link Apulia San Domenico Grand FinalSan Domenico Golf,Puglia,Italy

ALLIANZ Golf Open de Lyon Golf du Gouverneur,Monthieux,France

2011-10-06T10:44:00.002+01:00

Matt has made 3 birdies in first nine holes with no dropped shots. A very good start and just what he wanted after last week's problems. No lost balls this week please, especially when they're not actually lost!

(its a long story but was very frustrating)

ALLIANZ Golf Open Grand Toulouse Golf de Toulouse-Seilh,Seilh,France

2011-09-23T13:25:00.001+01:00

A very solid start sees Matt shoot 68 & 67 in first two rounds to put him in touch with the leaders going into the weekend.
Lets hope he can keep playing well and get a good finish.

Joint 6th and up to 17th on Merit Table

2011-09-12T12:46:00.002+01:00

A fine closing round of 67 put Matthew on -9 for the tournament and a share of sixth place.
12,400 euros has put him back into the all important 'top twenty'.
Due to an admin problem he couldn't get a visa for Russia so no competition this week. Lets hope the big winners all come from the present top ten and he doesn't get overtaken.

Kazakhstan Open Nurtau GC,Almaty,Kazakhstan

2011-09-08T09:47:00.002+01:00

Matt made an eagle on 17 to open up with a one under par 71. He's hitting it well and looking forward to tomorrow when hopefully he can move forward.
This week is very good prize money so a top 10 finish would do him the world of good.

FINAL SCORES FROM DENMARK

2011-08-20T16:44:00.000+01:00

Looks like joint 15th will be the final place which should make around 2250 and move him up the order of merit a couple of places. Very well done in difficult conditions, proud Dad x

Last Round gets under way in Denmark

2011-08-20T10:28:00.001+01:00

Ian Southgate
Birdie 4 at the 1st and a par at the 2nd. Matt has moved up to joint 26th . Lets hope the scoreboards don't throw up any more problems today. Go Matt.

Level Par After 2 Rounds

2011-08-18T16:02:00.002+01:00

Matt made an eagle 3 at the seventeenth to move to -1 but unfortunately 3 putted the last to drop back to level. A very good position after being 3 over before completing his 1st round this morning following the thunder & lightening of yesterday.
All set for the weekend on what sounds like a very tough but fair golf course.

Live Scoring is a Waste of Time

2011-08-18T15:41:00.001+01:00

Waiting to hear from Matt as scoreboards totally unreliable.

Will post as soon as I hear.

LOOKING TIGHT IN DENMARK

2011-08-18T15:07:00.004+01:00

Matt has 5 holes to play in the 2nd round after huge thunder storms disrupted play on the first day.
He finished the first round this morning and shot 73 after being +3 for his first nine holes. Two birdies coming home placed him in a tie for 49th.
Stopping only for a quick bite to eat he was back out on the course, this time starting from the 1st Tee. Dropped shots at 2,3 and 5 have meant he's battling to make the cut.

Since then he's made 4 birdies and only dropped 1 at the 16th.
2 holes to play and I think he needs a birdie to be safe, come on Matt!

Norwegian Challenge Hauger Golf Klubb 11 Aug 2011 - 14 Aug 2011

2011-08-09T13:11:00.002+01:00

Matt flew out to Norway yesterday to practice. We are all hoping he enjoyed the 2 week holiday and is prepared for the 2nd part of the season. Top 20 finish in the Order of Merit is what he is looking for so another good week will move him closer.
Good luck Matt

1st Round Italy

2011-07-07T13:53:00.002+01:00

Matt has opened up with a +2 round of 72 this morning. It was a very 'up & down' affair with an eagle and treble/double bogeys thrown in.
Judging by other scores this will be around 30th at the end of the day. The course has water all over the place waiting to catch the wayward shot. Many players are taking doubles here ,there and everywhere. Dan Brooks , who finished 2nd last week opened up from the 10th tee with 8-6-5 to be +7 !!!!!
Good luck tomorrow, keep up the good work.

Italy here we come

2011-07-05T09:32:00.002+01:00

Matt flies out to Italy today to practice for

Double Tree by Hilton Acaya Open
Acaya Golf Resort,Lecce, Puglia,Italy

The weather looks set to be very hot and we all hope his putter ends up that way too. 'All the best' as they say.

1st round Sweden

2011-06-30T20:47:00.002+01:00

After a great start of -4 in first six holes Matt struggled in the conditions and the length of the course. Not that he is 'short' but the course measures 7,300 + and just wore him down.
He finished +2 and the cut looks like being either level or +1 depending on tomorrows weather.
Lets hope he makes it and gets the chance to add to his 'winnings'

Flying start in Scotland

2011-06-23T11:34:00.001+01:00

Matt has birdied three of his first six holes to be in touching distance of the early lead in Scotland.

Keep it going.

Bonnie Scotland

2011-06-22T12:50:00.002+01:00

Matt flew up to Inverness yesterday to play in the

Scottish Hydro Challenge
Macdonald Spey Valley GC,Aviemore,Scotland

He will be practicing today and the Tournament gets under way tomorrow. A chance to see old friends Eric Ramsay & Kier McNicoll, both from Carnoustie, will not be wasted.

Good luck to all three of you.

Steady Start in St Omer

2011-06-17T08:09:00.002+01:00

Matt has played 5 holes of his 2nd round and is -1 for the tournament, tied 13th.
Playing from the 10th today he dropped a shot at the par 3 11th but came straight back with birdies at 12 & 14. Keep up the good work Matt.

St Omer France

2011-06-15T11:37:00.002+01:00

Fully recovered from last week's 'bug' Matt is now back in France practicing for this week's tournament

SAINT OMER OPEN presented by Neuflize OBC
Aa Saint Omer GC,Lumbres,France

Prize money is considerably better this week and many of the European Tour players not qualified for the U.S. Open are playing. This could be good experience for Matt who plays the first 2 rounds with old friends Tommy Fleetwood & Lloyd Kennedy.
They would love any support you can give them if you fancy a day trip or a couple of nights. They tee off at 12.50 from the 1st on Thursday and 07.50 from the 10th on Friday, both local time.

Good luck to all three of you and hope you're there for the weekend.

Matt & Chris Paisley head off to France

2011-06-07T17:04:00.002+01:00

After a much improved performance and a top 20 finish in Austria Matt is on his way to North West France for the

ALLIANZ Open Cotes d'Armor - Bretagne which is being played at the Golf Blue Green de Pleneuf Val Andre` He is sharing with old England Teammate who qualified by finishing joint 3rd last week at -16

Lets hope its a good week for both of them.

A Rainy day in Austria

2011-06-03T11:43:00.002+01:00

Completely soaked from the practice ground it continued to be a very wet day in Austria.

Matt finished +1 for the day so -6 for the tournament which currently sees him sitting in tied 8th place with some of the field still out playing.

Keep up to date with the full leaderboard here.

2011-06-03T08:22:00.002+01:00

Matt made birdie at his first hole this morning but has dropped 3 shots since then. Starting at the 10th he made 3 but a couple of missed putts & missed greens means he needs to settle quickly and play the remaining holes like he did yesterday, confidently.

1st Round in Austria

2011-06-02T16:32:00.002+01:00

Matt has opened up with a 7 under 65 in the 1st round. 8 birdies and a single dropped shot on the 3rd has got him off to a good start. A couple of solid putts in the first two holes helped his confidence and he just carried on from there.
Keep it going tomorrow is all he is thinking about.

MISSED BY A SHOT

2011-05-28T10:17:00.002+01:00

With 6 groups left on the course it looked as if +3 was going to make the halfway cut but a flurry of birdies on the 17th & 18th, both par 5's , meant it went back to +2 and Matt was on his way home.
Taking the positive out of the event he was much happier with the Putting and played considerably better in round 2 than round 1.
Austria next week where he hopes to continue this improvement.

2011-05-27T14:42:00.001+01:00

He is now Tied 61st and things are looking better. No counting chickens, Dad , but I think he has a good chance. Fingers crossed and all that!!

A Long Afternoon

2011-05-27T13:11:00.002+01:00

Matt is sitting in Clubhouse at +3 after shooting level par 72 this morning.
It's raining fairly heavily at present and he needs the 'Cut' to move up by just 1 shot.
Lets hope it does and he gets to play another 2 rounds and makes a cheque, good luck

Belgium Update

2011-05-27T08:00:00.003+01:00

Matt made birdies at the 2nd & 3rd after dropping a shot at the 1st. He is right on the 'cut line' and we hope he can pick up a shot or two more from here in.
Good luck Matt, we hope to see you playing Saturday & Sunday

Matt heads off to Belgium

2011-05-24T08:57:00.002+01:00

The Challenge Tour is in Belgium this week at Royal Waterloo GC , just a couple of hours across on the Channel Tunnel trains and your there if anyone fancies going to watch.
The field includes the 2009 winner Francois Calmels who hopes to get his career back on track.
There are many new players on this tour every year and I think he may find things much tougher than before.
Matt is looking to find a run of form like he had 4 to 5 months ago when he was at Q school and in South Africa. Golf is a game that depends on little things that sometimes go right and sometimes not.
This week I hope the 'odd bounce' will see the ball miss that bunker and the putt that sits on 'the lip' will drop rather than staying there.
We all hope he plays well and makes the cut, here's to golf on Sunday !

Blown Off Course

2011-05-20T10:47:00.003+01:00

Matt found things very tough during the 1st round in the Madeira Open finishing +8 with a round of 80. The wind was so strong that any shot above 20ft simply got blown away. The course, designed by Seve , is hard enough as it is without the 40 mile an hour gusts.
We are hoping for better things today but it is unlikely he will make the 'Cut'.
Fellow Thorpe Hall pro Richie McEvoy is playing brilliantly and presently lies 11th at 1 under.
Good luck Richie, hope you finish up with a decent cheque come Sunday

2011-05-06T08:48:00.002+01:00

Matt is in Paris this week at the Challenge Tour event at Disneyland Golf. He had an opening round of -1. Live scoring is here.

Join us on facebook for updates.

Matt has also gained a place on the European Tour event next week in Mallorca which is great news.

Matt & John as 'Team Southgate'

2011-04-19T08:33:00.002+01:00

John Laurie is a past Captain of the Carnoustie Golf Club and long time friend of Matt's Dad. It was no surprise when he offered to caddie having been with Bill McColl on the European Tour.
They hit it off straight away and John was on the bag at St Andrews last year when Matt won the Links Trophy.
Matt would like to say 'THANK YOU JOHN' and wishes more tournaments were played in Scotland.

Matt feels at home at Carnoustie

2011-04-19T08:20:00.002+01:00

Waiting on the 1st tee last Saturday to start his game in the Lyndsay Shield, the oldest team event in the game of golf.

He lost that hole with an unusually wayward drive but pulled back straight away on the 2nd. Controlled play in the wind saw him running out 7 & 5 and the rest of the team did an equally fine job. Indeed, Levin Thistle had to wait until game 16 to record their first point. 21 1/2 to 3 1/2 was the final score at Carnoustie and 18 to 7 at Levin so they won 28 1/2 to 21 1/2 overall.
Considerably better than the week before when they were beaten badly by St Andrews.
The last match is next week and St Andrews are strong favourites to beat Levin and win the trophy. However golf is a 'funny old game' so who knows what might happen.

Always Drama at St Andrews

2011-04-09T19:33:00.003+01:00

As a long distance member of Carnoustie Golf Club, Matt qualifies to play in the annual Lyndsay Shield Tournament. This Inter-Club Match is played every year between Carnoustie, St. Andrews & Leven Thistle Golf Clubs. The 50 best players each Club can muster meet each other on a scratch match-play basis over three Saturdays each April, with 25 members playing at home, and 25 members playing away. It is quite normal to find professional golfers, provided they are Club members, in each team. The matches originated in October 1849 with 12 St. Andrews members playing 12 Leven Thistle members both at home and away, with Carnoustie joining the fray in 1873. Traditionally the Club Champion will lead the team but as holder of the St Andrews Links Trophy, Matt was asked to be number one. Today he returned to play at St Andrews in the first match he will be playing. Lining up to hit his second shot on 17 he was hit on the back of the head by a tee shot from the group behind. It didnt bounce but hit him straight on the head. He was knocked to the floor and was very dizzy for a few minutes. He continued playing feeling very dizzy and managed to secure a win on the 18th. It would seem that whatever he's playing in there's always some drama to be had at the glorious St. Andrews.

Kenyan Open

2011-04-01T18:27:00.002+01:00

Matt has finished +5 in Kenya, which unfortunately means he missed the cut by four shots.

The next event is in Disneyland , Paris. Let's hope he can put the last two events behind him and get out there are make the cut for a good finish. We all know he can do it. Good Luck Matt.

Kenya next on agenda

2011-03-24T14:13:00.003Z

After missing the cut in Columbia, Matt has been home and taking full advantage of the warm weather to get lots of practise in ahead of Kenya.

He flies out on Sunday to compete in theChallenge Tour event: The Barclays Kenya Open at Muthaiga Golf Club, situated 5KM from Naroibi.

The following event starting the 5th May is being held at the Disneyland resort in Paris so it might be the best one to get cheap packages to go and see him play.

Don't forget you can join us on facebook for more score updates and news.

Practice in the sun, Sawgrass and a snapshot with big Jim...

2011-03-06T10:15:00.002Z

Matt has spent the last week in Florida practising in the sun ahead of the Challenge Tour event in Columbia. He was lucky enough to play at Sawgrass on Friday and shot level par; sure you'll agree you can't get a better place to warm up. He was very pleased to receive clothing from UKKO for the trip and will be playing with the new Footjoy glove and carry bag as he has no caddy this week.

He flies to Columbia today and we will keep the blog and facebook updated with his progress in his second professional event.

If you haven't already, please click 'like' on Matts facebook page either on the button on the right hand side or by using this link-- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Southgate-Fan-Page/176243449070732

Thank you.

Matthew Signs with new Management Company

2011-02-19T12:34:00.001Z

Press release: 18th February 2011

Matthew Southgate has signed his first ever management contract with Sports and Celebrity Management specialists Champions UK plc.

2010 was a highly successful season for Matthew after representing England in the Home Internationals in Wales, Matthew went on to win the prestigious St Andrews Links Trophy, as well as securing top 10 finishes in the Portuguese Amateur and Irish Open Amateur Championships. During qualifying for the Challenge Tour Matthew made it through every round as an amateur and was only two shots away from gaining a full tour card for the European Tour.

Matt has gained a full card to play on the European Challenge Tour for the 2011 and is currently looking forward to playing his first event in Columbia.

However Matt has already made his professional debut on the European Tour Race to Dubai having been invited to play in the Joburg Open in January where he secured a fantastic top 40 finish.

Champions UK plc are extremely excited about the prospect of working with such a talented young golfer like Matthew and are looking forward to an exciting 2011 season. Champions firmly believe that Matthew will be one of England’s future golfing superstars and we are excited to be taking this journey with him.

Champions (UK) Plc look after a range of celebrity and sports stars including Coronation Streets Ken Barlow aka William Roache MBE, Engalnd’s most capped footballer of all time; Peter Shilton, Snooker legend Willie Thorne and professional golfers Graeme Storm and Gary Wolstenholme MBE.

For further information on Matthew please contact Michelle Taylor at Champions UK Plc on 08453 313031 or mtaylor@championsukplc.com

Southgate Silver Salver

2011-02-17T11:18:00.000Z

The Southgate Silver Salver 2010 finally has a date after the terrible, wet winter.

~This year it will be played at Matts home club: Friday 25th February at Thorpe Hall Golf Club . All category one players are very welcome to compete.

Please note this is NOT a fundraising event but a competiton that was started three years ago as an event for the winter months when not much is in the diary.

Please confirm on Facebook.

Schedule

2011-01-18T12:20:00.003Z

Matt is waiting to see if he gets an invite to the Indian Open {European Tour}. If not he will probably head to Columbia on the Challenge Tour (March 10th).

As requested, we will be posting a schedule soon.

MATT MAKES THE CUT IN HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENT

2011-01-15T07:54:00.005Z

After play was suspended due to a dramatic lightning storm in South Africa Matt teed off late for his second round which worked in his favour as he was suffering from severe food poisoning. The light dimished in the afternoon, stopping play early. Matt was 2 under for the tournament through 13; a couple of shots of the projected cut.

He knew he had to get out there at 6am this morning and pull back some shots if he was to stay for the weekend. It's always a challenge getting back in to the rhythm and mental focus after play is stopped but Matt showed no signs of hesitation, birdie-ing the 15th and 16th to climb up the leaderboard and ensure his place at the weekend in his first professional event.

Come on Matt... let's see some more birdies to get you up the leaderboard.

He tees off for his third round 09.45 {07.45 English time}

Leaderboard here and watch live on Sky Sports 1.

Update after Round 3

Despite a triple bogey on the 14th (he started on the tenth) Matt managed to pull some shots back and finish the third round on one over par for the day and three under for the tournament. He's very much looking forward to the last round tomorrow and let's hope we see him move up the leaderboard...... he tees off 07.40 {05.40 UK time} tomorrow.

Final Update:
Matt finished on -3 to come tied 39th winning 8,450 Euros.

Joburg Day Two

2011-01-14T17:25:00.004Z

Play was suspended in Joburg today due to lightning. Once play commenced Matt made it to the 13th before lack of light led the players to abandon the course.

At the time of writing the scores on the European Tour website are incorrect and Matthew is actually three under for the day at the 13th so two under for the tournament. Another couple of birdies in the last few holes should see him make the cut so fingers crossed for a good finish tomorrow.

{cut is projected at four under}

Joburg Open

2011-01-11T20:01:00.004Z

Watch all four rounds live on Sky Sports live coverage starts on Thursday at 8am on Sky Sports 1/HD1.

First Professional Event

2011-01-05T11:17:00.005Z

We're very pleased to confirm that Matt will be starting his professional career at the European Tour Event: Joburg Open 13-16th January.

Total Prize money: € 1 300 000

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T21:02:00.002Z

_MG_3633
Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

Let's hope 2011 is a healthy, happy year for us all. Thank you for all the support over the last year. It means lots to Matt.

Highlights of 2010 have certainly be winning the St. Andrews Links Trophy and Home Internationals at Ashburnham and gaining a Challenge Tour card.

We're looking forward to a great year of golf and more successes. All updates and results will be posted on the blog so make sure to check back.

Happy New Year.

From this weeks Echo....

2010-12-16T12:37:00.000Z

A freakish piece of bad luck ruined golfer Matt Southgate’s crucial final round at the European Tour qualifying school in Spain.

The Thorpe Hall amateur’s back nine was decimated by a triple bogey on the 14th, and he just missed out on one of the 34 places up for grabs on next season’s elite professional golf tour.

But Southgate said his decisive 14th hole was ruined because his ball had been stopped in its tracks by a rake left at the side of a bunker.

It meant he had to mark the ball, move the rake, and play it from where it stopped — and that meant he was forced to take the shot while stood inside the bunker, and with the ball at waist height.

“It was just bad luck really,” he said. “But it did come at a really bad time.

“But the good thing is I know that I would not have done anything different. It was just one of those things.”

He added: “But when you play a week of intense golf like that you can’t really blame it on one hole or one round. And, overall, I played well and achieved more than I expected to.”

Southgate will now take a well-earned rest over Christmas as he weighs up whether or not to turn pro for next year.

Because he finished in the top 70 at the PGA Catalunya Resort event, he now has the option to turn pro and play on the Challenge Tour, the second tier of men’s professional golf in Europe.

But he says he will make his decision early next year, and could chose to remain an amatuer as he has a very good chance of making the Walker Cup team in 2011.

Southgate finished the qualifying school in Spain tied for 42nd and on seven-under for the tournament.

Original Article

Challenge Tour

2010-12-12T15:19:00.003Z

Matt finished Q School at tied 42nd on -7.

He now qualifies for a full Challenge Tour card and a Category 14 European tour entry. this result also moves him up to 27th on the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings.

There is also a new Facebook Page where you can keep up to date with his scores.

Matt Makes the Cut

2010-12-08T18:15:00.004Z

Matt shot three under par today to be five under for the tournament and make the cut at the final stage of Q School. There are now two more rounds to play.

Notably, fellow England team mate and amateur Matthew Nixon is sitting in 4th position on 12 under. Additionally, Chris Lloyd, also part of the winning Home Internationals team this summer is through on -7.

Full Leaderboard after four rounds

About the final stage:
A highly coveted European Tour card is awarded to the top 30 and ties following the Final Stage; they will earn Category 11b Membership of The European Tour for the following season.
Players who finish below 30th place will be eligible for Category 14 Membership of the European Tour and Category 7 Membership of the Challenge Tour for the following season.

Players who miss the cut at the Final Stage will be eligible for Category 12 Membership of the Challenge Tour for the following season

Day Three

2010-12-07T20:19:00.002Z

Eagles
Birdies
Par
Bogeys
Double Bogey/Worse

Matt shot 3 under today to return to 2 under par for the tournament making putting him in tied 68 th.

Elliot Saltman currently leading on -11

2010-12-03T21:18:00.001Z

Matt tees off at 10:05 UK time on the first day of final stage Q school (Saturday 4th).

Matt through to Final Stage Qualifying

2010-11-30T14:42:00.004Z

Catalunya (Source)

After torrential rain had forced the abandonment of the third day’s play on Monday, Matt returned to Arcos Gardens today and fired a round of 69 to finish level, making the cut by one shot.

Matt and his 22 fellow qualifiers (from Arcos Gardens) will now head north to PGA Catalunya Resort in Girona, Spain, the venue for the six-round Final Stage, which gets underway on Saturday.

Result sheet from Arcos Gardens

Final Qualifying
78 players will be put through their paces on each course every day for the first four rounds. After 72 holes there will be a cut to the leading 70 players (and ties) who will then play a further two rounds on the notorious Stadium Course. After 108 holes the leading 30 players will be ranked according to scores and placed in the Category 11 of the European Tour for the 2011 season.

£150,000 of prize money will be split between the 30 top players depending on their position.

The European Tour Qualifying School starts tomorrow

2010-11-25T12:22:00.004Z

"Since 1976, The European Tour Qualifying School has been held at the end of each season to establish which players, not otherwise exempt, will gain their playing privileges on the Tour for the following season through a qualifying competition.

It’s a tough school for one of golf’s most coveted prizes, namely Membership of The European Tour and a place among the golfing elite. Along the way, dreams are made and hopes dashed in equal measure. The Qualifying School is held in three stages - dependant on the individual's status - at a series of venues in the UK and Continental Europe. In the region of 1,000 competitors enter the Qualifying School each year, all aiming for a European Tour card, awarded to the top 30 and ties following the Final Stage. A player progressing through all three stages will have to play 252 holes under the most intense pressure.

The leading 30 players (plus those tied for 30th place) will earn Category 11b Membership of The European Tour for the following season." (text from European Tour website)

Matt came in second place at the European Tour 1st Stage Qualifiers Section D at Wychwood Park Golf Club finishing on six under par, 282, after rounds of 72, 69, 72 and 69.He will now play the next round at Arcos Gardens.

Matt has been out in Spain all week, first practising with the England coaches and then he stayed on ahead of Q School starting tomorrow.

There are four courses hosting the second round, all in Spain:
Costa Ballena
Arcos Gardens
Hacienda Del Alamo
El Valle Golf Resort

Useful Links:
Entry List and Tee Times (Matts Course)
FAQs on European tour School
Skybet Q School Odds

English County Champions Final

2010-09-18T17:14:00.004+01:00

The English County Champions Final takes place tomorrow, Sunday 19th September 2010. As Essex County Champion Matt will be competing. He has been at Woodhall Spa all week, practising.

The Tournament shall be played by Stroke Play over 36 holes. The winner shall be the competitor who returns the lowest gross score over the 36 holes.

Thorpe Hall win Hudson Trophy

2010-09-17T18:15:00.003+01:00

THORPE Hall golf Club won the Hudson Trophy at the South Herts Golf Club in North London on Sunday 5th September (apologies for the delay).

Professional John Fryatt played with Spencer Wells and they finished two under par. Their round featured a hole-in-one by Spencer.

Matt played with Patrick Bridge and they finished two over par. That gave the team a level par score overall, and that was enough for a seven shot victory.

It is the third time Thorpe Hall have won the won trophy, following successes in 1977 and 1996.

The Hudson Trophy
Robert A Hudson was a successful businessman of Portland, Oregon, in the USA. He was a great patron of professional golf on both sides of the Atlantic, being a vice-president of both the British PGA, and the US PGA. He was instrumental in reviving the Ryder Cup after the second World War, and he sponsored the American team in the Competition played in Oregon in 1947, when Dai Rees, who was playing for the British team, met him.

In 1937 the American Ryder Cup team had visited South Herts and had gone to the local parish church in Totteridge to place a wreath on the grave of Harry Vardon, who had died earlier that year. When the Americans subsequently returned to Britain after the war to play for the Ryder Cup, they were invited to practice at South Herts, and a close relationship was built between Robert Hudson and the Club; this led to him being elected as honorary life member of the club.

Robert Hudson offered to sponsor a tournament at South Herts, and in 1959, the year of the Club's diamond jubilee, he presented a silver casket to be played for by invited clubs as the Hudson Trophy. He continued to support the tournament, and on the tenth anniversary of its start, the club presented him with an illuminated address.

After the death of Robert Hudson, the tournament was supported for a few years by the PGCA and subsequently by the PGA, but in recent years it has been run entirely by the Club, which is always delighted to welcome the participating teams and their supporters.

Home International Champions 2010

2010-08-14T17:25:00.003+01:00

England retained the Raymond Trophy when they completed a clean sweep in the Home Internationals at Ashburnham in Wales.

After a comprehensive 11-4 win over Ireland, England had to pull out all the stops to edge past Scotland 8-7 before they repeated the 11-4 scoreline on the final day against the Welsh.

“Overall it was a great team performance,” said Team Captain Bob Meston. “The team spirit was excellent, our preparation was thorough thanks to coach Dave Ridley, and we had some excellent foursomes results, which have been disappointing in the past. Also, our top players performed particularly well while everyone supported each other.”

England made a flying start against the Irish, winning the foursomes 4-1 then taking seven of the ten singles with Suffolk’s Jamie Abbott claiming the biggest winning margin by 6 and 4.

The match with Scotland was much closer after England edged the foursomes 3-1 with one match halved. However, the Scots bounced back to take five of the ten singles to England’s four.

The outcome was in the balance with one match on the course but Matt Nixon holed from three feet on the final green to halve his tussle with Jordan Findlay to see England home 8-7.

That meant England needed only to tie with Wales, who had to win 12-3 to take the title themselves. But the defending Champions ensured that wouldn’t happen by winning the foursomes 4-1 before wrapping up their victory with seven singles successes.

Tommy Fleetwood, making his farewell appearance as an amateur, was one of England’s leading scorers. The Lancashire lad accumulated five-and-a-half points from six matches as did Somerset’s Laurie Canter.

Chris Paisley from Northumberland finished with a 100% record of five wins from five matches after being rested for the second day foursomes against Scotland.

Of the four debutants in the team, Matthew won four of his five matches.

2010-08-14T17:23:00.001+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

2010-08-14T17:22:00.001+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

Matt and Eddie..... won all their foursomes matches this week!

2010-08-14T17:19:00.001+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

2010-08-12T12:52:00.003+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

2010-08-12T12:52:00.001+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

England v Scotland

2010-08-12T12:51:00.002+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

Matt and Eddie won their foursomes again this morning. They were 5 up at one point but the Scottish pair pulled some back. A wayward short at the 15th landed in shoulder high ferns and Eddie managed to knock it out but they lost the hole, they lost 16 and a wayward drive at 17 led to a penalty drop and they were back to 1 up going down 18.

Matt hit a great tee shot and they managed to half the hole to win the match.

England won the foursomes 3.5 to 1.5

To follow this afternoons singles scores please click here. Matt is out watching on the course as he is being rested this afternoon.

2010-08-11T17:49:00.003+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

Eddie and Matt this morning and yours truly caddying.

England v Ireland

2010-08-11T17:48:00.002+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

The sun shone all day at Ashburnham and conditions were far better than the practice round.

Matt was paired with Eddie Pepperell in the foursomes this morning and beat Kevin Phelan and Barry Anderson 4/3. They were six up with six to play when Phelan and Anderson came fighting back with a birdie and an eagle.

England won the foursomes 4-1.

This afternoon, Matt's match was the 7th singles match and he lost to Connor Daran 5/3. Connor wholed some excellent putts this afternoon and played a steady round. Matt fell behind quite early on and didn't manage to make the holes up unfortunately.

England won the singles 7-3. A full score sheet for England v Ireland can be found here.

Info on Scotland v Wales can be found here.

On the Thursday 12th August Match 1 will comprise the winners of Wednesday’s Match 1 versus the losers of Wednesday’s Match 2, while Match 2 will comprise the losers of Wednesday’s Match 1 versus the winners of Wednesday’s Match 2

Home Internationals 2010: England Team

2010-08-10T20:15:00.001+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

The sun finally made an appearance this afternoon after the whole team got drenched this morning in their practice round.

Let's hope this weather holds for the rest of the week.

Home Internationals, Ashburnham

2010-08-08T17:03:00.004+01:00

Visit the Welsh Golf Union website for further information about the itinerary, draw sheets, English team, Irish team, Scottish team(no link yet) and the Welsh team.

Live scoring will be here from Wednesday.

If you are planning to come and watch, directions can be found here.

Saving the best 'til last....

2010-08-07T16:00:00.004+01:00

Matt shot 6 under par today to move almost 40 places up the leaderboard. This was the best round of the day (also shot by Johann Lopez-Lazaro, France). He finished tied 22nd, a position he shared with 5 other Englishmen: Chris Lloyd, Jack Senior, Garrick Porteous and Tom Lewis.

All of the England players went back out on the course to see Tommy Fleetwood finish the tournament. He started the day tied second and when he birdied at the 15th and then chipped in for another birdie at the par three 16th they thought he might have the momentum to catch leader Lucas Bjerregaard. He finished on -14 tied with Andrea Pavan, one shot off the winner. Full final leaderboard here.

Having won the English Amateur, Tommy has now accumulated enough points to make him top of the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings. Congratulations Tommy!

Matt flies back tomorrow and will then drive to Wales on Monday morning in time for his first Home Internationals at Ashburnham Golf Club.

Matt makes the cut for Final day in Finland.... just

2010-08-06T19:32:00.003+01:00

I believe the expression is 'by the skin of his teeth'.

With a round of three over today Matt has just slipped into the right side of the cut to play the final day of the European Amateur tomorrow.

The England players have done well in Finland ahead of Home Internationals next week with 14 of those who flew over making the cut.

Denmarks' Lucas Bjerregaard is leading on -13, Tommy Fleetwood is tied second on -11.
The full leaderboard is here.

European Amateur Day Two

2010-08-05T21:01:00.003+01:00

Matt had another level par round of 72 today to be tied 25th after two rounds. The cut is made tomorrow, 60 and ties will make it through to the last day in Finland.

Fellow Englishman, Tommy Fleetwood, is tied first on -8. The full leaderboard can be seen by clicking here.

Matt picked for Home Internationals

2010-08-04T17:00:00.004+01:00

We are very excited to tell you that Matt has been selected alongside ten others to represent England next week for the Home Internationals at Ashburnham Golf Club in Wales on 11th - 13th August.

England have named three other new caps alongside Matt- Chris Lloyd (The Kendleshire, Gloucestershire), Jack Senior (Heysham, Lancashire) and Darren Wright (Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, IoW & CI).

The other seven members of the team are Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley - Suffolk), Laurie Canter (Saltford, Somerset), Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall – Lancashire), Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire), Matthew Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire), Chris Paisley (Stocksfield, Northumberland) and Eddie Pepperell (Drayton Park, BB&O).

Full EGU press release here.

European Amateur Day One

2010-08-04T13:40:00.003+01:00

Matt shot level par today.

Notably, fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood shot 3 under par and is currently tied 4th.

Full leaderboard from the European Amateur is here.

England Team in Finland

2010-08-04T08:42:00.001+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Suomen Golfliitto

International European Amateur Championship

2010-08-03T18:57:00.004+01:00

Matthew is among the group of 20 players who will represent the English Golf Union (EGU) in the International European Amateur Championship at Vanajanlinna Golf and Country Club in Finland on 4th – 7th August.

Apart from the glory of being crowned the European champion, the winner will also get to compete in one of the most valued golfing events of the world, the Open Championship. There will be 144 players taking part in the European Amateur, most of which come from European countries. The participating players will be chosen mainly according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

The European Amateur will be followed daily in the Finnish television but as yet, we have not found anywhere to stream this. If we do I will post a link here ASAP.

Live scoring here . 60 Players and ties will make the cut after 54 holes.

Matt tees off at 09.10 tomorrow, full start sheet can be seen here.

The European Amateur have a facebook page here which includes live updates and photos including an album of novelty headcovers spotted at the event.

The full group from England is: Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley, Suffolk), Todd Adcock (Nevill, Sussex), Jonathan Bell (Royal Blackheath), Laurie Canter, Hugo Dobson (Fynn Valley, Suffolk), Tommy Fleetwood, Billy Hemstock (picture © Tom Ward), Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale, Surrey), Adam Keogh (Boston West), Tom Lewis, Chris Lloyd (The Kendleshire), Ben Loughrey (Wrag Barn, Wiltshire), Matt Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne), Eddie Pepperell, Darren Renwick (Hill Barn, Sussex), James Robinson (Southport & Ainsdale, Lancashire), Jack Senior (Heysham, Lancashire), Tom Shadbolt (Mid Herts, Hertfordshire), Matthew Southgate (Thorpe Hall, Essex) and Darren Wright (Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, IoW & CI).

Matt moves in to top 50 on World Rankings

2010-07-26T09:29:00.003+01:00

Matt has moved in to the top 50 on the 'Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking' ahead of Eddie Pepperell, Jamie Abbott and Stiggy Hodgson. Notably, Tommy Fleetwood has moved in to third position after finishing tied 2nd in a recent Challenge Tour event.

Sorry for the delayed update but Matt finished tied 7th at Walton Heath in the South of England event. Congratulations to Jack Senior who had an awesome final round of 10 under par to win the event!

2010-07-22T07:14:00.002+01:00

Matt starts the final day at Walton Heath in fourth position. Click here for the final day start sheet.

South of England Open Amateur Championship Day Two

2010-07-21T16:07:00.003+01:00

There seems to be an error on the Walton Heath website with tee times and scores from yesterday.

We can confirm that Matt did play yesterday shooting one under par on the New Course.

He has shot 4 under today on the Old Course to make him five under. There are still people out on both courses but this should put him comfortably in the top ten.

He said he hit it well today and described the course as 'tricky'.

South of England Open Amateur Championship

2010-07-20T18:04:00.003+01:00

The South of England Open Amateur Championship is hosted at Walton Heath in Surrey.

Matt shot one under par this morning on the New Course and plays the Old Course tomorrow. A cut is made tomorrow and a final two rounds are played on Thursday.

A full starting sheet can be seen by clicking here.

Seve Summer

2010-07-16T15:41:00.001+01:00

Golf legend Seve Ballesteros is asking golfers across the UK to support the first ever ‘Seve Summer’ to help him raise over £300,000 towards life-saving research into cancers of the brain.

The new initiative is part of a fundraising drive for the Seve Ballesteros Foundation’s partnership with Cancer Research UK, which launched last December and hopes to raise £1 million in its first year.

‘Seve Summer’ teed off last month and runs throughout the summer. It is a chance for golf clubs and golfers across the country to show their support for Seve in his battle against brain cancer by raising vital funds to help beat the disease.

Anyone inspired to take part can get involved through their club or by coordinating fundraising activities themselves, for example:

* Adding a fundraising element to usual monthly medal competitions;
* Introducing a ‘Ballesteros Bunker’, where golfers donate to the cause if their ball goes into the dedicated bunker;
* Adding a ‘Pound per Round’ as a fundraiser at the 19th hole;
* ‘Green in One’ sweepstakes, where golfers bet on their chances of getting the ball on the green in the first shot;
* An Open BBQ for the final day’s play of the Open Championship.

All clubs that return funds will be entered into a prize draw to win one of three pairs of tickets to Viva la Vida, a spectacular evening of entertainment and a celebration of golf in aid of the Seve Ballesteros Foundation’s partnership with Cancer Research UK, which will be hosted by the man himself. In addition the top two fundraising clubs will automatically receive a pair of tickets each.

The five times Major winner was diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2008 after collapsing at Madrid airport. He says: “I’m lucky to be alive and owe it all to the vital research carried out by organisations like Cancer Research UK. But there’s still a lot more research that can be done into this disease – which affects around 8,000 people in the UK each year – and that’s why I’m asking golfers to support ‘Seve Summer’ and help my Foundation raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK.

“There are more than five million golfers in the UK and if just a small proportion of those got involved, we’d be well on our way to reaching our target and making a real impact on the lives of people like me who are diagnosed with brain cancer.”

Click here for more information on how to get involved.

Matt pulls out of Tillman Trophy

2010-07-12T09:04:00.005+01:00

Unfortunately Matt has had to pull out of the Tillman Trophy that starts today at Cinque Ports in Kent. He only managed to play six holes of a practice round yesterday due to a recurring issue with his back flaring up. He has travelled home for Physio today and is very disappointed not to be able to play.

Sitting in fourth position in the EGU Order of Merit he was hoping a good performance in Kent this week would get him some good points to hopefully move up again. A good finishing position is needed to get picked for the Home Internationals so it's very disappointing he won't be able to play in this event.

He'll be getting treated this week and will be practising for the South of England Open Amateur event at Walton Heath (20th-22nd July).

Matt retains title of Essex Amateur Champion

2010-07-05T09:41:00.006+01:00

This years Essex Amateur was played at The Warren Golf Club, Danbury, which is one of the few golf courses in Essex that does not have an automated watering system. This meant that whilst the greenstaff had done a fantastic job during the recent dry spell on the tees and greens, the rest of the course was extremely 'fiery', and some of the extraordinary bounces tried the patience of the players.

The winner was always going to be the person that made the least mistakes and best adapted to the conditions. Having played recently at Hoylake, Matt was possibly better prepared than most. His first round of 73 could easily have been in the 60's had it not been for a frustrating morning with the putter.

The afternoon round, however, was very different, with putts flying in from everywhere right from the start. He made birdies at 1, 2, 3 and 6, 7 and 8 to play the front nine in 30 shots. Unfortunately, a miss-hit tee shot at the 11th and a couple of missed putts at 13 and 15 meant the chance of the course record had gone but a 65 comfortably gave him the lowest round of the competition.

Sunday morning saw the wind much stronger and it was obvious that scoring was going to be more difficult, a morning round of 72 saw Matt one stroke off the lead held jointly by Jack Heasman (West Essex) and Steve Jones (Canons Brook).

A steady start from Matt with a couple of costly errors from the leading pair saw Matt move into a three stroke lead after nine holes. He played the back nine in level par to eventually win by two strokes from Jack Heasman.

Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy 2010

2010-07-05T09:08:00.002+01:00

Having won this trophy in 2008 and not being able to defend in 2009 because of Open Regional Qualifying, Matt made the decision that he wanted to drive from Scotland 'through the night' having failed to qualify for this years Open at St. Andrews.

Having less than four hours sleep was not the best preparation but Matt, playing on his home course, managed to shoot 67 which gave him a four stroke 'halfway lead'.

Starting the afternoon round from the 10th tee, Matt made sixes at the 10th and 15th to drop four strokes and effectively open the competition to the chasing pack; with three players now only one shot behind. Despite the tiredness taking its toll Matt managed to make birdies at 18 and the par 5 4th to re-establish his advantage. This proved to be essential as his drive on the 8th found its way into the back gardens of Wyatts Drive and 'Out of Bounds'. His second drive fortunately found the fairway, the subsequent fourth shot; the middle of the green and two putts meant he only dropped one shot. A safe par up the ninth secured victory.

During his speech Matt mentioned how pleased he was that he was able to make the journey and win the trophy.

Having grown up at Thorpe and regularly looking at the Honours Board dedicated to Sir Michael, it is very easy to take it for granted. This year, was the first year that Matt qualified for the matchplay stages of the Amateur Championship and he realised just how fantastic an achievement it was that Sir Michael won this title five times with three of them being in successive years (18 consecutive matches after three rounds of qualification).

He now hopes to follow in Sir Michaels' footsteps in being selected to play for his country.

Winning Week

2010-07-04T18:27:00.002+01:00

There's something wrong with blogger.... apologies....

Matt won the Sir Michael Bonallack trophy on Tuesday at Thorpe Hall and today won the Essex Amateur Championship at The Warren.

A full update will follow when I can get blogger working properly.

2010-06-29T17:40:00.002+01:00

Matt's heading back home tonight to prepare to defend his title of Essex Amateur Champion this weekend.

His rounds of 71 and 79 today at Kingsbarns mean he doesn't qualify for The Open at St. Andrews this year.

Fingers crossed for next year at Royal St. George's; it's a much shorter drive home at least!!

Matt finishes tied tenth at Hoylake

2010-06-28T16:17:00.003+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

Matt shot 72, 70, 79 and 76 over the four days at Hoylake to finish in tied 10th place in the Brabazon Trophy. Congratulations to Darren Wright who won.

Matt has gone straight to Scotland after the tournament ready for the final rounds of qualifying for The Open, taking place tomorrow, at Kingsbarns. He tees off at 7am in the first group alongside Ricky Lee and Matthew Baldwin.

The final qualifying sees 288 players at four courses competing over 36 holes for just 12 spots at St Andrews.

Former US Open champion Michael Campbell will also be playing at Kingsbarns; his five-year exemption for winning The US Open at Pinehurst ended last year and his world ranking was not good enough to get him into the international qualifier at Sunningdale earlier this month.

Justin Rose had also entered and was given a tee-off time at Kingsbarns, but his Memorial Tournament win in the States has set him up to take one of two "current form" spots on offer on the US Tour and he is playing there this week.

Ryder Cup quartet Barry Lane, Phillip Price, Joakim Haeggman and Jarmo Sandelin are all involved. Lane, Price and Haeggman are at Fairmont St Andrews and Sandelin at Scotscraig.

For draw sheets and scoring click here.

2010-06-25T19:29:00.001+01:00

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Originally uploaded by Tom Ward Sport Photography

Brabazon Trophy Day 2

2010-06-25T18:15:00.004+01:00

Photo Credit: Tom Ward

Matt shot 2 under par today. He got interviewed as he finished and you can listen to the podcast by clicking here. (Scroll to 'interview with Matthew Southgate' by using 'Previous' or 'Next' buttons)

He is currently tied 3rd with a few groups still out on the course, for live updates please click here.

Matt also got a really nice mention on The Open website after making it to Local Final Qualifying just click here to go and have a look. He has been drawn to play in the first group at Kingsbarns on 29th June. For a full list of qualifying courses and corresponding draw sheets please click here.

Brabazon Trophy 2010

2010-06-24T20:01:00.003+01:00

Live scoring here.

The 2010 English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy supported by Skycaddie is being staged at Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake this week.

The format is 72 hole stroke play over 4 days. After 36 holes, the leading 60 competitors and ties play a further 18 holes on the third day and a final 18 holes on the fourth day.

The Open 2010

2010-06-21T14:20:00.006+01:00

Regional Qualifying for the Open takes place over 16 courses in the UK today.

Matt played at Abridge and shot 2 under this morning. Scoring for Abridge can be found here.

A list of other qualifying courses and scores from today can be accessed by clicking here.

Those that make it through today will then have to take part in Local Final Qualifying which will take place on the 29th June at Fairmont St Andrews, Kingsbarns Links, Ladybank and Scotscraig.

Good luck to everyone playing today.

UPDATE: He made it through to Local Final Qualifying which is played over 36 holes on the 29th June.

*fingers crossed he makes it all the way through as I really, really want an umbrella that says 'I'm Matts Sister' on it for the inevitable rain at St. Andrews!!

2010-06-16T20:02:00.002+01:00

Apologies for using the term 'British Amateur Championship'.

Matt got knocked out of the Amateur Championship by Edouard Espana, of France, on the 19th hole today.

Six birdies at North Berwick ensure Matt makes the cut

2010-06-15T20:10:00.006+01:00

It was with a sigh of relief that Matt made his 6th birdie of the day at the 16th at North Berwick today. His score of 5 under par was enough to make up for yesterday, and see him finish within the necessary top 64, to make the cut for the Matchplay stages of the British Amateur Championship.

Live scoring can be found here.

British Amateur Championship

2010-06-14T07:16:00.003+01:00

Click here for live scoring and leaderboards from the British Amateur Championship at North Berwick and Muirfield this week.

Matt tops Order of Merit

2010-06-09T19:27:00.003+01:00

Following his win at the St. Andrews Links Trophy, Matt has taken the lead on the EGU Order of Merit.

There's still a long way to go yet but let's hope he stays there for a while.

This week he will be practising in Carnoustie ahead of the British Amateur Championship:

The British Amateur Championship is held at Muirfield and North Berwick

The first stage of the Championship involves 288 players each of whom plays two rounds of 18 holes, one to be played on each of the two courses. The 64 lowest scores over the 36 holes and ties for 64th place will compete in the match play stage of the Championship, which will commence on Wednesday 16 June over Muirfield. Each match will consist of one round of 18 holes except the Final which will be over 36 holes.

Matts' Tee Times

Group 17

Matthew Southgate
Patricio Salem (Peru)
Santiago Gavino (Mexico)

Monday 14th Muirfield: 10.01
Tuesday 15th North Berwick 14:35

Matt wins at St. Andrews

2010-06-07T09:00:00.008+01:00

Photos courtesy of St. Andrews Links Trust

Matt has won the St Andrews Links Trophy by 5 shots with final rounds of 70 and 67 over the Old Course.

We decided on Saturday night that there was no way we could let him win at St. Andrews without us there. I've never been so pleased about spending such a long time in the car!! Sometimes, you go to watch and it doesn't matter how well he's hitting it, it just doesn't work out. You will every putt in and hope that he holds it together after bad holes. Yesterday, it wasn't like that. It was as if everything just clicked, there was no willing them in they just rolled their way there by themselves!

As the weather got worse and the rain started coming at us in a sideways, as only Scottish rain can do, we were getting absolutely soaked but it didn't seem to bother Matt. You could sense he was genuinely playing every hole as it came and not getting ahead of himself.

It's hard not to be cheesy when the thing he has worked so hard for has finally happened- a win!!! You hear the expression 'there's a long way to go yet' so often in golf and after every hole yesterday we were all trying to remind ourselves of that. They also say it takes an element of luck and you just need things to go your way sometimes. Well, yesterday, when Matts' ball was heading out of bounds at the 14th but bounced off the very short wall running alongside the course to end up in the middle of the fairway, it felt like a sign that it could be that day.

He clinched the victory with a par on the final hole after his drive found Granny Clark's Wind from where he could only chip the ball forward before pitching to two feet and holing out.

"To win here at the Home of Golf is very special but to do it in front of my family like this is just unbelievable," he said. "For most of the season I haven't been holing anything but today my putter came good at last."

Philip McLean from Peterhead and Stiggy Hodgson from Sunningdale both birdied the last to post eight under par totals of 280. They finished one shot clear of Englishmen Tom Lewis, Jack Senior and Todd Adcock in third.

Many thanks to John Lawrie for caddying yesterday and for Willie for letting him stay . Matt will spend the rest of the week practising in Carnoustie ahead of the tournamment next week at Muirfield.

A really great write up in The Courier here. (Apparently he has a brother though- thanks a lot for that!?)
Amateur Golf Round up.

Matt is joint leader after the cut at St Andrews

2010-06-05T21:12:00.003+01:00

Matt is the joint leader alongside Ben Westgate of Wales and Daniel Lokke of Denmark. There are now two rounds on The Old Course to be played tomorrow.

He tees off in the last two-ball at 9.50 with Ben Westgate. You can see the full order of play by clicking here.

In the event of a tie after four rounds, the winner will be decided by a sudden death play-off over holes 1, 2, 17 and 18

Leaderboard (Full version- click here)

1 Ben Westgate Trevose -6 67 71

1 Matthew Southgate Thorpe Hall -6 68 70

1 Daniel Lökke Holstebro (Denmark) -6 66 72

4 Tom Lewis Welwyn Garden City -5 69 70

5 Ben Campbell Masterton (New Zealand) -4 70 70

5 Patricio Salem Los Inkas (Peru) -4 67 73

5 Philip McLean Peterhead -4 70 70

5 Stiggy Hodgson Sunningdale -4 69 71

5 Billy Hemstock Teignmouth -4 70 70

5 Sam Claridge Harpenden Common -4 72 68

5 Adrian Otaegui Goiburu (Spain) -4 72 68

5 James Frazer Pennard -4 72 68

5 Chris Lloyd The Kendleshire 72 68

St. Andrews Links Trophy Day 2

2010-06-05T14:48:00.001+01:00

Matt just finished 2 under par today which makes him 6 under for the tournament. He was one of the earlier tee off times so this post will be updated later when we know where this places him for the final day tomorrow. The final round is played on The Old Course.