ERUGC Amateur Championship
Filey Golf Club
Sunday 26th July, 2026
The course was presented beautifully, and we were looked after admirably by the club’s caterers, who somehow managed to juggle a very busy Sunday lunch service while keeping players and officials fed and watered throughout the day.
The weather played its part too, with a breeze that shifted direction between rounds one and two to serve up a genuinely challenging 36 holes. Hull’s George Coope, fresh from a top 16 finish at the Yorkshire Amateur last week came flying out of the traps with the only sub-par round of the morning — a 68 with 6 birdies — to lead the morning session by five shots from ERUGC Open Champion Tom Benson (Scarborough North Cliff GC) and Jacob Hodgson (Hull GC).
The afternoon brought a change in wind direction and a fresh test, though by now the leaders had the measure of Filey’s layout firmly in their sights. A fast start from Leigh Gawley (Hornsea GC) — 4 birdies in his first 7 holes — had the clubhouse checking the live scoreboard with real interest, and birdies were plentiful throughout. But it was later in the round that things really heated up.
Tom Benson plotted his way to a fine 68. Leigh Gawley matched Benson’s round-two score with a front-nine birdie blitz, but couldn’t find one more coming home. Meanwhile Tom Sanghera (Filey GC), who’d opened with a 75 to lie 7th, set off on a different mission entirely — 2 birdies on the front nine before setting the back nine alight with 5 more, the sweetest of which came at his 36th hole. A course-record 65 gave him a two-round total of 140 and a one-shot win to take the Harold Collins Trophy, ahead of Tom Benson (141) and Leigh Gawley (142). A brilliant example of digging in after what must have been a frustrating opening 75 — congratulations, Tom.
The Overall Nett winner was Simon Boddy (Scarborough North Cliff GC) with a nett 141, his round-two 67 sending him rocketing up 11 places to finish 4th on the Gross Leaderboard.
Callum Burns (Hessle GC) claimed the Best Junior 36-Hole Gross prize and the Rob McCleish Trophy with a total of 148 (76, 72). He is pictured below receiving his trophy from ERUGC President Alan Hutchinson.
Full results on Golf Genius.
ERUGC officials in attendance were Ian Jeffrey (Competition Secretary), John Illingworth (Members Secretary), Tom Elder (Union Secretary) and our 2026 President, Alan Hutchinson — not forgetting Andy Pittaway, the legendary ERUGC Starter. We were also delighted to be joined on the day by the Captain of Filey GC, Paul Luxton.
Thank you to all the competitors who supported the event, and to Filey GC for hosting an exciting and thoroughly successful championship.
Ian Jeffrey
Competition Secretary
