Staff WriterConnor Graham clearly didn’t get the memo that lightning doesn’t strike twice.
The 18-year-old Scot from Blairgowrie once again topped the stroke play qualifying leaderboard at The 130th Amateur Championship, adding a fine feather to his already precociously feathered cap.
And yes, he did it with style: a bogey-free, six-under-par 64 at Royal St George’s, which, coupled with a tidy 69 at Royal Cinque Ports the day before, left him at nine-under 133.
That’s back-to-back medal honours in this storied event for Graham, now ranked 47th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings—and rapidly climbing faster than your uncle’s blood pressure on moving day.
“I’m pleased with how I played,” he said, in characteristically understated fashion. And you would be too, after rinsing one of Britain’s toughest layouts without a single bogey.
Graham, who plies his collegiate trade at Texas Tech University, birdied the 5th and 7th early before going on a tear through the back nine, notching red numbers at the 12th, 13th, 14th and the par-3 16th.
While the fairways of Royal St George’s have humbled many a hopeful, Graham looked as if he were on a leisurely links stroll rather than plotting his route into match play once again.
Of course, the memory of last year’s Championship still lingers. Graham made it to the round of 32 at Ballyliffin before hitting the metaphorical wall—this time, he’s hoping to punch through it like it owes him money.
Hot on his tartan heels were France’s Ugo Malcor and Italy’s Matteo Cristoni, who both made strong cases for being more than footnotes.
Malcor carded a solid 68 at Royal St George’s to finish at eight-under, having led much of the day thanks to a scorching 66 at Royal Cinque Ports.
The Mississippi State man added three birdies and a bogey on a round so steady it could’ve been sponsored by a metronome.
Meanwhile, Cristoni, 23, fired consecutive rounds of 67, with yesterday’s bogey-free effort at Royal Cinque Ports particularly impressive.
The Italian has become something of a regular in this event—this is his fourth match play appearance in five years. His deepest run came in 2022 when he was eventually taken out by the eventual champion, Aldrich Potgieter.
But it wasn’t just the top three providing the fireworks. Among the notable names heading into the knock-out stages are world number five Tommy Morrison and number seven Ethan Fang—both from the United States—as well as England’s Dominic Clemons, last year’s runner-up, and Kris Kim, the reigning R&A Boys’ Amateur Champion.
The qualifying cut landed at one-under, with 24 players facing a 7 am play-off shootout at Royal St George’s to scrap over the final five spots like it’s the last loaf of bread in a storm.
Out of the original 288 hopefuls, only 64 now remain. From here, it’s match play golf—the kind that separates the artists from the artisans, and the contenders from the clubhouse loiterers.
And if you’re wondering what’s at stake beyond glory, the spoils are plentiful. The winner earns starts at The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, the US Open, and the Masters Tournament—plus an invite to the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo on the DP World Tour.
Admission for spectators? Absolutely free. And if you can’t make it to the Sandwich coast, The R&A has you covered with live coverage of the quarter-finals and semi-finals on Friday, 20 June, and the 36-hole final on Saturday, 21 June. Tune in via Sky Sports in the UK or catch the global stream on R&A TV and YouTube.
As for Connor Graham, the leaderboard might look the same as last year—but if he has his way, the ending won’t.
