Staff WriterBy anyone’s measure, winning the Logan Trophy once is a feather in the flat cap. But to do it twice—and in true English grit fashion, against 40mph winds and the threat of fatherhood? That takes a bit of brass.
Hampshire’s Stuart Archibald has now joined that rare club, lifting his second Logan Trophy after a commanding five-shot victory at Rockliffe Hall.
The 40-year-old Test Valley man was the only player to finish under par for the week, carding rounds of 73, 72, and a closing 69 to finish at three-under. It adds to his 2022 title at Liphook, and this one, he admits, might just mean a touch more.
“To play in any England Golf Championship is an honour and I’m delighted to win another trophy, it’s a great achievement,” Archibald said.
“My iron play was really solid and my putting was probably as good as it ever has been, and that was always my Achilles heel before, but I putted lovely on the back-nine and that was enough to get it done.”
It certainly wasn’t a week for the faint-hearted. The Logan Trophy was played under siege conditions, with gusting winds making even the simplest holes feel like tactical warfare.
Only on Sunday did the weather relent—slightly—before drenching the final groups in one last act of sporting theatre.
Archibald’s strengths have always leaned on precision, and that trait proved priceless when the wind turned Rockliffe into a battlefield. “The wind was really tough on the first two days. One of the strengths of my game has always been my distance control and playing pin-high golf, and to get it to some of the plateaus where some of the pins were, was tough. I think everyone struggled, it created some challenges with putting and also keeping the ball in play.”
The final round saw Archibald pair with James Glenn, who surged into contention with a five-under back nine on Saturday. But when Archibald rattled off three straight birdies on holes 5, 6, and 7, he slammed the door. Glenn’s back-nine bogeys only cemented the inevitable.
Kevin Suggett of Chester-le-Street nearly stole the show with a final-round 67, bogey-free and clinical, to leap into second. But it was always Archibald’s trophy to lose—and he wasn’t in the mood to be charitable.
Where will he display the trophy? That’s a diplomatic matter. “It depends where my other half will let me put it! She doesn’t like me bringing home trophies!”
“I’d like to dedicate this win to my partner Ashley and daughter Sofia – we’re expecting another child in December – so whether I play next year will depend on whether I’m allowed to leave the house after that!
“I hope I can play at Hadley Wood, and the following year it’s at my old club Blackmoor, so I’ll definitely be looking to come back and win there too.
“I’m going to celebrate the win by driving up to Edinburgh for work at the Scottish Open, so no playing golf for a few days, and then I’ll be off to The Open in Ireland so hopefully I can enjoy a Guinness or two there!”
Further down the leaderboard, a late flurry of sub-par rounds kept things lively. John Sadler (Bromborough), Geoff Harris (Formby), and Mark Wharton (Newcastle United) all fired two-under 70s to move into prize contention. Sadler joined Martin McCririck (South Shields) and Glenn in a tie for third.
As for the course stats? The par-4 8th played like a bogey trap disguised as a fairway, giving up just seven birdies all week from 312 attempts. Meanwhile, the par-5 3rd—mercifully—offered some respite with an average of 5.04, proving even Rockliffe has a soft spot.
Two-time Logan Trophy champion Stuart Archibald may be heading for dad-duty soon, but on this form, you wouldn’t bet against him rolling back into Blackmoor with title number three in his sights.
