An immaculately run tournament which went to a thrilling final-hole finish sealed a successful week for Northamptonshire County Golf Club, when it hosted the 2026 Carris Trophy.
Rising Spanish star Benjamin Van Braak Hammer topped the 144-player field with a stunning last-hole eagle to secure victory by two shots over England’s George Whitehead in front of a large crowd of ‘County’ members and volunteers.
An intense week of 5am starts and fast-running fairways saw the Northamptonshire County GC team gelling together to prove its status as one of England’s finest golf tournament venues, while one of the hottest Julys on record drew to a close.
Europe’s leading under-18 golfers spent the week at the Midlands golf club as the 86th English Boys’ Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship – better known as The Carris Trophy – played out towards an exciting finish on the club’s revered 6,721 yard Par 70 golf course, ending a 32-year wait for Northamptonshire County to host the event for a second time.
Just 14 golfers from the entire field finished under par by the end of the week as, once again, the 116 year old Harry Colt-designed golf course proved that an artful inland links-like mix of dry fairways and receptive, undulating greens can still challenge elite golfers more used to testing themselves on brutal tracks where prodigious hitting is the major requirement.
But, along with the talented young golfers on display, heroes were also to be found elsewhere as an army of volunteers deployed Factor 50 sun cream and frequent hydration breaks to combat the heat, and to keep the prestigious tournament running smoothly.
“We had to fill 196 volunteer positions during the week” said David Green, a former Captain, Treasurer and Chairman at Northamptonshire County GC, who marshalled the marshals all week in his role as volunteer coordinator. “From the more glamorous jobs, like starters and scoreboard-carriers, to less enviable tasks such as allocating who would direct the car parking, planning the event took at least four months of intense activity before the first players arrived.”
He continued: “A briefing from our friends at Luffenham Heath GC, last year’s Carris Trophy hosts, was very helpful, as were Scott Allison and the England Golf team. As we expected, my fellow ex-Captain Chris Winters and I found ourselves flat out through the week, with overall organisational responsibility for all aspects including a fleet of buggies which were in constant use ensuring that everyone stayed healthy during the very warm weather.
“It is gruelling but obviously rewarding to be entrusted with an event like the Carris Trophy, which brings so much history.”
Northamptonshire County’s General Manager, Rob Griffiths, said: “It was a truly exciting four days for all involved, but of course the preparations to host such a big event dominated much of the summer to date.
“I think we smashed it, to be honest. David’s team of volunteers were tirelessly professional and a credit to the golf club, and from the greenkeepers to the kitchen staff we proved that this historic golf club is absolutely made of the right stuff to host large-scale national events like this.”
With live scoring powering screens back at the clubhouse, and much 21st century tournament-management technology in evidence, the 86th Carris Trophy at Northamptonshire County GC was the epitome of the modern elite amateur golf tournament. “It was both a mental and physical workout for our team” said Griffiths, “but our people were brilliantly flexible in a week which will live long in the club’s memory.”
Van Braak Hammer’s stunning bogey-free 63 was the round of the final day, capped by his steely 15ft eagle putt on the 18th. It also equalled the low round of the week.
In a testament to the quality of the field, all of whom were aged under 18 on 1st January this year, scoring was slightly better than when the club last held Open Championship Qualifying, in 2024. However, club member Ben Jones’s course record of 62, set in 2019, still stands despite pre-event predictions that it would be under threat.
Rob Griffiths finished: “The course record didn’t fall, but we definitely set a new club record for the number of pizzas consumed in a single week!”
Martin Jaffrey, the club’s Chairman, said: “Some of Europe’s most exciting young golfers came to our club and put it through the toughest of tests – and Northamptonshire County’s members can stand tall with pride at how their club fared. Yet again we have proven that this is arguably the pre-eminent test of golf in the Midlands, every bit as good as the famous English heathland courses further south.
“We look forward to hosting more tournaments as prestigious as the 86th Carris Trophy in the future!”
To play the 2026 Carris Trophy venue, contact the club on 01604 843025 or visit www.countygolfclub.co.uk