European Amateur

The European Amateur Championship is an annual amateur golf tournament played at various locations throughout Europe. It is organized by the European Golf Association and was one of the "Elite" tournaments recognized by the World Amateur Golf Ranking. It was first held in 1986.

The winner receives an invitation to the next Open Championship, provided they maintain their amateur status prior to the Open. Before 2016, the European Amateur was played after the Open and the invitation was for the next year's Open. Since 2017, the European Amateur has been played before the Open and the invitation applies to the current year. Both 2016 and 2017 winners received entry to the 2017 Open.

Format

The top 144 amateur men golfers compete in a format consisting of four rounds of stroke play, with a cut after the third round, out of which the lowest 60 scores, including ties, qualify for the final round.

Winners

Year Venue Location Player Country Score To par Margin
of victory
Runner(s)-up
2025 Vasatorp Golf Club Sweden Filip Jakubčík Czech Republic 280 −8 3 strokes Kristian Bressum
2024 The Scandinavian Golf Club Denmark Tommy Morrison  United States 279 −9 Playoff Max Kennedy
Preston Summerhays
2023 Pärnu Bay Golf Links Estonia José Luis Ballester  Spain 267 −21 2 strokes James Ashfield
Mads Laage
2022 Parador Campo de Golf El Saler Spain Filippo Celli  Italy 280 −8 1 stroke Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
2021 Golf du Médoc France Christoffer Bring  Denmark 264 −20 2 strokes Ludvig Åberg
2020 Golf & Country Club Zürich Switzerland Matti Schmid (2)  Germany 273 −11 3 strokes Nick Bachem
2019 Diamond Country Club Austria Matti Schmid  Germany 273 −15 3 strokes Euan Walker
2018 Royal Hague G&CC Netherlands Nicolai Højgaard  Denmark 281 −7 1 stroke Robin Dawson
Viktor Hovland
Jerry Ji
Mitch Waite
2017 Walton Heath Golf Club England Alfie Plant  England 273 −15 Playoff Luca Cianchetti
Lorenzo Scalise
2016 Estonian G&CC Estonia Luca Cianchetti  Italy 272 −16 Playoff Viktor Hovland
2015 Penati Golf Resort Slovakia Stefano Mazzoli  Italy 269 −19 1 stroke Gary Hurley
2014 The Duke's St Andrews Scotland Ashley Chesters (2)  England 282 −2 3 strokes Gary Hurley
Max Röhrig
2013 Real Club de Golf El Prat Spain Ashley Chesters  England 284 −4 1 stroke David Morago
2012 Carton House Ireland Rhys Pugh  Wales 277 −11 1 stroke James Frazer
2011 Halmstad Golf Club Sweden Manuel Trappel  Austria 278 −10 Playoff Steven Brown
2010 Vanajanlinna G&CC Finland Lucas Bjerregaard  Denmark 273 −15 1 stroke Tommy Fleetwood
Andrea Pavan
2009 Golf de Chantilly France Victor Dubuisson  France 277 1 stroke Ross Kellett
2008 Esbjerg Golf Club Denmark Stephan Gross  Germany 280 1 stroke Richard Kind
2007 Sporting Club Berlin Germany Benjamin Hébert  France 277 Playoff Joel Sjöholm
2006 Biella Golf Club Italy Rory McIlroy  Northern Ireland 274 3 strokes Steve Lewton
2005 Antwerp G&CC Rinkven Belgium Marius Thorp  Norway 280 1 stroke Rafa Cabrera-Bello
Matthew Cryer
2004 Skövde Golf Club Sweden Matthew Richardson  England 273 1 stroke Gary Lockerbie
2003 Nairn Golf Club Scotland Brian McElhinney  Ireland 283 1 stroke Pablo Martín
Matthew Richardson
Michael Thannhäuser
2002 Troia Golf Club Portugal Raphaël Pellicioli  France 284 5 strokes James Heath
2001 Odense Eventyr Golf Denmark Stephen Browne  Ireland 270 −18 5 strokes Stuart Wilson
2000 Styrian GC Murhof Austria Carl Pettersson  Sweden 263 −25 5 strokes Panu Kylliäinen
Graeme McDowell
1999 Celtic Manor Wales Grégory Havret  France 207 −9 2 strokes Barry Hume
1998 Golf du Médoc France Paddy Gribben  Ireland 274 −10 2 strokes Craig Williams
Gary Wolstenholme
1997 Domaine Impérial Switzerland Didier de Vooght  Belgium 278 −10 3 strokes Luke Donald
Robert Duck
Sergio García
1996 Karlstad Golf Club Sweden Daniel Olsson  Sweden 276 −8 1 stroke Barclay Howard
Maarten Lafeber
1995 El Prat Golf Club Spain Sergio García  Spain 276 −12 1 stroke Mattias Eliasson
1994 Aura Golf Club Finland Stephen Gallacher  Scotland 278 −6 2 strokes Lee S. James
Gordon Sherry
1993 Dalmahoy Hotel G&CC Scotland Morten Backhausen  Denmark 276 Playoff Lee Westwood
1992 Le Querce Golf Club Italy Massimo Scarpa  Italy 284 −4 4 strokes Fredrik Andersson
Bradley Dredge
1991 Hillside Golf Club England Jim Payne  England 281 4 strokes Álvaro Prat
1990 Aalborg Golf Club Denmark Klas Eriksson  Sweden 279 5 strokes Paul Moloney
1989 No tournament
1988 Falkenstein Golf Club Germany David Ecob  Australia 284 E 1 stroke Cristian Härdin
Borja Queipo de Llano
1987 No tournament
1986 Eindhoven Golf Club Netherlands Anders Haglund  Sweden 282 3 strokes David Gilford

In 2017, Plant won with a birdie at the second hole of a sudden-death playoff after he and Cianchetti had earlier tied a three-hole playoff at level par, Scalise being eliminated at one-over-par. In 2016, Cianchetti won with a par at the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff after he and Hovland had earlier tied a three-hole playoff. In 2010, Trappel won the three-hole playoff. In 1993, Backhausen won the three-hole playoff by two strokes.