THE English Men’s Amateur Championship begins next week in the county.

It’s been won by Yorkshire players for the past two years, with Joe Dean of Lindrick succeeding at Alwoodley, while Nick Marsh of Huddersfield was the 2014 Champion.

This year the Championship will again be played in Yorkshire, at Ganton and Scarborough South Cliff Golf Clubs, from July 25-30 with 40 players from 26 county clubs amongst those targeting the title.

Shipley member Will Whiteoak, from Haworth, will be competing in the event.

Ahead of the competition, he said: "I've played in and out all season. You try prepare the best you can and then deal with what you can from there."

When asked about what position he was aiming for Will said: "I've not put a position on it. I've just got to try and play well and get into the matchplay. From there, anything can happen."

Will seems to be prepared and ready for the event, saying: "I just need to cut down on mistakes. My swing feels fine. I've played Ganton a few times before and the other one once."

Will will face stiff opposition. The field of 288 players includes the Amateur Champion Scott Gregory of Corhampton in Hampshire, who has just played in The Open. Alfie Plant, from Sundridge Park in Kent, is another proven winner, having triumphed in the Lytham Trophy earlier this year. He was also runner-up in this championship in 2015.

Ashton Turner of Kenwick Park in Lincolnshire was eighth in a recent Challenge Tour event in Denmark; Josh Hilleard of Farrington Park in Somerset won four titles in 22 days earlier this season; while Matthew Jordan of Royal Liverpool was runner-up in the Dutch U21 boys’ championship at the weekend.

The Championship starts with two stroke play qualifying rounds, one at each of the host clubs, before the top 64 players and ties go forward to the match play stages at Ganton.

Ganton is one of Britain’s great inland courses and one of only three clubs to have staged the Walker Cup, the Curtis Cup and the Ryder Cup. This will be the sixth time it has hosted the English amateur and there’s a sense of great anticipation at the club.

Richard Penley-Martin, the club secretary, said: “It’s an opportunity for us to see the young talent coming through and for them to play a classic course which still offers as great a challenge as it did 100 years ago.”

The gorse and the bunkers will test the players. “Much as it was at Royal Troon at The Open, it’s a case of plot your way around the course. Don’t open your shoulders and blast it!” said Richard.

Scarborough South Cliff, by contrast, is hosting the English Amateur for the first time – and relishing the prospect. Club secretary Shaun Smith said: “It’s the first time we’ve held anything of this stature, it’s something new for us and we are really excited.”

This is a course of two distinct parts, divided by the main road from Scarborough to Filey. On the seaward side the clifftop holes look on one side to the South Bay and Scarborough town and on the other towards Filey. On the landward side the holes are laid out along the bottom of a rolling valley stretching southwards into the hills and on the slope of a ridge to the east.

Shaun commented: “It’s fair but stern and if we get the usual sea breezes they will add to the challenge. There’s nothing tricked up about the course, no-one will rip it apart and no-one will come off complaining it’s too difficult.”

For more information including tee times, news, picture and scores visit www.englandgolf.org/mensamateur