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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.