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Student Series

Amateur champions chase Student Tour Series glory

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The R&A
10 Sep 24
3 mins
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Five national amateur champions are playing in the opening event of the 2024/25 R&A Student Tour Series (STS) at Halmstad Golf Club in Sweden. Throw in The St Rule Trophy winner, and that is testament to the STS’s growing strength in depth.

University of St Andrews student Ellie Monk is the current Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open winner, Stirling scholars Alexander Farmer and James Wood hold the respective Scottish Men's Amateur and Scottish Boys’ titles, Thomas Abom of Maynooth and University College London student Canice Screene are the reigning men’s and women’s Irish Amateur Close champions, while Halmstad University player Elice Fredriksson holds The St Rule Trophy.  Three of these six – Monk, Fredriksson and Abom – sit atop the leaderboards as the STS kicks off its fifth season of helping develop student golfers. Abom sits tied at the top of the men’s tournament with Stirling’s George Cannon after they shot five-under-par 67s. Fredrickson and Monk share the women’s number one spot with Stirling Scholar Ellie Docherty and Hanna Nilsson of Halmstad after level-par 72s in the swirling winds that swept across the 2007 Solheim Cup course.

Distinct home advantage

It is no surprise Fredriksson and Nilsson’s names are atop the leaderboard. They have a distinct advantage this week, given they know the golf course well from practising and playing here as Halmstad students. Fredriksson narrowly missed winning last season’s order of merit. She lost out to Maynooth University player Kate Lanigan by just three points. That disappointment has given the Halmstad student impetus for the current campaign. “I was so close last year so I want to win the Order of Merit to get in the Palmer Cup team,” said Fredriksson, who holed a 27-foot eagle putt on the second hole to signal her intentions early on.  The second year Halmstad student is already an STS winner, having triumphed in Spain to kick off the 2023/24 season. The plus five handicap player won the Svenska Juniortouren Elit #5 a month ago, but The St Rule Trophy has convinced her she can go one spot higher than last year’s silver medal order of merit finish. “That was a big win for me because it told me I’m better than I think.”
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2024 Irish Amateur Close winner Thomas Abom is making his debut STS appearance and following in the footsteps of elder brother Liam who also competed in the series.

Inspirational Curtis Cup

Ditto for Monk’s Helen Holm win. That and witnessing the recent Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup victory over Sunningdale Golf Club, her home course. Two-time STS Order of Merit champion and seven-time winner Lorna McClymont played a huge part in the GB&I victory. Monk is drawing off the Scot’s performance. “The Curtis Cup was inspirational for me, especially watching Lorna play her part and knowing she came through this Series,” Monk said. “She’s certainly set the standard we’re all trying to meet.”  Docherty knows McClymont’s game well. The Moray Golf Club member and McClymont are best friends and former roommates. “Lorna has been a massive help and inspiration for me,” said sports psychology student Docherty, who had made six birdies and had just 27 putts in her opening round. “Just practising with her has made the world of difference. I know I need to work as hard as she does to win out here.” Like Docherty, Nilsson has yet to win an STS tournament. She counts third-place finishes in Spain and France last season as her STS highlights, but is aiming to go two spots higher at least once in her final year of university. “The Student Tour has been the best for me because it’s challenged me,” Nilsson said. “I want to win in my last year to win the order of merit at St Andrews. That’s the goal.”

Following in his brother’s footsteps

Abom is making his debut STS appearance. He’s following the path of elder brother Liam, also a Maynooth student. The business and sports management scholar credits his Irish Amateur Close victory with providing the inspiration ahead of his Swedish appearance. “The Irish Close win means the confidence is high, so I have big expectations,” said Abom, who counted eagles at the 2nd and 11th holes and four birdies among his 67 shots. “I’ve been hearing about the Student Tour series from my brother and watched it get stronger every year. There are high quality fields. That’s one of the reasons I chose Maynooth.” Cannon burst on the Student Tour Series with a bang back in 2022 when he won the STS – Stirling International at Montrose on his debut. It’s been something of a whimper ever since. “I sort of hit a wall after I won,’” said the final-year University of Stirling student. “I made the mistake a lot of people make of thinking I was going to progress and get better, and realised golf just doesn’t work like that. It’s my last year, so I want to make the most of it.”  He's not alone.

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