English Men’s Amateur Championship: Bishop’s Stortford golfer Max Hopkins beats Alfie Storer and Monty Holcombe to reach quarter-finals

Max Hopkins continued his quest to lift the English Men’s Amateur Championship trophy by winning two matchplay contests on Friday (August 1) to reach the quarter-finals.

The Bishop’s Stortford Golf Club member began the day with a commanding 7&6 success over Cookridge Hall’s Alfie Storer in their last-32 match at Royal Liverpool.

He then held his nerve to finish 1 up against England international Monty Holcombe, of Walton Heath, in the last 16 at the Hoylake course on the Wirral.

Holcombe was 2 up after four holes before Hopkins, who works shifts behind the bar at The Star in Bridge Street, battled back to be 1 up after 10.

The pair were tied after 17 holes and Hopkins, who attended Hockerill Anglo-European College in Stortford and Leventhorpe School in Sawbridgeworth, triumphed on the 18th.

Hopkins will play his quarter-final tomorrow (Saturday August 2) as well as a potential semi-final. The 36-hole final takes place on Sunday (August 3).

The Stortford golfer had made a superb start to the competition on Tuesday (July 29) in the stroke play part when he equalled the Royal Liverpool course record set by Masters and US Open winner Jon Rahm. He shot a nine-under-par 63 in the first round, matching the score of Spaniard Rahm at the 2023 Open Championship.