Hampshire golf captain Neil Dawson looking for youngsters to shine in this weekend’s county championship at Stoneham

The North Hants GC member is looking forward to seeing all the players currently on golf scholarships in the States back in action when the 36-hole qualifier is played on the first day.

And with the county championship having been brought forward a week to avoid clashing with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the event does not clash with the St Andrews Links Trophy. That means players with international ambitions can play both events for the first time in more than 10 years.

Last year, Bramshaw’s Joe Buenfeld and Jo Hacker, from Jersey’s La Moye, played their way into the county first team for the clashes with Sussex and Surrey after strong showings in the weekend matchplay at North Hants.

Hacker – who plays for Jacksonville University - claimed the Sloane-Stanley Challenge Cup by beating Hayling’s Toby Burden in an exciting finish to the final.

Burden had knocked out Buenfeld, the 2019 European Junior Amateur Champion, who is now playing at Texas’ Incarnate Word University, in the quarter-finals.

Dawson had to pick two squads for the opening South East League games against Kent and Dorset without any of his American-based players.

But it is the date switch that should ensure one of the strongest county championships in many a year.

Dawson said: ‘In the past, our England stars like Darren Wright, Neil Raymond, Harry Ellis and Scott Gregory have missed the county championship at their peaks because of the clash with the St Andrews Links.

‘Neil and Justin Rose are the only Hampshire players to have won the St Andrews, yet neither name is on the Sloane- Stanley.

‘Harry and Scott were able to play when they were younger but while they were winning the English and Amateur Championships, they could not play in our top event, which is a shame in that the Sloane-Stanley is missing some names you would expect to be on it.

‘Justin lost in the 1997 final when he was 16 – that was his only real shot at it, because he turned pro just over a year later after starring in The Open as an amateur.

‘Even Sam Hutsby, the next Hampshire player after Justin to play in the Walker Cup against the Americans, missed several county championships because of the clash.’

Dawson is also hoping the fact that event is being played at Stoneham – where his best players get to play regularly – will see plenty of opportunities for birdies and eagles.

And he believes the new date will means supporters will see one of the best county championships, certainly in modern history.

He added: ‘I will be watching closely to see if there are any more of the promising youngsters that we have are ready to pull on the county shirt.

‘Jo and Toby played some great golf in last year’s final, and Jo deserved his selection, having produced a birdie, birdie finish to win on the last.’

Lee-on-the-Solent’s George Saunders – who finished 58th in the English Amateur Strokeplay Championship, at Saunton, on Sunday – will head to Stoneham fresh from this week’s Lagonda Trophy event at Gog Magog, near Cambridge.

Saunders, who was the only Hampshire player to qualify for the Brabazon Trophy, shot a 16-over par total.

He had been in the top 20 on four-over at the halfway mark at the North Devon links course.