M A T C H P L A Y
5 - 8 JUL 26
The Championship attracted unprecedented interest and was heavily oversubscribed, resulting in more than 25 entrants unfortunately being unsuccessful in the ballot. Every effort was made to retain as many travelling reserves as possible, allowing us to maximise participation should places become available. Despite this, a significant number of members were inevitably disappointed, as the course's capacity for the week limited the number of competitors that we could accommodate. Despite this, the Championship once again featured a full field, with 93 players competing in the main Matchplay competition and a further 10 travelling reserves, who would either step up to the main event or compete in a daily Stableford competition
The 35 lowest-handicap players gained automatic entry into the Championship, while the remaining 58 had to qualify on Sunday. Under overcast skies, the qualifier got underway, with the standard of the field once again highlighting the strength of the competition The automatic qualification cutoff fell to an exceptionally low handicap index of 27 this year, while the highest handicap in the field was just 76 The standard continues to rise year on year, making qualification increasingly competitive.
Notable results from the Sunday Qualifier included Sgt Sanman Thapa Magar RE’s impressive 8&7 victory over Sgt Lucky Gurung R Sigs and LCpl Ben Foster RE's commanding 7&5 victory over CSjt Yam Gurung RCAM. At the other end of the spectrum, two closely contested matches required extra holes to produce a winner, with WO1 James Butler RE overcoming Cpl Narayan Thapa AGC on the 19th, while Sgt Robert Heath AGC also prevailed on the 19th against WO2 Stephen Carson Inf.
With the qualifier complete, 29 players progressed into the main Matchplay competition, which got underway on Monday morning Those who did not advance were far from finished, competing instead in the Scratch Monday Stableford on the West course; a fiercely contested event in its own right, with the top 16 players securing a place in the Reserve Matchplay for the Keith Seddon Trophy, which got underway on Tuesday morning.
Those vying for a place in the Keith Seddon Trophy were greeted by dense mist that blanketed the entire course on Monday morning For a time, it appeared the opening tee time might have to be delayed, but as is often the case at Saunton, the visibility improved just enough to allow play to commence as scheduled at 0730hrs
Given the challenging conditions and the scratch Stableford format, scoring was understandably modest across the field The standout performance came from Sgt James Watson AGC, whose determined round of 29pts secured top spot on the leaderboard Sharing second place on 28pts were Sgt Tolok Gurung R Sigs and Capt Imbahadur Ghale RA.
The main Championship also got underway on Monday morning on the East course Like those competing in the Stableford, the players were greeted by dense mist that shrouded the course at first light. Fortunately, the conditions improved sufficiently for play to begin on schedule, setting the stage for another day of high-quality Matchplay between the Army's finest golfers.
Among the standout performances, Sgt Bikash Gurung RE recorded the largest winning margin of the day with an emphatic 7&6 victory over SSgt Ben Ware Int Corps There were also four convincing 6&5 wins, with Maj Jack Musgrove RA defeating CSgt Tom Purce Inf, Cpl Ross Greenwood RE beginning the defence of his title with a comfortable win over Sgt Benoy Gurung R Sigs, SSgt Matthew Bruce-Smith AGC overcoming SSgt Nil Thapa RLC, and SSgt Jit Thapa RE seeing off Sgt Daniel Birks RE At the opposite end of the scale, two matches produced gripping finishes. Maj Jonathan Howse RLC eventually prevailed over WO2 David Hughes REME on the 20th hole after a fiercely contested encounter, while LCpl Ben Foster RE required 21 holes to overcome Pte Alastair McNeill RAMS in the longest match of the opening round.
The afternoon round of the main Championship was played in far more favourable conditions. The morning mist had completely disappeared, leaving partly cloudy skies and a light breeze As the afternoon progressed, the cloud gradually gave way to sunshine, providing ideal conditions for another excellent round of Matchplay golf Among the standout results, defending champion LCpl Graeme Torrie RE continued his title defence with an
impressive 6&5 victory over Sgt Bikash Gurung RE, while Greenwood recorded a convincing 6&4 win against WO2 Clinton Hamblett RE The closest contest of the afternoon saw Sgt Prem Gurung R Sigs eventually overcome WO2 Kerry Roberts RA on the 20th hole after a hard-fought encounter.
The Denton Salver, contested by those defeated in the opening round of the Championship, once again featured a field of exceptionally talented golfers, making every match highly competitive Notable results included Gdsm Morgan Young Inf's 6&4 victory over LCpl Carl Gelder AGC and WO2 Bruce McAulay RA's commanding 6&5 win against Sgt Robert Heath AGC The closest encounter saw Lt Max Hunt RLC edge past Cpl Peter Forsyth R Sigs on the 20th hole to book his place in the next round
Monday also produced a memorable individual achievement, with WO2 Ryan Davies RAPTC recording a superb hole-in-one on the 5th hole of the East course An outstanding feat at any level of golf, his ace was recognised with the presentation of a commemorative certificate from the club
Tuesday also brought the first handicap Stableford (Micky Bryant Memorial Trophy) for those knocked out of the main Championship and the Denton Salver, those who had not qualified for the Keith Seddon Trophy, and the travelling reserves Warm, mainly sunny conditions provided a welcome contrast to Monday's morning mist, although the course continued to present a stern test. Once again, scoring reflected the challenge, with only 12 players returning 33pts or better The leading score of the day was an excellent 36pts from Pte Buluhang Rai AGC, who claimed victory on countback from Capt Dipendra Rai RLC A further four players
finished on 34pts: Cpl Cameron Weir RLC, LBdr Craig Cowie RA, SSgt Samuel Shrubsole REME and SSgt Bikash Gurung R Sigs Pte Buluhang Rai AGC is the 2026 Micky Bryant Memorial Trophy winner.
In the Denton Salver, the players progressing to the afternoon quarter-finals were Young, McNeill, Fus Harrison Benn Inf, Pte Bhupal Gurung AGC, WO1 David Grant AGC, WO1 Jay Pearson RE, Davies and Maj Gary Greaves R Sigs
The third round of the main Championship featured some of the Army's finest golfers, with the quality of the field becoming ever stronger as the competition progressed Played in warm sunshine with only a light breeze, the conditions allowed for some outstanding golf Among the standout results, Musgrove produced an impressive 5&4 victory over SSgt Chris Rosie RE, while Spr Adam Sutton RE emerged victorious after 20 holes in a hard-fought contest against Thapa Magar Sanman. By the conclusion of the morning's play, the remaining field was made up almost exclusively of the Army's leading players
As the afternoon drew to a close on a sunsoaked East course, the main Championship quarter-finals produced a series of compelling encounters in near-perfect conditions The standout match saw newcomer Sutton continue his impressive run through the competition, overcoming Musgrove in a closely fought contest that required an extra hole to decide the outcome In an all-Sapper battle, Greenwood defeated defending champion Torrie on the 19th hole, ending Torrie's title defence in dramatic fashion Bruce-Smith secured a convincing 4&3 victory over Maj Peter Brown REME, while Thapa J overcame Howse 2&1 to complete the semi-final line-up With the last four now confirmed, the competition remained wide open as the race for the title intensified.
The afternoon round of the Denton Salver also delivered plenty of excitement, with all four quarter-finals producing competitive Matchplay Young edged past McNeill 1Up, while Benn recorded a strong 4&3 victory over Gurung Bhupal Pearson defeated Grant 3&2, and Davies overcame Greaves by the same margin to secure their places in the semi-finals.
The Keith Seddon Trophy quarter-finals proved equally competitive. Sgt Adrian Bennett R Sigs edged past Cpl Aiden Dewar REME 2Up, while Maj Steve Johnson RAMS overcame Sgt James Watson AGC 1Up Cpl Laxmiraj Thapa Magar RLC defeated Cpl Alfie Haines RAMS 1Up, and Ghale secured a 2Up victory over Gurung Lucky The narrow margins across all four matches demonstrated the competitiveness of the field, with every player pushing hard for a place in the semi-finals
With semi-final line-ups now complete across all competitions, attention turned to who could handle the pressure as the tournament entered its closing stages. The forecast promised a hot and sunny Wednesday, setting the scene for another exciting day of high-quality Matchplay golf.
Wednesday began with an early start under a brightening sky, as the morning sun quickly broke through, and the breeze remained almost non-existent. With many players having already completed up to 90 holes by this stage of the week, the final day promised to be a demanding test of both skill and endurance Everything was set for an exciting conclusion to the Matchplay Championships
First onto the course were the semi-finalists
in the Keith Seddon Trophy, with Bennett taking on Johnson, while Thapa Magar Laxmiraj faced Ghale
In the Denton Salver, Young continued his pursuit of the title against Benn, while Pearson went head-to-head with Davies for a place in the final.
The main Championship semi-finals followed, with Sutton facing 2024 champion Greenwood, while Bruce-Smith took on Thapa Jit in a battle for a place in the prestigious final
Following a morning of outstanding ballstriking, impressive course management and composed Matchplay golf from all semifinalists, the stage was set for three exciting finals in the concluding session of the Championship The final pairings were:
Main Championship: Greenwood vs Bruce-Smith
Denton Salver: Benn vs Pearson
Keith Seddon Trophy: Bennett vs Thapa Magar Laxmiraj
In the Stableford competition (Bartley/Taylor Trophy), 97 players took to the West course, an equally demanding layout, requiring careful course management, with significant rewards available for those able to take advantage of the opportunities presented. By this stage of the week, many competitors were also using the round as valuable preparation for the forthcoming Inter Corps Championship, which would be played over the same course during the following two days The hot conditions appeared to lend themselves to stronger scoring, with 42 players returning scores of 30pts or better.
The leading performance of the day came from Carson, who posted an excellent 38pts to claim victory Maj Charles O’Shea RA and Hughes were also worthy of mention, both finishing with impressive scores of 37pts.
WO2 Stephen Paul Carson Inf is the 2026 Bartley/Taylor Trophy winner
First of the finals to tee off was the Keith Seddon Trophy, where Bennett produced a composed and impressive display to secure a convincing 5&3 victory over Thapa Magar Laxmiraj Bennett maintained control throughout the match, combining consistency and strong course management to close out the final and claim the trophy in style Sgt Adrian Bennett R Sigs is the 2026 Keith Seddon Trophy winner
The Denton Salver final proved a closely contested affair, with both players battling hard throughout The match remained finely balanced, with neither player able to gain a decisive advantage until the closing stages. Benn held his nerve when it mattered most, eventually securing a 2Up victory over Pearson to claim the title. Fus Harrison Benn Inf is the 2026 Denton Salver winner.
The main Championship final brought four days of excellent golf to a fitting conclusion. In a high-quality contest between two experienced competitors, Bruce-Smith faced Greenwood, the 2024 Matchplay Champion Having reached the semi-finals in 2022 and finished Runner-Up in 2023 to LCpl Tom Sanghera REME, Bruce-Smith’s previous performances demonstrated his consistent ability to compete at the highest level and he was determined to go one step further this year The early exchanges were closely fought, with both players showing the quality that had carried them through to the final.
However, Bruce-Smith began to gain control as the match progressed, producing consistent golf and taking advantage of key opportunities to build his lead He eventually closed out the match with a deserved 4&3 victory to claim the Championship title SSgt Matthew Bruce-Smith AGC(SPS) is the 2026 Paget Trophy winner.
Tue Stableford Winner
Wed Stableford Winner
Most Improved Player
The standard of play throughout the competition was outstanding, and sportsmanship remained exemplary, with many fine individual performances across the week. Congratulations go not only to the winners, but to all who took part The Matchplay Championship 2027 will take place at Saunton GC from Sun 4 to Wed 7 Jul 27.
Pte Buluhang Rai AGC
WO2 Stephen Paul Carson Inf
SSgt Jit Thapa RE