The Bonallack Trophy is an amateur golf competition on the model of the Ryder Cup which opposes every two years a European team and a team representing Asia/Pacific. The venue alternates between courses in Europe and Asia/Pacific. The 2010 competition in Bengaluru, India was cancelled as a result of the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland, which shut down European air space and isolated European players.
Contents
The first competition took place in 1998 in Perth, Australia. Europe leads the series 6 wins to 2.
Format
The Bonallack Trophy involves various match play competitions between players selected from two teams of twelve representing Europe and Asia-Pacific. It takes place over three days, with a total of 32 matches being played, all matches being over 18 holes. The first two days comprise five foursomes matches each morning and five four-ball matches each afternoon. On the final day, there are 12 singles matches, when all twelve players compete.
The winner of each match scores a point for his team, with a half point each for any match that is tied after the 18 holes. The winning team is determined by cumulative total points. In the event of a tie (16 points each) the Bonallack Trophy is retained by the previous holder.
A foursomes match is a competition between two teams of two golfers. On a particular hole the golfers on the same team take alternate shots playing the same ball. One team member tees off on all the odd-numbered holes, and the other on all the even-numbered holes. Each hole is won by the team that completes the hole in the fewest shots. A fourball match is also a competition between two teams of two golfers, but all four golfers play their own ball throughout the round rather than alternating shots. The better score of the two golfers in a team determines the team's score on a particular hole; the score of the other member of the team is not counted. Each hole is won by the team whose individual golfer has the lowest score. A singles match is a standard match play competition between two golfers.
European Team selection
The World Amateur Golf Rankings are used as the main reference for the selection process, in addition to a small number of players selected by the captain (known as "captain's picks"). According to the match conditions, no more than two players may be selected from the same country.