With golfing eyes very much focused on the Middle East for the next five weeks, attention turns first to the Team Cup in Abu Dhabi this week, where the pros from Continental Europe take on GB&I in a Ryder Cup-style warm-up match on the DP World Tour.
You’d be forgiven for not realising that, in Ras Al Khaimah, a very similar event is taking place within the amateur side of the game: the Bonallack Trophy and Patsy Hankins Trophy.
The Bonallack Trophy is a prestigious amateur male golf event, modelled on the Ryder Cup, where every two years teams representing Europe and Asia-Pacific compete against each other, with the venue alternating between courses in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
The inaugural event took place in 1998 in Perth, Australia, and has since become a key fixture in the amateur golf calendar. In 2016, to further promote women’s golf and recognise the talent emerging from the Asia-Pacific region, the Patsy Hankins Trophy was introduced alongside the Bonallack Trophy.
The event has consistently attracted strong fields, with past participants including future Major champions such as Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Rory McIlroy, and Shane Lowry. Other notable players who have competed include Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith, and Jon Rahm.
The format of both the Bonallack and Patsy Hankins Trophies follows that of the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, featuring various match-play formats between two teams of 12. Over the course of three days, a total of 32 matches will be played, each contested over 18 holes. The first two days will feature five foursomes matches and five four-ball matches. The final day will see all 12 players compete in 12 singles matches.
Here are the teams for the 2025 Bonallack Trophy and Patsy Hankins Trophy:
Bonallack Trophy:
Team Europe (Non-playing Captain, Joachim Fourquet, France)
Jose Luis Ballester (Spain)
Dominic Clemons (England)
Charlie Forster (England)
Lev Grinberg (Ukrain)
Filip Jacubčík (Czech Republic)
Algot Kleen (Sweden)
Pablo Ereño Perez (Spain)
B. Reuter (Netherlands)
G. A. Sveinsson (Iceland)
R. Teder (Estonia)
P. Wernicke (Germany)
Tim Wiedemeyer (Germany)
Team Asia Pacific (Non-playing Captain Rishi Narain, India)
Joshua Bai (New Zealand)
Enrique Dimayuga (Philippines)
Thanawin Lee (Thailand)
Phichaksn Maichon (Thailand)
Nguyen Anh Minh (Vietnam)
Taishi Moto (Japan)
Rintaro Nakano (Japan)
Jeffrey Wong Ngai Shen (Hong Kong)
Kartik Singh (India)
Zach Swanwick (New Zealand)
Hiroshi Tai (Singapore)
Zhou Ziqin (China)
Patsy Hankins Trophy:
Team Europe (Non-playing Captain, Myrte Eikenaar, The Netherlands)
Emma Bunch (Denmark)
Beth Coulter (Ireland)
Aine Donegan (Ireland)
Francesca Fiorellini (Italy)
Carolina Lopez-Chacarra (Spain)
Marie Eline Madsen (Denmark)
Carolina Melgrati (Italy)
Patience Rhodes (England)
Louise Rydqvist (Sweden)
Nora Sundberg (Sweden)
Rocio Tejedo (Spain)
Lottie Woad (England)
Team Asia Pacific (Non-playing Captain, Joanne McKee, Hong Kong)
Eila Galitsky (Thailand)
Sophie Han (Hong Kong)
Cindy Hsu Huai-chien (Chinese Taipei)
Jeong Min-seo (Korea)
Arianna Lau (Hong Kong)
Vivian Lu (New Zealand)
Aira Nagasawa (Japan)
Ren Yijia (China)
Mamika Shinichi (Japan)
Suvichaya Vinichaitham (Thailand)
Mirabel Ting (Malaysia)
Zhou Shiyuan (China)
Main Image: Al Hamra Golf Club
