Staff WriterIn a week that saw rain lash the Wirral coastline and umbrellas get more action than golf bags, Henry Styles and Lucy Jamieson emerged from the storm—literally and metaphorically—as the 2025 English Amateur Champions, hoisting their trophies on the hallowed turf of Royal Liverpool with poise, grit, and a little local magic.
The championship, split between Royal Liverpool and Wallasey, marked the 100th anniversary of this grand old tournament. It was the 95th edition of the men’s event, the 101st for the women’s, and the latest chapter in a century-long story that’s already featured the likes of Sir Nick Faldo, Paul Casey, Trish Johnson, Bronte Law, and one particularly floppy-haired Tommy Fleetwood.
Styles makes his mark
Henry Styles, a 19-year-old from Romford with the swagger of a streetwise Tiger cub, came into match play clinging to the 64-man bracket by his fingernails—qualifying 61st after two rounds of stroke play. But by the time he reached the 16th green on Sunday, he had turned that narrow thread into a shining ribbon of dominance, dispatching top seed Max Hopkins 5&4.
“It means so much,” said Styles, a past GB&I Jacques Leglise team player. “This was a big one on my calendar… I just about made [it] as I knew I had a chance.”
That “chance” turned into a masterclass in match play. Styles lost the first hole of the final but stormed back, winning five of the next six to go 4-up by the turn. Hopkins, to his credit, punched back with wins at 11 and 12. But any dreams of a comeback were dashed when Styles rattled in five birdies on the front nine of the afternoon round to extend his lead to five again. A win on 14 sealed it.
“Max is a fantastic player,” Styles added. “I played with him a few weeks ago and I was in awe. I’ve always said, ‘if I bogey the first, I’ll have a good day’… and I did. It ended up being a good day.”
In truth, it was a great day—for him, not so much for the drenched England Golf officials huddled indoors hoping their waterproofs were as good as the players’ swings.
Jamieson lives the dream on home soil
While Styles was stealing headlines, Lucy Jamieson was stealing hearts. The 24-year-old from Heswall—just a few par-fours south of Hoylake—won 3&1 over Grace Bowen in a thrilling women’s final that could have been scripted by Shakespeare (had he been partial to a raincoat and a bacon bap).
“It means the world,” said Jamieson, a former Royal Liverpool caddie. “Royal Liverpool is a little bit of a second home, so I’m happy.”
She had to fight for it. After taking a 1-up lead through 18 holes, Jamieson saw Bowen burst out of the lunch break like a woman on a mission—winning three straight holes to flip the match.
But in a gutsy reply, the home crowd favourite rattled off four wins between the 5th and 11th to go 3-up. Even when Bowen bit back on 12 and 13, Jamieson kept her cool, sinking a clutch birdie on 16 to go dormie-2 before sealing it on 17 with nerves of steel and a 10-foot birdie putt that never looked like missing.
“There were a lot of good putts holed, so it’s great that I was able to get it in the end,” she smiled.
The local support was thunderous. “All the support this week was brilliant,” she added. “Cheshire has been a massive part of my golf since I was young, plus all the support from Heswall has meant the world to me.”
Two paths, same destination
While their post-championship plans differ—Styles heads back to the University of San Francisco, Jamieson to a new job in St Andrews—their shared triumph at Royal Liverpool places them in a special league of English Amateur Champions who didn’t just lift silverware, but did so with style and story.
“This was my last event over here,” Styles said, looking westward. “Hopefully, I’ll get a win out there too.”
Jamieson, ever the realist, offered a smile and a hint of what’s next. “I start work a week on Monday and we’ll see what happens.”
Whatever happens next, it’s safe to say the class of 2025 won’t be forgotten. On a week when the golf was glorious, the weather was anything but, and the crowds braved both, Henry Styles and Lucy Jamieson didn’t just win—they joined history.
