Vagliano Trophy
The Vagliano Trophy began in 1931 as an annual competition between two teams of female amateur golfers selected to represent Great Britain & Ireland and France. Each contest consisted of three foursomes matches and six singles matches, played on a single day, with teams competing for a trophy presented by André Vagliano from the French Golf Federation.
Sixteen editions of the tournament took place up until 1957 and they were pretty one-sided affairs, with GB&I winning fifteen and drawing one of the matches. Great Britain & Ireland also played a series of matches against Belgium from 1949 to 1957 but the French and Belgian contests were amalgamated into a single 2-day biennial event versus the Continent of Europe in 1959.
There were five 36-hole foursomes played on the first day and ten 36-hole singles on the second – for a total of fifteen points – in 1959 and 1961. Ties were then reduced to 18-hole matches and between 1963 and 1973, the competition consisted of five foursomes and ten singles matches each day, giving a total of 30 points to play for.
Since 1975, the championship now comprises four foursomes and eight singles on each day, with 24 points up for grabs.
The GB&I v Europe chapter of the tournament started at the Wentworth Club in Surrey in 1959, with the home side winning 12-3 against their continental opponents. The GB&I ladies also won the next two contests and that set in train a streaky winning run phenomenon which has endured for almost sixty years.
Europe won three in a row from 1965 at Koln in Germany to Chantilly in France in 1969 but GB&I then responded with runs of four consecutive victories then six victories in a row between 1971 and 1993. Not to ...
The Vagliano Trophy began in 1931 as an annual competition between two teams of female amateur golfers selected to represent Great Britain & Ireland and France. Each contest consisted of three foursomes matches and six singles matches, played on a single day, with teams competing for a trophy presented by André Vagliano from the French Golf Federation.
Sixteen editions of the tournament took place up until 1957 and they were pretty one-sided affairs, with GB&I winning fifteen and drawing one of the matches. Great Britain & Ireland also played a series of matches against Belgium from 1949 to 1957 but the French and Belgian contests were amalgamated into a single 2-day biennial event versus the Continent of Europe in 1959.
There were five 36-hole foursomes played on the first day and ten 36-hole singles on the second – for a total of fifteen points – in 1959 and 1961. Ties were then reduced to 18-hole matches and between 1963 and 1973, the competition consisted of five foursomes and ten singles matches each day, giving a total of 30 points to play for.
Since 1975, the championship now comprises four foursomes and eight singles on each day, with 24 points up for grabs.
The GB&I v Europe chapter of the tournament started at the Wentworth Club in Surrey in 1959, with the home side winning 12-3 against their continental opponents. The GB&I ladies also won the next two contests and that set in train a streaky winning run phenomenon which has endured for almost sixty years.
Europe won three in a row from 1965 at Koln in Germany to Chantilly in France in 1969 but GB&I then responded with runs of four consecutive victories then six victories in a row between 1971 and 1993. Not to be outdone, Team Europe then replied with four straight wins (1995-2001) then seven on the spin (2017-2019).
So, in the “European era” of The Vagliano Trophy up until 2019, the spoils are evenly divided 15-15, with one match tied at Royal Porthcawl in 1979.
Four French clubs have hosted the event on a total of twelve occasions. Morfontaine has held five of these tournaments and Chantilly four. Several clubs have provided their facilities on a couple of different occasions to the R&A and European Golf Association who jointly administer the championship, including Hamburger Falkenstein (1985, 2009), Royal Porthcawl (1979, 2011) and Venezia (1989, 2001).
Two courses used in the competition do not feature below as they no longer exist. The first is Oxhey (1931) where Ted Ray was the professional from 1912 to 1940, and the second is Bramshot (1939) which never re-opened after World War II.Vagliano Trophy host courses
Berkshire (Red)
2nd


Many people say that there is nothing better than a day’s golf amongst the forest, heather and springy turf of the Berkshire Golf Club.
Bogogno (Conte)
9th

Del Conte is one of two Robert von Hagge courses at the impressive golf club Circolo Golf Bogogno.
Chantilly (Vineuil)
2nd


According to the old Big Bopper song, "Chantilly Lace had a pretty face and a wiggle in her walk". Golf de Chantilly is far more than a pretty face; it’s one of Europe’s most glorious courses.
County Louth
1st


The approach road to the links of County Louth Golf Club, or Baltray as it is better known, named after the local fishing village, is especially uplifting.
Fairmont St Andrews (Kittocks)
15th

The Kittocks course (previously known as the Devlin) sweeps alongside the rugged coastline where the views across St Andrews Bay towards the "auld grey toon" are sure to hold your attention.
Fairmont St Andrews (Torrance)
12th

Designed by Denis Griffiths with the late golfing legend Gene Sarazen and evergreen Scottish senior Sam Torrance as the headline grabbers, the Torrance course at Fairmont St Andrews sweeps dramatically down to the coastline.
Gullane (No.1)
3rd


Gullane Golf Club is blessed with the most exquisite turf – winter rules are not needed here. If you hit the No.1 course fairways, a perfect lie awaits, even in the depths of winter.
Halmstad (Norra)
2nd


Sweden has some fantastic golf courses and the Norra (North) course at Halmstad Golfklubb is one of them. It’s a surreal setting where you can smell the salty sea air and you can hear the sea, but you can’t see it.
Vagliano Trophy Leaderboard
Rank | Name | Courses Played |
---|---|---|
1 | Bob McCoy |
|
2 | Brian Ward |
|
3 | Jim McCann |
|
4 | Paul Rudovsky |
|
= | Malcolm Baker |
|
= | Joseph Andriole |
|
7 | Kimi Hoshiyama |
|
= | Tim Elliott |
|
= | David Davis |
|
10 | Georg Kittel |
|