A PLACE in the history books beckons for England number one Neil Raymond when the Hampshire ace tees it up at Prince’s today as the qualifying rounds of the British Amateur Championship gets under way in Kent.

Not only does the winner earn a place in the Open Championship at Muirfield next month, they would also receive an invite to the 2014 Masters at Augusta – providing the winner is still an amateur come April next year – and the US Open at Pinehurst’s famous No. 2 course next June.

But, having become the first Hampshire amateur to win the St Andrews Link Trophy since Justin Rose in 1997 at the Home of Golf last weekend, Corhampton’s Raymond would love to reinforce his tag as the best amateur in the country right now with another historic week on the Kent links.

Raymond has a track record for rewriting the amateur record books. He became the first player to win the Brabazon Trophy outright in more than 50 years after retaining the English Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship at Walton Heath at the end of June, last year. Next week he will be bidding for the first hat-trick in the Brabazon when England Golf’s premier strokeplay event moves to Formby. But first there is the small matter of a round at Prince’s – the links course which sits alongside Royal St George’s, overlooking Pegwell Bay on the east Kent coast. Just a couple of miles further south sits Royal Cinque Ports, the host club which will stage the matchplay rounds from Wednesday, with the final due to be played on Saturday.

Liphook’s Sam Hutsby came tantalisingly close to breaking Hampshire’s duck in the British four years ago at Formby when he lost 3&2 to Matteo Manassero, who won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last month. Raymond is a late-bloomer in amateur turns, having already turned 27, and his dream was always to turn pro after a Walker Cup appearance – his first Brabazon win came just too late to force his way into Nigel Edwards’ team two years ago.

He has started the season well, reaching the final of the Spanish Amateur Championship, losing to Northern Ireland’s Reeve Whtison 4&3 at La Manga in March, before his St Andrews triumph. His win in Scotland – in front of Edwards, who will lead the team in two months’ time at the National Golf Links of America, in Southampton, Long Island, should have locked up Raymond’s place in the Great Britain and Ireland team that will defend the trophy won at Royal Aberdeen, in 2011.

All five English members of the 10-man team have since turned pro, with 2011 Portuguese Masters Champion Tom Lewis and Andy Sullivan already making their mark on the European Tour. The Corhampton member’s quest for another strong showing this week begins with his first round at Prince’s, at 1.13pm, when he tees it up with American Sean Dale.

A total of 288 players will be battling for one of 64 places in the knockout. Hampshire have a very strong trio in the British with Faldo Series winner Jack Singh-Brar, who is just 16, and 17-year-old reigning British Amateur Champion Harry Ellis, from Meon Valley G&CC, both making their debut in the event, which dates back to 1885.