Tim Wiedemeyer’s victory at the European Amateur earns him a spot in the Open Championship.
Courtesy ega
Tim Wiedemeyer overcame a poor start to win last week’s European Amateur Championship and with it earned himself a start in this year’s Open at Royal Birkdale.
The 21-year-old opened his account at Linna Golf Club in Finland with a 1-over-par round of 73 that left him eight shots off the lead and tied 80th, but rebounded with two 65s to hold a two-shot 54-hole advantage.
The lead did not last long because he opened the final round with a bogey while his nearest challenger, Nevill Ruiter from the Netherlands, started his round with a birdie.
The pair both made fours at the par-5 second before their passage around the turn proved decisive. Wiedemeyer added three par breakers in that stretch while Ruiter could manage only one.
The pair swapped a bogey and birdie apiece late in the back nine before Wiedemeyer’s 13-under total of 271 earned him a two shot victory.
The pair were the only contenders on the final day with Ruiter eventually finishing four strokes clear of Italy’s Riccardo Fantinelli, England’s Edward Featherstone and France’s Arthur Carlier, but the Italian won the bronze medal on countback (he carded a final round 64).
Wiedemeyer was entitled to feel nervous as he hit the final tee because two years ago at The Scandinavian Club in Denmark he’d made four consecutive birdies to grab the lead and needed only a par on 18 to win the championship.
“I had a rough start to the tournament so the only thing I could do was stick to that plan and control the things I could control, and that’s what I tried to do today.”
Tim Wiedemeyer
Alas, he instead lurched to a quadruple bogey-9 to fall back into a share of fifth.
He admitted afterwards that memories of that horror show had drifted into his mind as he walked up the final few holes.
“I was just trying to execute my game plan,” he said. “I had a rough start to the tournament so the only thing I could do was stick to that plan and control the things I could control, and that’s what I tried to do today.
“I don’t know what to think right now. It’s going to take a bit of time to sink in. I’m just so happy to get it done.”
The prospect of a major championship debut was understandably exciting.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’m just going to try and learn as much as possible and whatever happens there, happens.”
Wiedemeyer was not alone in booking a spot at the 154th Open. The championship marked the end of The Open Amateur Series, which takes in results from the St Andrews Links Trophy, the Amateur Championship and European Amateur Championship.
France’s Lev Grinberg, the St Andrews Links Trophy champion and first round leader in Linna (ahead of finishing in a share of sixth) topped the rankings to guarantee his own major championship debut.
Matt Cooper
