The annual continent-wide celebration of European golf ended with England’s senior females celebrating after they completed a successful defence of their European Ladies’ Team Championship.
Four of the victorious team from 2021 at Northern Ireland’s Royal County Down – Caley McGinty, Rosie Belsham, Annabell Fuller and Charlotte Heath – were joined by Lottie Woad and Amelia Williamson to complete a nerve-shredding victory over Italy in the final at Conwy Golf Club in Wales.
The dominant half-dozen had qualified from the stroke-play stages as the first seed, thrashed the home team in the quarterfinals, edged a powerful Swedish lineup in the last four, but were pushed by Italy in the final. The morning foursomes were halved before the English asserted their favouritism in the singles, with 18-year-old Woad’s match proving crucial in the 4½-2½ win.
“Last year the team were underdogs in the final against Sweden and played out their skins. This year we had the pressure of defending, but the win will carry a special resonance for us all.
Jenny Henderson
All square with four holes to play against Benedetta Moresco, Woad closed her match and the contest on the 17th with a nervy-but-triumphant two-putt. “I just had to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes,†she said. “I left my first putt short. At least the 2-footer I had for the win was straight!â€
England Golf assistant performance manager Jenny Henderson, the team’s manager for the tournament, said: “Last year the team were underdogs in the final against Sweden and played out their skins. This year we had the pressure of defending, but the win will carry a special resonance for us all.
“The whole team played their hearts out, and I couldn’t be prouder of what they have achieved as a group. In the end, it all came down to Lottie’s match. She may be a rookie in terms of women’s team experience, but she was ready to make the step up and this week proved it.â€
The men’s event travelled to Royal St. George’s, host of last year’s Open, where Spain claimed the title for a fifth time, but first since 2017. The team, comprising David Puig, Jose Luis Ballester, Luis Masaveu, Quim Vidal, Javier Barcos and Alessandro Aguilera, led the stroke-play qualifiers before edging Ireland in the last eight and comfortably dispatching Denmark in the semifinals.
As in the women’s event, the morning foursomes of the final were shared before the Spanish dominated the singles to complete a 4½-2½ win.
Elsewhere, the German team defended the Boys’ Championship with victory in the final over England on home soil at St. Leon-Rot, and France defeated Sweden at a windy Oddur Golf Club in Iceland to land the Girls’ Championship.
RESULTS
Despite using a ragtag set of clubs that were store-bought the day before the tournament began, plus a borrowed putter, American Mike McCoy found himself in the hunt after two rounds of the Senior Amateur Championship at Royal Dornoch in Scotland.
And then, with his own clubs returned by the airline in time for the third round, McCoy galloped away from the field despite howling winds on the northeast coast. Playing what he called “one of the best rounds of my life,†McCoy shot 1-under 69, the only under-par round of the day, to open up a commanding nine-stroke lead.
“I was patient and in a good frame of mind. I just was not going to let the wind get in my head,†he told Global Golf Post after his victory.
McCoy began the final round as the only player in red figures on 5-under-par. He extended his lead to 12 shots after just four holes and never was in any danger of being overtaken. He had the luxury of an 8-over 78 in strong crosswinds to post a 3-over 283 total and win by seven shots over fellow American Lee Porter.
“Up until the end, I played some of the best golf of my life in this wind,†McCoy said. “I knew I had a big lead, and I was maybe protecting it a bit today. I was patient all week, which was key. I probably lost a little bit on the back nine today, but I just kept my chin up. I grinded hard at the start, and when I made the turn after nine I knew I had a lot (of shots) to work with.â€
McCoy is the second consecutive Iowa golfer to lift the trophy, following close friend and fellow Des Moines resident Gene Elliott. The 2021 champion was on hand to spray his neighbor with champagne when McCoy holed out on the 18th green. McCoy, 59, who will lead next year’s U.S. Walker Cup team at St Andrews, credited Elliott for inspiring him to victory. “After Gene won, I definitely made it a goal this year to win this championship. I thought if I worked hard maybe it would become my turn.â€
In a touching move, McCoy attempted to return the borrowed putter to Dornoch teaching professional Gary Dingwall after the final round, but Dingwall declined the offer. “It’s your putter now,†Dingwall told McCoy. The club likely will remain in the bag through the Senior Open Championship next week at Gleneagles, McCoy said.
For the first time, the men and women played alongside one another in the R&A Senior Amateur events at Royal Dornoch in Scotland. Canadian Terrill Samuel’s win in the Women’s Senior Amateur may not have been as dominating as American Mike McCoy’s in the men’s event, but the rebound from a difficult third round was every bit as impressive for Samuel.
After trailing 36-hole leader Anna Morales of Peru by one stroke, Samuel slumped to a third-round 85 in the strong winds that sent scores soaring. However, the 61-year-old English-born Canadian never gave up. She returned a closing 3-over 75 for a 22-over 309 total to defeat 2019 champion Lara Tennant of the U.S. by two shots.
“It’s unbelievable to do win on this course, in such tough conditions,†Samuel said. “I played poorly on the front nine yesterday, but today I made a great start and that helped me mentally. It made me hang in there, and I just battled hard over the back nine.
“This is my biggest win in golf, because I was born in the U.K. and moved to Canada with my parents when I was 2 months old. I used to come over every year and spend time with my grandparents in Cornwall and play amateur events over here, so it feels like a home win.â€
Staff and Wire Reports
