ST ANNES, ENGLAND | The Lytham Trophy is viewed by many European nations as an essential learning curve for its future golfing stars – a vital opportunity to introduce youngsters to the subtleties of the linksland game.
It’s an equally important steppingstone for British and Irish golfers, all the more so in a Walker Cup year, but England’s Frank Kennedy took the educational experience a step further by getting Fanny Sunesson, Nick Faldo’s long-time caddie, to carry his bag.
It proved to be an inspired decision as the veteran Swede helped the 17-year-old plot his way around Royal Lytham & St Annes in a 2-under par total of 278, good enough for a two-stroke victory Sunday over Spain’s Luis Masaveu and Wales’ James Ashfield.
The 36-hole final day began in wet and windy fashion, with Kennedy and Masaveu sharing a one-shot lead over Ashfield. On the par-3 fifth hole, the Kennedy and Sunesson combination got down to business. The latter came first, removing her waterproofs to reveal shorts. “Are you actually feeling warm?” the youngster gasped before following her lead in defying the cold crosswind to lash a long iron to 3 feet. He missed the putt, but his initial blow had forced the Spaniard into a mistake, opening an advantage that he extended to four by the end of 54 holes.
The fifth would play a key role in the final round, too, being the scene of a hole-in-one for Masaveu that thrust him back into the title hunt. Conditions were now dry, sunny and still, yet Kennedy was wobbling, leaving the seventh green 3-over for his round as his challengers headed in the opposite direction.
“It was definitely a battle,” Kennedy conceded afterwards. “I’d played so well from tee-to-green in the morning, but then I made a slow start in the afternoon and a few silly mistakes crept in.”
He pulled it back with bounce-back birdies at Nos. 8 and 9, and, although a nervy three-putt at the 16th reduced his lead to one, he held firm while Masaveu and Ashfield made late bogeys.
Kennedy, whose father is Nick Faldo’s agent, was full of praise for Sunesson’s strategic input. “She told me not to attack when I didn’t need to and to play to areas where I could make birdie,” he said. “There was a lot of hitting to zones all week.”
For Sunesson, the victory represented payback because she had caddied for Faldo when he played in the last group during the final round of the 1996 Open, alongside eventual champion Tom Lehman.
It also transpired that, while Kennedy is still building his CV, Sunesson was filling another gap. “It’s the first time I have caddied an amateur to a win,” she said as Kennedy lifted the trophy. “Not a bad place to do it.”
RESULTS
Matt Cooper