ST ANNES, ENGLAND | “If at first you don’t succeed,” wrote the poet William Hickson, “try again.”
They are sentiments close to the heart of England’s Will Hopkins after he ended a run of near misses with victory in the 58th Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham & St Annes, defeating the Welsh pair of Tomi Bowen and James Ashfield in a three-hole playoff on Sunday.
Hopkins, a 24-year-old Kansas State University graduate, pounced in extra holes after a dramatic conclusion to regulation play during which tournament leader Ashfield called a referee’s attention to his ball moving in the rough on the 72nd hole.
Ashfield was certain that he was not responsible for the movement, and spectators reported to the referee that the ball’s new position was worse than the original, but after a long discussion he incurred a penalty shot. With a bogey, he dropped to a 1-under total of 279, which tied the clubhouse lead of Hopkins and Bowen.
In the extra holes which followed, one moment counted: as the sun sent long shadows across the course, Hopkins hit his 185-yard approach to the second green to 5 feet and drained the birdie putt. He parred the 18th to complete victory with a three-hole total of 1-under, with Bowen level and the unlucky Ashfield 1-over.
''As I walked to the 11th green, I saw a leaderboard and suddenly I knew I had a chance.”
Will Hopkins
Before then, Hopkins had transformed his fortunes by giving himself a much-needed talking-to over lunch after a morning third round of 73 had left him seven shots adrift of the 54-hole lead set by Royal Lytham member Jamie Van Wyk.
“It was a very shaky third round,” Hopkins conceded afterwards. “I had to dig deep just to shoot 3-over. I sat with a sandwich and just told myself to go back to the basics of breathing, routine and rhythm. I reminded myself that Royal Lytham isn’t a golf course you can take on. I said, ‘stay patient and let the opportunities come to you.’”
The turning point came at the par-5 seventh, recently remodelled with the green moved 25 yards back, and the famous mound on the right removed and replaced by a steep runoff.
“I hit a 3-wood to 8 feet, and that’s when I knew I was playing well,” Hopkins said. He two-putted for birdie and added another par-breaker at the ninth, unaware that the pacesetter, Van Wyk, was struggling. “Then, as I walked to the 11th green, I saw a leaderboard and suddenly I knew I had a chance.”
His response was emphatic. Hopkins immediately drained another birdie putt and added one more at 16 to complete a bogey-free 4-under 66, the low round of the week.
His victory came after four top-10s earlier this year, including third place at the European Nations Cup in Sotogrande, Spain, during the last time out.
“I had a chance to win there in Spain, and it just didn’t work out,” he said. “But I learned a big lesson. You’ve got to get used to those feelings and to understand how you react. I’m very proud that when I had another chance, I took it.”
For Bowen, it was a second close run in as many starts after he finished second in the Welsh Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship at Conwy two weeks ago.
Ashfield will be feeling even more stung after his misfortune. His confidence has been on the up since his Walker Cup debut, and he was looking for a second win of the year after he prevailed in the European Nations Cup. Moreover, he was desperate to go one better than his runner-up finish in the 2023 Lytham Trophy. Alas, it was not to be and it clearly, and understandably, hurt.
As it did for the popular Van Wyk, for whom the galleries were the biggest of the day, including Bill Beaumont, the English rugby union legend and fellow Royal Lytham member.
Playing in the final group, Van Wyk held a three-shot lead at lunch, but the break came at the wrong moment, giving his rivals the chance to regroup and introducing him to a clubhouse full of good wishes and expectant friendly faces.
He dropped four shots in the first six holes of the final round but is no quitter, as evidenced by the three jobs he maintains to fund his career. He steadied the ship around the turn before thrilling the crowds with back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 to revive his hopes and rejoin the lead.
As he pushed for an emotional triumph, however, three dropped shots dropped him into a share of fifth with Ukraine’s Lev Grinberg and South Africa’s Daniel Bennett, one shot behind yet another Welshman, Matt Roberts, in solo fourth.
RESULTS
Matt Cooper