The ever-more cosmopolitan nature of European golf was confirmed on Saturday when Filip Jakubčík became the first golfer from Czechia to win the European Amateur Championship.
The 21-year-old from Holešov, who plays for the University of Arizona, won the Western Intercollegiate as both a junior and a sophomore, becoming the first golfer to successfully defend the title since 1966. He also won 2½ points in his four matches when the International team defeated the United States in last month’s Palmer Cup.
But this latest result is in another league altogether, not least because it has earned him a start in next month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
Conditions were windy through all four rounds at Vasatorps Golfklubb in Sweden and particularly in the third round when a 75 was good enough for Jakubčík to turn a one-shot deficit into a three-way share of the lead with Germany’s Finn Kölle and Denmark’s Kristian Bressum.
Jakubčík played the final-round front nine in 4-under par to shoot clear of the field. After the turn it was the revived halfway pacesetter Sakke Siltala of Finland alone who offered threat to the prospect of Czech golfing history.
Siltala was briefly within two shots of Jakubčík’s lead before finishing with two bogeys in the final three holes. The eventual winner was more solid in completing a round of 67 for a winning total of 8-under 280 that left him three strokes clear of Bressum with Siltala another shot back in third.
“It’s unreal,” said Jakubčík afterward. “I don’t know what to think yet. I was obviously nervous and trying not to look at the leaderboard. I wanted to focus on my game and it worked out well. I checked on the 18th, in case I had to go super aggressive, and [seeing the state of play] I became way less nervous going to the green.”
Of his pending major championship debut he added: “It’s crazy and probably every amateur’s goal to play the Open. I’m super excited.”
He was not the only player booking a trip to Northern Ireland. Scotland’s Cameron Adam secured his own spot by winning the R&A’s Open Amateur Series, driven by victory in the St Andrews Links Trophy and a top-10 finish behind Jakubčík.
RESULTS
Meanwhile, at Royal Hague Golf & Country Club in the Netherlands, a Great Britain and Ireland team with a strong core made up of veterans of last September’s Curtis Cup triumph claimed a first victory over the Continent of Europe in the Vagliano Trophy since 2005.
The victory seemed a distant prospect early in the final singles session. The Continent of Europe held a narrow 8½-7½ lead after two sessions of foursomes and Friday’s singles.
But with five of the eight Saturday singles on the course, the home side led in every single one. The Spanish pair of Paula Martin Sampedro and Carolina Lopez-Chacarra Coto duly maintained their advantages to defeat England’s Lottie Woad and Ireland’s Beth Coulter, respectively.
But the English pair of Patience Rhodes and Isla MacDonald-O’Brien reversed the flow of their games to earn full points and their compatriot Nellie Ong completed a 6-and-5 thumping of France’s Valentine Delon to draw the match level with a trio of tight matches left on the course.
Ireland’s Aine Donegan drained an 18-foot eagle putt at the par-5 last to better Spain’s Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio’s birdie and claim a point that put the visitors on the brink of a stunning reversal.
Englishwoman Sophia Fullbrook then completed the job with her defeat of Denmark’s Emma Kaisa Dalgaard Bunch before the final point went the way of another Dane, Marie Eline Madsen.
The 12½-11½ victory was met with joy by the players and disbelief by the non-playing Irish captain, Maria Dunne. “It’s been an unbelievable day,” she said afterward. “I told them last night, ‘Just keep fighting, keep fighting for every single point or half point,’ and that’s exactly what they did.
“I think winning the Curtis Cup last year helped the team. I reminded them in team meetings that we had momentum and belief. We knew we hadn’t won this event since 2005 so it feels amazing to do it. For GB&I to now hold both the Curtis Cup and the Vagliano Trophy is fantastic.”
Matt Cooper