Andy DevaneyBenjamin Van Braak Hammer won the 2026 Carris Trophy with a bogey-free final-round 63, completing his charge with a 15-foot eagle putt on the 18th green at Northamptonshire County Golf Club. The Spaniard finished 13 under par, two shots ahead of England Golf Boys’ Squad player George Whitehead.
It was not so much a late flourish as a carefully administered ambush. Van Braak Hammer began the day behind Scotland’s Aidan Lawson, tore through the front nine in five under and then held his nerve while the tournament rearranged itself around him.
How did Benjamin Van Braak Hammer win the Carris Trophy?
Benjamin Van Braak Hammer won the 2026 Carris Trophy by shooting a seven-under-par 63 without a bogey in the final round. His card contained two eagles, including one at the 18th, and carried him to 13 under overall. George Whitehead finished second on 11 under after mounting a determined back-nine challenge.
A five-under front nine changes the contest
Lawson began the final round with a one-shot advantage, but his position weakened after he dropped five shots during the opening 11 holes.
Van Braak Hammer, playing in the group ahead, required no invitation. He reached the turn in five under par and moved decisively into the lead while much of the field was still attempting to negotiate the course rather than dismantle it.
Firm fairways suited the Spaniard’s eye and encouraged an aggressive approach with his irons. More importantly, he kept the blemishes off his card. On a final day when pressure was making itself known elsewhere, bogey avoidance proved nearly as valuable as the two eagles.
The champion said: “Right now I can’t really tell you how it feels because I had an amazing eagle putt on the last! It’s incredible!
“On the 15th I found out I was leading so I got a bit nervous but I tried to take big breaths, breathe out quietly, and hit my shots! It’s a beautiful course but for me it wasn’t too tough because the fairways were like my home course in Spain which are very firm, so I was hitting many good iron shots.
“It’s definitely the biggest tournament I’ve won to date. It’s actually my best friend’s birthday so when I fly home in three hours, I will be going to his house and celebrating!”
Sixty seconds swing the final round
The decisive passage began around the 11th and 12th holes.
Whitehead three-putted the 11th just as Van Braak Hammer rolled in a birdie at the 12th. In little more than a minute, the Spaniard’s advantage had stretched to three shots.
Tournament golf has a cruel habit of making such moments look obvious afterwards. At the time, Whitehead was still very much involved, and his response was emphatic.
Two enormous drives at the 13th and 14th gave him opportunities to attack. He converted both holes into birdies through excellent up-and-downs, cutting the deficit to a single shot and ensuring that Van Braak Hammer could hear footsteps behind him.
The leader learned on the 15th that he was in front. Nerves duly arrived, as they are inclined to do when a major title suddenly stops being theoretical, but they did not bring a bogey with them.
Final-hole eagle settles the Carris Trophy
Van Braak Hammer reached the 18th knowing that the tournament remained within Whitehead’s reach. He answered with two superb long irons, finding the green and leaving himself a 15-foot putt for eagle.
The putt dropped.
It was an appropriately emphatic conclusion to the best round of the day: seven under par, bogey-free and good enough to turn a one-shot overnight deficit into a two-shot victory.
Whitehead, representing Hillside, finished on 11 under. His second place also completed an impressive run across two important events, but the Carris Trophy itself belonged to Van Braak Hammer after one of those closing holes that requires very little editorial embroidery.
Carris Trophy final standings
Van Braak Hammer finished at 13 under following rounds culminating in his closing 63. Whitehead was second at 11 under.
North Hants player Albie Beeston produced another of the day’s notable rounds, signing for a three-under 67 to finish six under overall. He shared third place with Italy’s Giampaolo Gagliardi and overnight leader Lawson.
The final-round scoring underlined the scale of Van Braak Hammer’s performance. His 63 was comfortably the lowest score of the day and seven shots better than par, achieved without surrendering a stroke.
George Whitehead wins the Malcolm Reid Salver
Although Whitehead missed out on the Carris Trophy, he left Northamptonshire County Golf Club with the Malcolm Reid Salver.
The award recognises the best combined score from the McEvoy Trophy and Carris Trophy. Whitehead had won the McEvoy Trophy at Copt Heath before finishing runner-up at Northamptonshire County, giving him the strongest aggregate performance across the two tournaments.
It was a considerable consolation, although consolation prizes tend to feel more convincing once the final putt has stopped echoing.
For Van Braak Hammer, there was a flight home and a best friend’s birthday celebration awaiting him. He travelled with the largest title of his career and the memory of an eagle putt struck when the Carris Trophy was still there to be won.
