Staff WriterIf the Reid Trophy were a western, Spain’s Martin Cervera Garcia would have been the gunslinger who walked into town, drew first, and never holstered the iron until the job was done.
The 14-year-old from Sotogrande went wire-to-wire at Fulford Golf Club, closing with a one-under-par 71 to win the English U14 Open Stroke Play title by two shots — and he even saved his sharpest shooting for the final three holes.
Garcia, who’d led since day one, looked as steady as a cathedral wall in the blustery opening stretch of the final round, brushing aside gusts and showers to card two early birdies.
But the course — and the golfing gods — weren’t going to let him waltz off with the Reid Trophy without a little theatre. A double-bogey on the brutish 13th cracked the door open, letting England’s Alfie Turner and Oliver Smith creep into a share of the lead at +1 alongside AJ Van Emmenis.
Turner’s 69, built on a silky two-under back nine, and Smith’s even-par 72 made them look every inch the playoff contenders. Van Emmenis kept his hat in the ring with a tidy birdie at the last.
Then came Garcia’s answer. On 16, the Spaniard stiffed an approach for his third birdie of the day, giving him back the outright lead. After a safe par at 17, he marched to the 18th tee with a single-shot cushion. Drive, iron, two-putt birdie — the sort of finish you’d order if tournament golf came with a menu.
“I was just trying to stay calm and play my game,” Garcia said, looking like someone who had the composure of a veteran twice his age.
Behind the leading pack, Finland’s Lionel Mutikainen (69) and France’s Leon Godeau (70) made late surges, while Germany’s Henry Liebwein lit up the back nine with an eagle and five birdies in a sizzling 68, vaulting him to seventh place.
Fulford, bathed in both rain and sunshine over the week, proved why it’s a jewel in the English amateur calendar — a stage worthy of the Reid Trophy’s drama.
Next year, the championship returns to its spiritual home at Porters Park, where every fifth edition gets a welcome-home party.
After this year’s finale, the 2026 field might want to start practising their 13th-hole survival drills now.
