Andy DevaneyThe Jacques Leglise Trophy and the Junior Vagliano Trophy both remained in Continental European hands at The Island, although Great Britain and Ireland made sure neither was collected without a proper argument.
Europe won the boys’ contest 14½-10½ and edged the under-16 girls’ match 9½-8½, completing a double on Irish soil after two distinctly uncomfortable final days.
The scoreboards will show another European sweep. They will not show quite how close one of the trophies came to acquiring a different travel itinerary.
GB&I give Europe an early Jacques Leglise fright
The Jacques Leglise Trophy appeared heavily tilted towards Europe before Saturday’s singles had even begun.
Pierre Relecom’s side carried a four-point advantage from Friday and emerged from the morning foursomes no worse off after the session was halved 2-2. GB&I therefore needed something approaching mischief in the afternoon.
For a while, they supplied it.
Niall MacSweeney’s team collected three-and-a-half points from the opening four singles, suddenly putting considerably more life into a contest that had threatened to become administrative.
“That got the hearts racing and there was excitement that maybe the impossible could become possible,” said MacSweeney of this early surge.
Aidan Lawson provided the most emphatic evidence of GB&I’s intent. The Scot was nine under par in a 5&3 victory over Louis Klein, the sort of scoring that tends to make match-play strategy pleasantly uncomplicated.
Björnsson stops the momentum from running away
Europe needed resistance and found it in Óliver Elí Björnsson.
The newly crowned R&A Boys’ Amateur champion was four down after eight holes against Aaron Moody, but three successive birdies on the way home dragged him back into the match. He eventually earned a half.
“To push a match that is four-down all the way to the 18th gave the rest of the team a lift,” admitted Relecom.
That half-point mattered beyond its fraction on the board. GB&I had gathered speed; Björnsson applied the handbrake.
Europe then began finding the birdies that had briefly deserted them. Tao Pemerika’s one-hole victory over Ben Sessions moved the defending champions to 12½ points, enough to retain the trophy.
Václav Švub made the result outright soon afterwards, defeating Adam Fahey 3&2. Appropriately, the player whose point retained the trophy at Royal Hague the previous year closed this one with something less than tentative: a putt of more than 30 feet on the 16th.
Europe had their seventh consecutive Jacques Leglise Trophy victory.
“GB&I came out of the blocks very quickly and they were ready to fight,” said Relecom, who recorded a third successive victory as captain and indicated that he would like another term.
“But the birdies eventually came for us too. The level of play was very high and I’m so proud of my team.”
MacSweeney was equally clear about the outcome.
“Hats off to the Europeans; they have been deserving winners.”
Junior Vagliano Trophy goes all the way to the 18th
If the boys’ match contained a revival, the Junior Vagliano Trophy produced the more severe test of European nerves.
GB&I began the final day with a two-point advantage. Europe reduced that deficit by taking the morning foursomes 2-1, leaving the match balanced rather more delicately than either captain might have preferred.
The afternoon singles became a succession of small swings rather than one decisive charge. Points changed hands. Matches tightened. The trophy remained unresolved deep into the final pairings.
For Europe, Rut Diaz Garcia supplied the first decisive blow by beating Alicia Kelly 2&1. That result secured retention of the trophy.
Winning it outright was left to Elea Bastoni.
Bastoni produces the shot Europe needed
Bastoni reached the 18th locked in her match with Mariella Buchanan and then found herself needing an up-and-down from a bunker on the final hole.
She produced it.
“The best bunker shot of my life,” said Bastoni amid jubilant scenes.
It is difficult to improve on that assessment when the alternative was prolonging a continental team match with a trophy hanging in the balance.
Her victory gave Europe a 9½-8½ win and a ninth Junior Vagliano Trophy in ten stagings.
“It was very nerve-wracking, a real nail-biter,” added European captain Myrte Eikenaar.
“I knew it would be close, but I had total faith in my players. It’s amazing to see what they can do at such a young age.
“We are maybe not used to links golf, but I saw the confidence in the players grow over the week and we became more and more comfortable with this type of golf.
“We had to come from behind after every session, but we kept believing that we could pull it off.”
Europe’s dominance survives a serious examination
There was obvious disappointment for Becca Hembrough and GB&I, particularly after carrying the lead into Saturday.
“It will hurt for a little bit but that’s competitive golf,” she said. “We knew it would be tough as the Europeans are quality players led by a quality woman.
“We dug in and I’m so proud of them. It went to the wire, and it showed the standard of junior girls’ golf throughout Europe.”
That is perhaps the most useful reading of the weekend. Europe’s continued possession of both trophies confirms an established pattern, but The Island hardly produced a procession.
GB&I forced the Jacques Leglise Trophy back into jeopardy with a violent early singles surge. Their girls then took the Junior Vagliano Trophy to the final green.
Europe still found the points. Champions usually do.
This time, one of them was waiting at the bottom of a bunker.
