Gregor Graham became the first Scot in 19 years to win the Brabazon Trophy, as he completed his -9 overall victory at Hollinwell Golf Club in Nottinghamshire.
The Blairgowrie golfer had a fine final round until a three-putt bogey on the final hole spelled tension in front of the clubhouse crowd, as close rivals Daniel Hayes (Bramhall) and Sweden’s Wilhelm Ryding had opportunities to take the match-off.
England Boys star Hayes birdied 15, 16 and 17 to set up a Grandstand finish, while Ryding eagled the 17th, but on the 18th the Swede couldn’t make a birdie and Hayes missed the -par putt to force a play-off.
Graham, who joins a list of Scottish winners including Lloyd Saltman and Sandy Lyle, said: “It feels amazing. It’s great to win a big event like this. When I knew it was going to be 12 holes on the last day, it felt different and unusual but it was a slow shot so I just tried to make as many birdies as possible.
“I was in awe waiting with my father and friends to see what the results were for others, but it was really a great relief. Great to get another Scot in the top flight and hopefully we can get more! I have a long journey home but I’ll certainly have a few beers to celebrate and I’m looking forward to seeing family and friends.”
Australia’s Harry Takis led by a shot heading into the final round, but a tough day for the youngster saw him drop nine shots in nine holes to see his hopes of a win quickly dashed.
A great run from Wilmer Edero saw the Swedish golfer shoot four birdies in his last four holes, finishing 5 over with 12 holes played and holding the clubhouse lead at 7. He was soon joined by England Men’s player Eliot Baker, who produced a fine final round of -4, before Hayes (pictured below) and Ryding finished on -8 overall.
There was some consolation for Hayes though, as he took out George Henriques Salver as the under-20 player of the tournament.
England’s Harley Smith was in contention but bogeyed two of the last four holes to finish tied for 6th at -6 alongside Jordan Burnand (South Africa), Matt Roberts and James Ashfield (both Wales). .
Hollinwell’s Jack Sallis was 3-under in his 12 holes to finish -5 overall and tied for 10th, while Walton Heath’s Oscar Lent had a good finish with back-to-back eagles on 16 and 17 but he ended up finishing eight. gun back.
The tournament, which was supposed to start on Thursday, was postponed to Friday due to the heavy rain at the beginning of the week. After Saturday’s second round, with thunderstorms forecast throughout Sunday, the decision was made to reduce the final day to just 12 holes, with 41 players making the cut.
Director of the England Golf Championships, James Crampton, said: “From a safety point of view, the 12 holes that were being used were close to the clubhouse, and if a stoppage had been required, we would have been off the course immediately.
“Due to the forecast of storms from noon onwards, by reducing the third round to 12 holes, it increased the potential for us to finish the round. According to the rules of golf, once a round has started, we cannot reduce the number of holes played, so this was a sensible decision to ensure we could get play on the last day.
“Many thanks to the team at Hollinwell for their support throughout the week and congratulations to all the players, especially Gregor, on a great few days of golf.”
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