Lafeber wins R&A Boys' Amateur Championship at County Louth

Irish Examiner

18 hours ago

Guus Lafeber of the Netherlands defeated Spain's Yago Horno on the first play-off hole to win The R&A Boys' Amateur Championship at County Louth in Ireland.
Lafeber finally gave the Dutch Golf Federation its first victory in the 98th edition of the elite boys' championship and fitting perhaps, considering it was only 12 months ago that it celebrated its first finalist, when Scott Woltering lost to Sweden's Viggo Olsson Mork.
'This is amazing for Dutch golf,' Lafeber said.
'It's a big step for our country, especially after last year. It's the biggest championship I've won by far because the field is so strong with great players from around the world. To do it on this fabulous golf course means even more, but I wanted to do it for my friend Scott. He came so close last year and to do it for him means a lot.'
After five days of glorious weather with little wind, the County Louth links north of Dublin finally showed some of its teeth, albeit not the full set of molars it showed when Shane Lowry won the 2009 Irish Open as an amateur in strong winds and near horizontal rain.
The wind, which sometimes gusted above 20 mph, probably proved the difference in a match neither player, the respective best juniors from Spain and the Netherlands, deserved to lose. Lafeber's low ball flight was key.
The reigning Dutch Stroke Play champion, which he won just before arriving in Ireland, kept his ball under the wind while Horno sometimes struggled with his high launch angle.
Lafeber was never down in the match and held a four-hole advantage through 11 holes. However, Horno, who defeated Fota Island's John Doyle in the quarter-final, got back to all square after 13 holes of the afternoon round.
What slight disadvantage he may have had off the tee, Horno compensated for with an ability to scramble when he looked like losing holes. For example, on the par-4 4th hole in the afternoon Horno's tee shot landed a few feet from the out of bounds stakes down the right of the hole. Unsighted from the green and with Lafeber finding the putting surface from the fairway, Horno hit a wedge over a towering dune to 20 feet and holed the putt to win the hole.
Horno, who was bidding to become the ninth Spanish winner, pegged Lafeber back to all-square after 31 holes and they were still all square after the 33rd. The Dutch player looked like losing the 34th to go one down for the first time in the match, but holed a clutch 15 footer for par. A 25-foot birdie putt at the next to go one up with one to play seemed to have given Lafeber the title. However, he missed a six-foot birdie putt on 36th and had to go an extra hole.
The title was decided when Horno's scrambling abilities failed him on the 37th hole, Baltray's opener. The Spaniard didn't get up and down from 30 yards through the back of the green while Lafeber two putted from 25 feet just off the green to make Dutch history.
'Yago is such a good player," added Lafeber. "He played incredible golf and I had to play really well to beat him. I couldn't make many mistakes against him. The match was mentally harder than it was physical.
'I had to hole some clutch putts. The one I made at 16 (34th) was clutch because I could have gone one down in the match. Then to hole that birdie putt on next was amazing. I thought I'd made that putt on the last green, but I'm happy to have won, and very tired.'
Lafeber is the son of former DP World Tour player Maarten, who found success in 2003 when he won the Dutch Open.
'Dad is really proud of me. I can't wait to put my gold medal beside his Dutch Open trophy.'
Irish golf legend Des Smyth, an eight-time DP World Tour winner and two-time Ryder Cup player was notable among the gallery of approximately 350 watching the final. 'I used to hit shots like these guys can play when I was their age…in my dreams,' quipped Smyth, a long time, now honorary, member of the club.
Aside from the gold winner's medal, Lafeber receives an exemption into next year's Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool and West Lancashire. He also earns a spot in Final Qualifying for The 154th Open to be played at Royal Birkdale.
'Wow! To play in the Amateur Championship and get a chance to qualify for the biggest tournament in golf is going to be amazing.'
Lily Reitter savoured the biggest win of her young career after a hard-earned victory in the Final of The R&A Girls' Amateur Championship at sun-drenched Conwy.
The 16-year-old from France had forged a commanding lead over England's Charlotte Naughton during the morning's opening 18 holes and eventually staved off the challenge of her rival to win by a 4&2 margin in the 96th staging of the Championship.