Staff WriterWell, it took 78 years, but Italy finally has a Brabazon Trophy champion—and what a champion he is.
Biagio Andrea Gagliardi, all of 18 and already walking with the poise of a seasoned pro, carved his name into amateur golf folklore with a composed, and at times chaotic, final-round performance at Hankley Common Golf Club.
Gagliardi closed with a tidy 71 to seal the Brabazon Trophy at eight-under-par, two shots clear of Burnham & Berrow’s Freddie Turnell, who earned the George Henriques Salver as the leading under-20 GB&I player.
But this wasn’t just a final round—it was a rollercoaster, and Gagliardi rode it like a man with nothing to lose and everything to prove.
“I’m ecstatic, it’s history right here,” said Gagliardi, grinning like a lad who just snuck into the back nine of Augusta.
“I couldn’t ask for a better tournament to win. I settled in pretty quickly to the final round and it was a good front, but then on 10 I had probably my first missed drive of the week and made a double-bogey.”
A double at 10 wiped out what had looked like a watertight three-shot cushion, especially with Estonian Mattias Varjun catching fire with a birdie. But Gagliardi didn’t flinch.
Varjun, bless him, promptly handed it back with two bogeys on the bounce. The Italian, meanwhile, birdied 13, drove the green on the par-4 15th with a 3-wood (yes, really), and added another birdie on 17 for good measure.
“It could’ve been very easy from there to lose it,” Gagliardi admitted, “but I recovered very quickly, played some good golf and remained calm, patient and got the win.”
And win he did, with style, flair, and a slice of theatre—walking down 18 in front of a sea of spectators.
“Probably the best moment of my life,” he said, soaking up the applause. “I can’t be more thankful and grateful for this opportunity. I can’t wait to go back home now and celebrate the win with my family and friends!”
Behind him, Turnell’s late birdie blitz on 13 and 14 looked dangerous for a spell, enough to post six-under in the clubhouse and raise a few eyebrows.
England’s Ben Bolton threatened early with two birdies out the gate but came undone with some late bogeys.
Australian Kayun Mudadana, who tore through the course on Saturday with a record-setting 64 to leap from T44 to T4, teased the improbable with an opening birdie—then gave it back across a punishing bogey run.
Varjun settled for a tie for third on -5 alongside Eliot Baker, though he nicked the bronze medal on countback. Another Aussie, Billy Dowling, snuck into solo fifth at -4 after a polished 69.
Harley Smith, the 2024 English Amateur champion, carded -3 for sixth, while a trio including Scotland’s Jack McDonald, Bolton, and the free-swinging Mudadana rounded out the -2s tied in seventh.
Only nine players finished the week under par—a testament to the testing setup at Hankley and the mercurial moods of English spring golf.
Eight more, including England’s Dylan Shaw-Radford, finished level, tied for tenth, one good bounce away from greatness.
But this week wasn’t about what might’ve been—it was about what was. And what was, quite emphatically, was Biagio Andrea Gagliardi. Brabazon Trophy champion. The first of his country. Possibly not the last.
Check out the final leaderboard here
Day 1 report – Brabazon Trophy Day 1: Trio lead the way
Day 2 report – Brabazon Trophy Day 2: 60 make cut as Baker & Hughes lead
Day 3 report – Brabazon Trophy Day 3: Gagliardi leads while Mudadana fires course record
