In a thrilling day of match play golf, Scott Woltering from the Netherlands delivered a standout performance at The R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship, securing his place in the quarter-finals at Moortown by knocking out the leading qualifier.
Meanwhile, the Girls’ Amateur Championship saw Celeste Bobo Lloret of France stage a remarkable comeback to book her spot in the last eight at nearby Alwoodley.
Boys’ Amateur Championship
The Yorkshire skies were overcast, setting the stage for a dramatic day of golf at Moortown. Woltering, 18, displayed nerves of steel, overcoming Denmark’s Mads Heller, who had topped the stroke play standings.
Woltering was three up with five holes remaining, but Heller clawed back, forcing the Dutchman to sink a crucial 20-foot par putt on the 18th to secure a narrow one-hole victory.
England’s Daniel Hayes, a 17-year-old who finished fifth in the stroke play qualifying, continued to impress.
Hayes, this year’s Carris Trophy winner, defeated Iceland’s Markus Marelsson in the last-16, keeping English hopes alive alongside compatriots Harry Cox and Philipp Krone.
However, Ben Bolton’s journey ended when Frenchman Tom De Herrypon triumphed 4&3 in their match.
The Swedish contingent also made their presence felt, with Edwin Sjodin and Viggo Olsson Mork advancing to the quarter-finals.
Sjodin, 16, one of the youngest in the field, had recently finished third at The R&A Junior Open at Kilmarnock (Barassie). Olsson Mork showed his prowess by defeating fellow Swede Carl Moller 5&4.
Elsewhere, the number two seed, Leevi Hellberg of Finland, saw his championship run cut short, losing 3&2 to Italy’s Andrea Biagio Gagliardi in the last-32. Gagliardi continued his fine form by edging out American Ronin Banerjee by a single hole in the subsequent round.
Englishman Oscar Lent, despite exiting in the last-32 to De Herrypon, provided one of the day’s highlights, holing out for an albatross on the par-5 12th.
Girls’ Amateur Championship
At Alwoodley, the drama was just as intense. Celeste Bobo Lloret of France showcased her tenacity and skill in a tightly contested match against Spain’s Noa Terroba Toro.
Down by three with just six holes to play, the 15-year-old French star clawed her way back, reducing the deficit on the 17th when Terroba Toro lost her tee-shot.
Lloret’s moment of brilliance came on the 18th. Facing a daunting 190-yard approach on the par-5, she delivered a sensational 3-wood to within 15 feet and drained the eagle putt to force extra holes.
The match concluded on the 19th when Terroba Toro faltered with a three-putt bogey, allowing Lloret to advance.
Lloret’s quarter-final opponent will be Kylee Choi of the USA, who emerged victorious in an epic 21-hole battle against her friend and compatriot, Angela Zhang.
In a match filled with high-quality golf, Choi capitalised on Zhang’s misstep into a fairway bunker, keeping her hopes alive to become the first American champion.
India’s Mannat Brar also continued her impressive run, eliminating the English twins Emily and Annabel Peaford.
Brar first defeated Emily at the 19th hole in the morning’s round before cruising to a 6&4 victory over Annabel in the afternoon.
Joining them in the quarter-finals are Sweden’s Amanda Gyllner and Havanna Torstensson, Norway’s Henriette Spilling Gjelten, Switzerland’s Sarah Uebelhart, and Poland’s Junior champion, Matylda Krawczynska.
With the quarter-finals and semi-finals scheduled for Friday, and the 36-hole Finals set for Saturday, the stage is set for an exciting conclusion to both championships.
