Staff WriterEngland Golf’s Men’s Squad produced a stunning turnaround to win the European Cup of Nations by a huge margin of 14 shots at Sotogrande Golf Club, Spain.
England’s quartet of golfers—Harley Smith, Daniel Hayes, Eliot Baker, and Tom Osborne—were initially in fourth place at the midway mark, six shots adrift of leaders Finland.
However, a sensational -11 round on Friday turned the tide, launching the team into first place—a position they held comfortably until the final day.
England Golf Men’s Performance Manager Ben Gorvett said: “We’re really pleased to get over the line and very proud of the team for digging in over the past couple of days. Winning by 14 shots overall is a tremendous victory and just shows the quality we have in our squad.
“Friday’s round was phenomenal, shooting -11 as a team. It was one of the best team performances in a single round of golf at Sotogrande, which we were complimented on at the closing ceremony.
“We planned our week very well, we did a lot of preparation before heading there, and we got ourselves in a good place after the first two rounds.
But we freed up a bit going into round three and there were some exceptional performances from the team, especially Harley and Dan.
“It’s phenomenal that we’ve come away with another win already in 2025 and we hope we can continue this form when we return to Spain for our biennial match later in April.
A big thanks to Rob Watts who played a big role in getting the guys prepared for the event, and all the staff who have helped us get to where we are.”
While the European Cup of Nations often symbolises top-level competition in Europe, the action at Sotogrande was a masterclass in golf.
Harley Smith had a rocky start with a six-over 78 that saw him languishing down in 56th place out of 72—but he didn’t stay there for long.
With a cool head and a hot streak, he clawed his way back with a steady 71 on Thursday, then tore up the course with a jaw-dropping 65 on Friday before rounding things off with a calm and composed 68 on Saturday.
His resurgence was a pivotal element in England’s remarkable victory.
Following his round of the tournament, Smith said: “I think I missed one green and three fairways, I just hit the ball really well into the areas I needed to, hitting to inside 15 feet about a dozen times in regulation, so I had a lot of putts from that range. It was a solid round.”
In the individual standings, Smith finished 2nd while Hayes was 3rd, yet Estonia’s Kevin Christopher Jegers topped the leaderboard with an impressive -14, winning the event by a staggering eight shots.
Meanwhile, Eliot Baker tied for 13th overall with a +7, and Tom Osborne ended up tied for 41st with a +17.
For those eager to delve into the numbers, the final leaderboards and scorecards are available here.
