All three rounds of the 2023 European Young Masters are now complete.
114 players representing 31 different countries contested the event, for players aged 16-and-under, at Sedin Golf Resort (SVK) this year.
BOYS
An English winner looked likely in the boys' category heading into the final round, with Ben Bolton (ENG) and Kris Kim (ENG) tied for the lead on 5-under-par.
The opening hole of the day was an eventful one for the lead however, with Bolton making birdie for the third consecutive time this week, and Kim dropping a costly three shots with a triple-bogey 7.
Bolton then birdied the 2nd hole to extend his advantage even further and never seemed to look back thereafter. Four more birdies and no bogeys led to a closing round of 67 (-6). The 16-year-old would ultimately finish 11-under-par for the tournament, claiming a six shot victory.
The win marks the first time in 10 years that an English player has won the boys' title at the European Young Masters, following Bradley Moore in 2013.
Iceland's Markus Marelsson claimed the silver medal after carding his third conseuctive under-par round of the week, finishing with -5.
The last spot on the podium went to Spain's Raul Gomez, who ended the tournament on -3.
GIRLS
Natalia Aparicio (ITA), the overnight leader in the girls' category, also opened the final round with two consecutive birdies to extend her two-shot advantage.
A double-bogey on the 4th did briefly bring her pursuers back into the mix, although the recent Junior Vagliano Trophy player with the Continent of Europe didn't seem phased. Four more birdies and just one dropped shot led to a final round 70 (-3), a tournament total of -11, and the European Girls' U16 title.
Aparicio becomes the first Italian girls' winner in the European Young Masters in 25 years, since Diana Luna in 1998.
Marie Elodie Prats-Rigual (FRA), a teammate of Aparicio's at the Junior Vagliano Trophy in June, ultimately earned the silver medal with a total of -8. The French player led after round one, and was never far behind the eventual winner. She'll also be going home with a gold medal however, as her performance helped France to win the Nations' Cup.
Golf Ireland's Olivia Costello claimed the bronze medal on -5, tied with Antonia Steiner (GER) although with a lower last 36 holes.
Nations' Cup
In the Nations' Cup, a team competition taking the best three scores per day out of each teams' two boys and girls, France earned a wire-to-wire win. After a brilliant opening day which saw them reach -14, they held on with steady collective scores to finish on -18.
Italy finished four shots behind on -14, while Spain took the bronze medals on -10.
