The St Andrews Trophy went the way of the Continent of Europe team after they defeated defending champions Great Britain & Ireland 16-9 at Royal Porthcawl.
It is the seventh time the Continent of Europe has won the biennial men’s match, and only the second victory on British or Irish soil since 2012 at Portmarnock.
The Continent of Europe took a 7-5 lead into the final day, and held that two-point margin at 9-7 after splitting the second day foursomes session at two points apiece.
With all nine players from each side contending the singles, Europe only had to win four of the nine matches to secure the trophy. The team sporting the European flag on their sleeves did much better than that, taking the final session 7-2.
Filip Jakubcik got the visiting side off to the perfect start with a 3&2 victory over Welshman James Ashfield.
England’s Dominic Clemons and Connor Graham of Scotland won the next two matches, but that was the end of the GB&I fightback. The Continent of Europe won the next six matches, with Lars Van der Vight from the Netherlands earning the winning point with a one-hole victory over Englishman Jack Bigham.
“I feel very emotional right now,” said Spain’s Carlos de Corral, the Continent of Europe Captain. “It’s very important for us to win this trophy, but to win here is even more special because a course like this is difficult for us.
“You only have to see the history of the match to see how special it is for us to win this great event. It’s tough to win and we are going to celebrate.”
De Corral’s team featured two Spaniards, two players from the Netherlands and members from France, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia and Germany – yet they gelled together as if they were from one nation.
“It’s hard to bring players together who don’t always play with each other, but these boys made it very easy for me,” he added. “It was a great atmosphere in the team room all week. They brought a lot of energy.”
Spain’s Luis Masaveu Roncal emerged as the Continent of Europe’s strongest player. He won four points out of four, the only player on either side to do so. Countryman Pablo Ereno Perez also went undefeated, winning all three matches he played.
“I was lucky to have two ready pairings with the two boys from the Netherlands (Jerry Ji and Van der Vight) and the two Spaniards (Masaveu Roncal and Ereno Perez), but the other players came together easily too. That’s part of what this match is all about, to bring players together from different countries to start friendships for life. We did that this week.”
The victory was the Continent of Europe's largest ever winning margin in the contest. The team will have the chance to succesfully defend the trophy for just the second time at Puerta de Hierro in Spain in 2025.
