Latvia
Markus Habeler closed out a wire-to-wire victory in the European Mid-Amateur Men's Championship in Latvia on a day which saw constantly changing weather conditions.
The Austrian birdied the difficult closing-hole at Jurmala Golf Club to post an 8-under-par total and secure a remarkable eight-shot victory in style after never looking in trouble on the final day.
Christopher Dlaska (AUT) made it an all-Austrian top-two, finishing on level-par to claim the silver medal. The Austrian got within four shots of the eventual winner after a flurry of birdies on the back-nine, although a bogey on the 17th and an approach that found the water on the final hole left him fighting for the runner-up position.
A holed 5-metre putt for double-bogey would be just enough for Dlaska to claim the silver medal by one stroke.
The result marks the first time in the history of EGA events that two Austrian players have finished on the podium in a European individual Championship, and the medals are the first for Austria since 2012.
The battle for the final podium spot was closely fought by several players but it was Jussi Sahravuo (FIN), who started the day in 16th position, that clinched the last spot. The Finnish player returned the score of the day, a three-under-par 69, to beat Switzerland's Dario Gabriel on matching scorecards at +1.
Finland's Antti Pasanen, who claimed the prize for over-40s, and Spain's Oscar Sanchez Jubindo completed the top-five on +2.
The ladies' championship saw a more dramatic finish than the men's. At the start of the day, and as far as the turn in the final round, the championship looked like a three-horse race between the final group of Pauline Stein (FRA), Jessica Ross (IRL) and Aideen Walsh (IRL).
France's Alexandra Farret, playing in the penultimate group, slowly dragged herself back into contention however with birdies on 12, 13 and 15. The French player, at that point tied with Jessica Ross, holed a six-metre par putt on the 18th green to return a 69 (-3) and post a level-par total in the club house.
Moments later, Jessica Ross made a double-bogey on the tough par-5 17th which all but etched the French player's name onto the trophy. Farret becomes just the fifth winner of the championship since its inauguration in 2019, and the first player from France to do so.
A birdie on the 18th for Pauline Stein, who recovered from a double-bogey on the 11th, made it an all-french top-two with the Round 1 & 2 leader taking home silver on +1.
2022 champion, Ane Urchegui Garcia (ESP) claimed the last spot on the podium with a closing round of 1-under-par and a tournament total of +3, edging out Aideen Walsh (IRL) on countback.
