The EGA is delighted to announce a talented line-up of players for the 2025 Continent of Europe Junior Vagliano Trophy Team.

The five players, to be joined by a sixth and final selection, will look to win back the trophy from Great Britain & Ireland at Royal Hague Golf & Country Club, Netherlands, on 27 and 28 June.

Selection to play in the biennial match, for female junior (U16) golfers, recognises the players’ outstanding achievements in their young amateur careers.

THE SELECTIONS:

Louise Uma Landgraf (FRA)

Alice Kong (FRA)

Liz Siyu Hao Zhang (ESP)

Angela Revuelta (ESP)

Salomé Lumbaca (FRA)

Louise Uma Landgraf returns to the team for a second consecutive year. The French international has been one of the top performers of any age category in Europe so far this season, which has fuelled a rise into the top 75 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings. On the week she turned 15 in January of this year, Landgraf claimed the Portuguese International Ladies’ Amateur Championship, one of the biggest titles in European women’s golf.

Alice Kong will also tee it up for the Continent of Europe team for the second straight year, and is the second of three French selections. At just 14 years of age, Kong impressively earned a top-5 finish at the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship last summer and has already shown good form this season. Now 15, the French junior won the Esmond Trophy in April, France’s International U21 Championship. Alongside French and European teammate, Louise Uma Landgraf, the pair will look to lead Europe’s charge to win back the trophy from GB&I following their first victory in the contest last year.

The three other announced selections will be ‘rookies’. Liz Siyu Hao Zhang (ESP), Angela Revuelta (ESP) and Salomé Lumbaca (FRA) will sport European colours for the first time in the Netherlands at the end of June. 

Although representing your continent is generally a rare achievement, both selected Spanish players won’t be the first in their families to represent a continental team. Liz Siyu’s older brother, Jorge Hao has twice represented the Continent of Europe in the Jacques Léglise Trophy, while Andrea Revuelta, Angela’s older sister, played in the junior girls match in 2022.

A sixth and final selection will be announced for the team in the coming weeks.

EXPERIENCED CAPTAIN RETURNS

The Continent of Europe team will be led by non-playing captain, Myrte Eikenaar (NED) for the fifth consecutive year.

The former Dutch international has won the European Mid-Amateur Ladies’ Championship twice, and has also led the team to victory twice in the past.

“I am very much looking forward to lead this talented young team from the continent of Europe in this year’s Junior Vagliano Trophy” said Eikenaar. “The girls have already shown great form this year. Some of them will be returning on the team for a second time and we will also have new players join team Europe. 

“Getting to represent the continent of Europe with girls your age from different countries is an honour and an unforgettable experience. We will do our best to win back the trophy while having great team spirit and fun as a team. We can not wait to spend a great week at the Royal Hague golf course.”

Eikenaar is also captain of the European Patsy Hankins Trophy team, and led Europe’s best female amateur players in the UAE earlier this year.

ROYAL HAGUE TO HOST EUROPE’S TOP AMATEUR WOMEN AND GIRLS

Typically ranked among the best courses on the continent and the top-100 in the world, Royal Hague Golf & Country Club will set the stage for both the Vagliano and Junior Vagliano Trophy matches this year.

Designed in 1938 by famous architects Harry Colrt and C.H. Alison, the layout meanders through large and naturally undulating dunes. Just three kilometres from the coast, the Continent of Europe teams’ home advantage could be mitigated by the course’s distinct links character which may be more familiar to the visiting team.

Although the club is no stranger to hosting prestigious amateur events, such as the 2018 European Amateur Championship, the matches at the end of June will be the first between the Continent of Europe and GB&I to be held at the historic Hague course.

ABOUT THE JUNIOR VAGLIANO TROPHY

The Junior Vagliano Trophy is an international match played every year between elite female junior golfers from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland. 

The match was inaugurated in 2011 as a junior version of the Vagliano Trophy. It was originally played every other year, like the Vagliano Trophy, but since 2021 has been played annually together with either the Jacques Léglise or Vagliano Trophy matches

The match takes place over two days, with three foursomes matches on both mornings, and six singles matches on both afternoons. With 18 total points on offer, 9.5 points are needed to secure victory.

The contest is jointly organized by the European Golf Association and The R&A. The EGA selects the Continent of Europe side, while the GB&I team is chosen by The R&A. Identical matches between the two regions also exist for men (St Andrews Trophy), women (Vagliano Trophy), and boys (Jacques Léglise Trophy), the second of which will be contested in parallel to the Junior Vagliano Trophy in the Netherlands.

 The Continent of Europe has historically dominated the match. Of the nine editions contested so far, the European side has won seven. However, the last two editions of the match have been extremely tight. The 2023 match finished in a tie, while GB&I claimed their first ever win in the contest at West Lancashire Golf Club last August with a scoreline of 8 to 7.