Malta
Malta and Turkey have won the European Team Shield titles at Royal Malta Golf Club.
Twenty-four teams of four players contested this year's editions of the tournaments, which are staged for the small and emerging golfing nations of the EGA.
MEN
The event was the first EGA championship to be held on the island of Malta, and it produced a popular home winner in the men's tournament.
The Maltese team has endured a string of near misses in the men's Team Shield, and holds the most medals overall in the event despite never having lifted the trophy. Four runner-up finishes and four bronze medals since the event's inception in 2015 were finally surpassed with victory on home soil.
The men's team finished third in the stroke play qualifying to set up a quarterfinal against Romania, whom they overcame two points to one. The semifinal against Latvia was extremely tight, with both of Malta's points won in extra holes.
In the gold medal match, Turkey took the host team the distance, all three matches reaching the 17th or beyond. Ibrahim Tarik Aslan put the first point on the board with a two and one win before Oliver Davis levelled matters for Malta with a one hole victory. The title came down to the foursomes, which was all square through 18. Ruud Critien and JJ Micallef Verlest made it three wins from three in the match play phase, closing it out on the 19th to secure Malta's first ever EGA gold medals.
Turkey settled for silver, while Bulgaria defeated Latvia to claim bronze.
WOMEN
Turkey added a record-extending fifth gold medal to their tally in the tournament, overcoming Malta in the gold medal match.
The eventual winners had the look of the team to beat all week, finishing the stroke play qualifying as the only side under par to earn the number one seed and a bye into the semifinals. A comfortable win over Bulgaria set up a championship match with hosts Malta, an identical final to the men's.
Like the men's decider, the women's went to the wire, every match reaching the 17th or 18th. Malta struck first in the foursomes, Laya Cristina and Filippa Schulze Doring winning one up. The Turkish side responded with victories in both singles, Sude Bay one up and Deniz Sapmaz two and one, clinching the gold medals and a second title in three years.
In the match for third place, Bulgaria overcame San Marino to take the final spot on the podium and the bronze medals.
