Spain
Cover image: Royal Spanish Golf Federation
Tom Osborne (ENG) has won the Spanish International Amateur Championship at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro.
The Copa S.M. El Rey, one of the most prestigious championships on the European amateur calendar, began with 36 holes of stroke play qualifying. Spain’s Yago Horno Mateo set the early pace with a six-under-par total of 134 after rounds of 68 and 66, finishing two shots clear of compatriot Fernando Cobo Delgado to earn the number-one seed. Germany’s Nils-Levi Bock secured third place at three-under-par.
Following the qualifying stage, the leading 64 players progressed to the match play phase, where the format shifted to knockout competition across six rounds.
Osborne produced an impressive run through the draw, advancing through a series of tightly contested matches to reach the final. On the opposite side, England’s Eliot Baker also progressed strongly, including a narrow victory over Carlo Roman on the 19th hole in the round of 16.
An all-English final saw Osborne and Baker, friends and recent foursomes partners, face off over 36 holes. Despite trailing before lunch, Osborne fought back to defeat Baker 3&2 and claim the biggest victory of his amateur career.
The win carries added significance as the championship was the second counting event in the new men’s European Amateur Order of Merit (EAOM). As just the second player to win an EAOM event title, Osborne moves into second place in the standings behind compatriot Harley Smith.
Baker’s runner-up finish moves him into fourth place in the EAOM standings, just behind Sweden’s Erik Tjarnberg in third.
