Day 1 of the 2024 European Team Championships is in the books.
546 players representing 29 different countries completed the first of two rounds of stroke play qualifying on Tuesday at five different venues across the continent.
As is tradition, the day started with a player from each host nation hitting the opening tee shots in their respective countries.
On Days 1 & 2, all six players from each team play two rounds of stroke play, with the five best scores out of six each day counting towards their teams' totals. The objective is to finish in the top-8, earning a spot in the medal-contention Flight A bracket from Thursday forwards.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Germany, with an entire team of former Boys' Team Championship winners, open strong in Italy
- Estonia, with just 4000 registered golfers, sit in 2nd position behind Germany in the Men's event
- Turkey's Can Marko Ozdemir makes ace in opening round of the Boys' Division 2
- Denmark set the pace in scorching hot Madrid (Ladies)
- France get off to strong start at Diamond CC (Boys')
- Sweden look like the team to beat on home soil in the Girls'
- 17-year-old Dominic McGlinchey (SCO) cards 63 (-9) at rain-affected Krakow Valley
MEN - ROYAL PARK I ROVERI, ITALY
Perfect scoring conditions early on Tuesday at Royal Park I Roveri meant a low score was out for the taking, and red numbers were needed to keep up with the leaders.
Netherland's Jerry Ji took full advantage of the soft conditions to card the score of the day, an 8-under-par 64.
As is typical with the men's competition, the team leaderboard is tight, with just 8 shots seperating 3rd and 12th positions.
Germany established themselves as strong contenders in the opening 18 holes. With all 6 players having formerly claimed gold in the European Boys' Team Championship, the squad already has winning experience on the European stage.
A 15-under-par total from the German's, the highlight of which was a 66 (-6) from Tiger Christensen featuring two hole-out eagles, set the pace for the rest of the teams.
Possibly the shock storyline form all five venues today, Estonia topped the leaderboard for a significant portion of the day and currently sit in 2nd. With less than 4'000 registered golfers to select from in Estonia, the men's team is nevertheless going toe-to-toe with Europe's golfing elite.
On -14, Estonia is just one-stroke behind Germany, and five strokes ahead of Scotland in third place.
Defending champions, Spain struggled to get into the red numbers on Day 1. Luis Masaveu's bogey-free 68 (-4), from the first group of the day, couldn't be matched by his teammates. Only one more under-par round, and two counting rounds of 73 (+1) have Spain currently outside the crucial top-8 in 10th position.
Hosts, Italy, will also be slightly disappointed with there first day's work, sitting one shot ahead of Spain in 9th position on -4. Scotland (-9), France (-9), Sweden (-8), Netherlands (-8), England (-6) and Ireland (-6) currently occupy the rest of the Flight A qualifying positions.
Switzerland (-2) and Finland (-1) will also be looking at the teams just above them on the leaderboard come Wednesday, needing to gain just a few strokes on the competition to secure a spot in the medal-contention flight.
EUROPEAN LADIES' TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, SPAIN
19 European nations have sent their best women's teams to the north of Madrid and the renowned Real Sociedad Hípica Española Club de Campo.
From the start on, the athletes are facing light wind and sunny, hot temperatures around 36 degrees Celsius. In addition to the physically demanding weather, the par-72 championship course also bolsters natural defenses.
The players are having to compete with highly undulated and well-defended greens, challenging pin positions, and tricky rough.
The Danish ladies have found the strongest start. With 358 strokes (-2), they are on top of the current standings. Last year’s runner-up England follows with 361 strokes, just one stroke over the cumulative par. Third and fourth place are tied with 362 strokes (+2) by the defending champions and hosts from Spain as well as the Irish team. Both teams have identical scores, even their non-counting scores are the same.
Italy had to wait long for their result due to the late tee times of Anna Zanusso and Elena Verticchio. In the end, the Squadra Azzurra sit at a respectable fifth place with 362 strokes (+2). France finds itself in sixth place with 364 strokes (+4), closely followed by the ambitious German team (365; +5). The German team is competing with the same lineup as last year, when they secured the bronze medal.
German coach Esther Poburski takes this as a starting point for their ventures: "We want to aim a little higher than last year. Of course it depends on when you face whom. But if you want to win, you have to beat everyone. I am very excited and we are really looking forward to this week. We know each other for a long time and have a great team spirit because of that!"
With a five-stroke gap, the Welsh ladies return to the clubhouse in eighth place (370; +10). The otherwise strong Swedes currently hold the unenviable ninth place with 372 strokes (+12).
In addition to the crucial team ranking, there is also an individual ranking. At the top are Spain's Paula Martín-Sampedro and Ireland's Beth Coulter with 68 strokes (-4) each. Martín-Sampedro secured her co-lead on the final stretch by scoring a birdie on the 18th hole. Just one stroke behind are Paula Schulz-Hanßen (Germany), Veronika Kedrońová (Czech Republic), and Benedicte Brent-Buchholz (Denmark) in tied third place. And even behind the top positions, the field is very tightly packed, with 17 of the 114 players within three strokes of the lead.
The level of skill and competition is high in the north of Madrid, and the second day promises even more excitement. By the evening of the second round, alongside deep disappointments, the first great cheers will echo across the fairways of the venerable Real Sociedad Hípica Española Club de Campo.
EUROPEAN BOYS' TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, AUSTRIA
The 2024 European Boys Team Championship is underway in Austria at Diamond Country club and the former European Tour venue provided the stage for some excellent early scoring.
The opening day ended with France leading the way and Sweden in second, the two teams that contested last year’s final.
Three players carded rounds of 67 (-5) and are tied at the top of the individual leaderboard. Italy’s Carlo Roman, France’s Noa Auch-Roy and Sweden’s Neo Berg, who holed the dramatic winning putt in for his country in 2023.
England, last year's bronze medalists, sit in 3rd place again after Round 1, six shots ahead of the Czech Republic who find themselves 8-over-par.
From their downwards, five teams are within just two shots, including three teams on +10, Netherlands, Austria and Germany.
Denmark (+11) currently hold the last spot in Flight A, but Italy are hot on their heels and just one stroke behind in the unenviable 9th position.
Spain, typically strong in all European team championships, will be hugely disappointed with their first round performance. A total of 23-over-par puts the Spanish boys in 15th place, and 12 shots off the top-8.
EUROPEAN GIRLS' TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, SWEDEN
Round 1 is in the books at Göteborgs Golf Klubb, with the home crowd’s favorite team sitting at the top of the leaderboard. Sweden finished the day with a total of +7, three shots clear of the closest opponents, after what proved to be a solid test of golf for the whole field.
Olivia Holmberg posted the best score of Day 1 for Sweden, shooting a 69 (-1). « I was very nervous in the start, but later on in the round, I was a bit more chill and hit some good shots, hit some good putts and hit some bad ones, hit some okay ones... It was a steady day on the golf course. It feels really good sitting on top. We put in the work, and we got a result from it. »
England and defending champion Spain both finished their opening rounds at +10, with the latter holding second place thanks to a lower sixth card. Making her first appearance in the Championship, Nagore Martinez Salcedo posted the best individual score of the day with a 68 (-2). « I was very comfortable on the course. I missed some greens and fairways, but I think I played very well. I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but then, after the first shot, I was just thinking of hitting the ball and finishing well. »
Three shots behind England, Poland wrapped up a solid first round at fourth place, Maria Moczarska going as low as 71 (+1) in the early morning flight. The Poles stand one shot clear of Italy and France, who hold 5th and 6th place respectively.
The battle promises to be tight in Round 2 on Wednesday, with several teams in position to grab a spot in the Top 8 and the Flight A bracket. Austria will enter Day 2 of the Championship in 7th place at +15, topping 8th-place Germany and 9th place Switzerland by only one stroke. Overcoming early day stuggles in Round 1, Denmark is also in the mix, holding 10th place at +19.
EUROPEAN AMATEUR & BOYS' TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS, DIVISION 2
Torrential overnight rain in Poland meant the opening round of the Division 2 Team Championships was played under unusual conditions.
All of the courses bunkers had to be declared as ground under repair due to either being flooded, or having extensive water damage.
Scotland's Dominic McGlinchey took advantage nevertheless to card nine-under-par 63, the lowest round to par of all 546 players across Europe. Nine birdies and nine pars totalled the lowest round of the day by six strokes for the Scottish player, helping Scotland to a commanding lead in the boys' tournament.
In the men's championship, Filip Jacubcik carded the round of the day, with an 8-under-par 64. His Czech team sit in second position on -10, six strokes behind Belgium.
The title for shot of the day goes to Turkey's Can Marko Ozdemir who made the only ace of the day, on the par-3 5th.
