France have won the European Young Masters Nations' Cup after an impressive final day saw them overtake overnight leaders England and cruise to a seven-shot victory.
Their charge was led by Tom De Herrypon, who started the day three shots behind Scotland’s Aidan Lawson in the boys tournament. He quickly pulled within one after a two-strke swing at the first, with a birdie while Lawson made bogey.
As Lawson continued to struggle early on, De Herrypon kept making birdies and found himself three shots clear by the 11th. Fellow Frenchman Callixte Alzas also started strong, to reach the halfway point three shots behind before a double-bogey at 11 set him back.
With seven holes to play, Lawson re-grouped and fought back, making birdies at 12, 15 and 16 to draw level with De Herrypon on 14-unde-par.
A birdie for Lawson at 17 gave him the lead with one to play, but De Herrypon answered with birdie at the final hole to force a playoff.
He then had a 2-metre putt to win at the first playoff hole, but it slid by and they went back to the tee. On the second attempt De Herrypon hit his approach even closer than the first time, but Lawson made birdie to stay alive. And when the frenchman failed to convert the short birdie attempt, it was Lawson who took the win.
"I got off to a poor start, missed a couple putts early-on and was 3-over after 4" said Lawson after the win. "But I just kind of stuck to it and kept going and on the back-nine I came alive and managed to get the putter working."
"It's such a big tournament and I'm so happy to win it just feels awesome."
In the Girls' tournament, Annabel Peaford had a commanding four-shot lead coming into the final day and she showed no signs of letting up. She reached the turn in three-under par, with birdies at the fifth, sixth and ninth, to extend her lead to six shots.
Her closest challenger was Spain’s Martina Navarro who took second place after shooting an 8-under-par 64, the lowest round of the day. France’s Celeste Bobo Lloret took third as France dominated the podium positions.
Peaford continued her strong performance on the back-nine stretching her lead further with a chip in for birdie at 10, before adding three more birdies in the last four holes, including one at the last for a bogey-free 65 to finish the week 20-under-par, seven (!) shots ahead of the field.
"It's amazing, there's such a high standard here" said Peaford after picking up the trophy. "To be even selected to play in this tournament was amazing so I'm really pleased."
"I actually wasn't as nervous as I thought I was going to be be because I had a 4-shot lead, but I decided to still be aggresive and play the game I've been playing the last few days."
A week of low scoring in Slovakia sees the trophies head back to France, Scotland and England.
