Ireland boys international Tom McKibbin won the prestigious Peter McEvoy Trophy in sensational fashion at Copt Heath, England on Thursday, 18 April.
The Holywood golfer, 16, holed his third shot for a dramatic winning birdie during a playoff for the trophy. McKibbin finished in a three-way tie at the top, alongside fellow Ulster boy Aaron Marshall and Melun Dhaubhadel of England, after 72 holes of stroke play.
All three players returned to the course in a bid to settle the outcome but the first playoff hole could not bring a resolution as all three made par at the 18th. On the second extra hole, McKibbin came up short with his approach shot from the bunker and left himself a challenging pitch over another trap.
A par from that position would have been a good result but the Belfast teenager had bigger ambitions, and managed to hole out for a magical birdie. His opponents were unable to match that three and so McKibbin took the title, following in the footsteps of Dubliner Gavin Moynihan, who won the event in 2012, and Kilkenny’s Mark Power, who triumphed in 2016.
Overall, it was an excellent week for the Ireland players. Lisburn’s Aaron Marshall shared second place with Dhaubhadel and Connemara’s Luke O’Neill was one shot behind the leading trio.