Europe wins the 2023 Jacque Leglise Trophy in dominant fashion
8/26/2023 | by Royal & Ancient
see also: View results for Jacques Leglise Trophy, Royal Golf Club of Belgium
This was Europe's fourth consecutive victory over Great Britain and Ireland in the match
Heading into the final day with a three-point deficit, Great Britain and Ireland needed a fast start at Golf de Chantilly, and they got one.
The GB&I team went up in all of the first three foursomes matches after two holes and looked like they might close the gap to their opponents ahead of the final singles session.
The morning session goes to Europeans
However, the Spanish duo of Marcel Fonseca Aguilar and Jorge Siyuan Hao were one down after five against England’s Hugh Adams and Monty Holcombe, but three birdies in five holes quickly turned the match, and the session around.
A final birdie on No. 14 secured a 5&4 win and the first point of the day for the Europeans. A second point closely followed.
Despite being down in the match until the 15th, Hugo Le Goff of France and Lev Grinberg of Ukraine won three holes in a row against Ireland’s Sean Keeling and Jack Murphy to claim a second point for Europe on No. 17.
England’s Dylan Shaw-Radford and Kris Kim took the upper hand in match number three, defeating Swedish duo, Simon Hovdal and Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson to secure the first point of the day for the visitors.
The session looked set for a 2-2 tie with Niall Sheils Donegan of Scotland and Donnacha Cleary of Ireland two-up in the final contest with two to play.
But a missed opportunity on No. 17 and a costly mistake on No. 18 enabled Germans Tim Wiedemeyer and Peer Wernicke to halve the match, a result that widened the gap between the two teams to four points going into the nine-afternoon singles.
The afternoon belongs to Europe
Europe entered the last session needing only three points to secure the Jacques Léglise Trophy.
Hovdal set the tone early in match number two, beating Adams 5&4 with a birdie on No. 14. It looked like the decisive winning point would come from one of the top contests, with many Europeans leading their matches.
Fahlberg-Johnsson’s win against GB&I captain Shaw-Radford on the 17th hole came simultaneously with Fonseca Aguilar’s success on the 15th green against Cleary, guaranteeing the Jacques Leglise trophy stayed in the Continent of Europe’s possession for one more year.
The Continent of Europe’s win marks a record-extending fourth straight victory for the team, all conquered under the captaincy of France’s Joachim Fourquet, who is a member of Golf de Chantilly and competed in the Jacques Leglise Trophy at the venue in 2001.
Halved matches from Louis Anceaux of France and Wernicke, as well as further wins from Hao, Wiedemeyer, Le Goff, and Grinberg meant the Continent of Europe team won all four remaining sessions at Golf de Chantilly, leaving the final score at 17-8.
Germany’s Tim Wiedemeyer has become the first ever Continent of Europe player to win the Jacques Leglise Trophy three times, scoring an impressive nine points out of 12 in his three appearances for the side.
Joachim Fourquet, non-playing captain for Europe, said, “I am so proud; it is historical, so I am very proud of my team, very proud of the last four years.
Fourquet added, “They did it perfectly, I mean, it is very natural for them, they talk to each other, they contest around the green, they joke around. It is just a great team, with great players and great spirit.
“Winning here is something very special. As a member of Chantilly, I like this course, I like the people here, so it’s very emotional, and I am very proud of winning here in Chantilly.”
The GB&I team went up in all of the first three foursomes matches after two holes and looked like they might close the gap to their opponents ahead of the final singles session.
The morning session goes to Europeans
However, the Spanish duo of Marcel Fonseca Aguilar and Jorge Siyuan Hao were one down after five against England’s Hugh Adams and Monty Holcombe, but three birdies in five holes quickly turned the match, and the session around.
Despite being down in the match until the 15th, Hugo Le Goff of France and Lev Grinberg of Ukraine won three holes in a row against Ireland’s Sean Keeling and Jack Murphy to claim a second point for Europe on No. 17.
England’s Dylan Shaw-Radford and Kris Kim took the upper hand in match number three, defeating Swedish duo, Simon Hovdal and Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson to secure the first point of the day for the visitors.
The session looked set for a 2-2 tie with Niall Sheils Donegan of Scotland and Donnacha Cleary of Ireland two-up in the final contest with two to play.
But a missed opportunity on No. 17 and a costly mistake on No. 18 enabled Germans Tim Wiedemeyer and Peer Wernicke to halve the match, a result that widened the gap between the two teams to four points going into the nine-afternoon singles.
The afternoon belongs to Europe
Europe entered the last session needing only three points to secure the Jacques Léglise Trophy.
Hovdal set the tone early in match number two, beating Adams 5&4 with a birdie on No. 14. It looked like the decisive winning point would come from one of the top contests, with many Europeans leading their matches.
Fahlberg-Johnsson’s win against GB&I captain Shaw-Radford on the 17th hole came simultaneously with Fonseca Aguilar’s success on the 15th green against Cleary, guaranteeing the Jacques Leglise trophy stayed in the Continent of Europe’s possession for one more year.
The Continent of Europe’s win marks a record-extending fourth straight victory for the team, all conquered under the captaincy of France’s Joachim Fourquet, who is a member of Golf de Chantilly and competed in the Jacques Leglise Trophy at the venue in 2001.
Halved matches from Louis Anceaux of France and Wernicke, as well as further wins from Hao, Wiedemeyer, Le Goff, and Grinberg meant the Continent of Europe team won all four remaining sessions at Golf de Chantilly, leaving the final score at 17-8.
Germany’s Tim Wiedemeyer has become the first ever Continent of Europe player to win the Jacques Leglise Trophy three times, scoring an impressive nine points out of 12 in his three appearances for the side.
Joachim Fourquet, non-playing captain for Europe, said, “I am so proud; it is historical, so I am very proud of my team, very proud of the last four years.
Fourquet added, “They did it perfectly, I mean, it is very natural for them, they talk to each other, they contest around the green, they joke around. It is just a great team, with great players and great spirit.
“Winning here is something very special. As a member of Chantilly, I like this course, I like the people here, so it’s very emotional, and I am very proud of winning here in Chantilly.”
About the Jacques Leglise Trophy
An annual boys' team competition between Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. The nine player teams compete over two days in foursomes and single matches
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