Junior Ryder Cup 2023 Archives

Team Europe entered the final day singles matches with a six point lead after a remarkable clean sweep in Wednesday’s four-balls at Golf Nazionale, and they drove home their home advantage with seven victories and three ties in 12 Thursday singles matches at this year’s Ryder Cup venue, triumphing 20,5 to 9,5.

Leaderboard of the Ryder Cup 2023

Europe triumphs for the first time since 2004

Germany’s Helen Briem provided the Europeans with some early momentum at the Junior Ryder Cup 2023 after her 2&1 win over Yana Wilson, before Kris Kim defeated Miles Russell 5&4 to extend Europe’s advantage.

Spaniard Andrea Revuelta holed the winning putt to seal outright victory for Team Europe for the first time since 2004 when they won the trophy on American soil at Westfield Group Country Club in Ohio.

Scotland’s Conor Graham overcame American Jay Leng Jr 1 UP, while Swede Meja Örtengren defeated Gianna Clemente 3&2. Irishman Sean Keeling and Italian Giovanni Binaghi provided the two other European victories.

Francesca Fiorellini with a masterful performance in front of her home crowd at the Junior Ryder Cup 2023

In the final match to finish on the course, Italy’s Francesca Fiorellini provided a moment of magic on the 18^th green as she came back from 2 down with two holes to play, holing a putt from 25 feet to tie the match in front of a raucous home crowd.

European Junior Ryder Cup Captain Stephen Gallacher was delighted to bring home the trophy for his side and believes the future is bright for European golf.

“It feels absolutely amazing,” he said. “I am so proud of this team and what they have achieved. The team spirit has been unbelievable, and it has been a privilege to be their Captain.

“Every player took control of their own game and they’ve done everything I could have asked of them. The standard of golf has blown me away and it has been inspiring to watch. We are looking at future Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup stars.

“The kids have been fantastic and the way they bounced back at times was sensational. I’ve been blessed to have a front row seat and it’s been an honour just to watch them play. Some of these boys and girls will be future World Number Ones for sure.

“The standard and the talent out there is unreal and the future is bright for Europe. They have all been superstars. The way they dealt with the pressure of playing in this arena has been exceptional and I think our team wanted it a bit more today.”

(Text: Junior Ryder Cup)

The six automatic qualifiers comprise three boys – Englishman Kris Kim, Ireland’s Sean Keeling and Germany’s Peer Wernicke – and three girls – Spain’s Rocio Tejedo, Swede Meja Örtengren and Germany’s Helen Briem. The automatic qualifiers earned their place on the European Junior Ryder Cup team through a season-long ranking system, which was organised by the European Golf Association.

Junior Ryder Cup: Captains Picks

Six players were then selected by Gallacher: Scotland’s Connor Graham, Ukraine’s Lev Grinberg and Italian Giovanni Binaghi for the boys, while Sweden’s Nora Sundberg, Spain’s Andrea Revuelta Goicoechea and Italian Francesca Fiorellini were selected for the girls.

Gallacher said: “I would like to congratulate the players selected to represent Europe in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup. They have all performed brilliantly over the past year and their selection is fully justified.

“I’ve been to several of the qualification events this year and I’ve been blown away by the standard of golf on show. We’ve got a very strong team and it is going to be a fiercely contested tournament against the United States.

“It is a tremendous honour to be their Captain and I am looking forward to working with and showcasing the most exciting future talent in Europe.

“We are relishing the prospect of taking on the United States in Rome and playing the final day single matches at Marco Simone will be a memorable experience for both sets of players.”

The 2023 European Junior Ryder Cup team ?

See you in Rome ?#JrRyderCup
— Junior Ryder Cup (@JuniorRyderCup) August 23, 2023

The Participants

Kim, winner of the recent 96th Boys’ Amateur Championship at Ganton, topped the male Junior Ryder Cup Order of Merit to secure his place in Rome, and he will be joined by Keeling who finished second on the rankings.

Keeling finished third at the Portuguese International Amateur Championship, before reaching the third round of matches in the Spanish Amateur Championship.

The third and final automatic qualification spot was taken by Wernicke after an impressive campaign which included a third place finish at the Spanish International Amateur and a runner-up finish at the German Boys Open.

For the girls, Tejedo topped the Order of Merit thanks to a sensational season, which included two victories at the Portuguese International Ladies’ Amateur Championship and German Girls Open. Tejedo also won the European Girls’ Team Championship with Spain, in addition to third place finishes at the Spanish International Amateur Championship and French International Girls Championship.

Tejedo, currently sitting third in the European Golf Rankings and 37th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, will be joined in Rome by her fellow automatic qualifiers, Örtengren and Briem.

Örtengren has tasted success twice in 2023, firstly winning the French International Girls Championship before adding the European Ladies’ Team Championship in Finland, whilst Briem became the first German to win The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship in its 104-year history to secure the final automatic qualification spot.

New Record

Gallacher then selected the talented trio of Graham, who will become one of the youngest players in Walker Cup history after being selected in Great Britain and Ireland’s team for the matches against the United States in September, Grinberg and Binaghi.

Grinberg, at the 2022 Soudal Open in Belgium, became the second-youngest player to make a cut in the DP World Tour’s history at the age of 14.

He also picked Sundberg who won the Spanish International Amateur Championship and the stroke play qualifying at the European Girls’ Team Championship earlier this year, Goicoechea who finished second in the French International Girls Championship, and Fiorellini, meaning there will be two Italians taking part in the Junior Ryder Cup on the eve of the country hosting the Ryder Cup itself for the first time.

The first two days of the Junior Ryder Cup will be played at Golf Nazionale before the decisive singles matches are held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the Ryder Cup venue, on the eve of the 44th edition of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States.