Opening Golf to the World
Boys' Amateur
Self continues fine form on march to Boys' Amateur quarter-finals
13 Aug 26
6 mins
Cole Self’s march through the Boys’ Amateur Championship field gathered pace as the number one seed eased into the quarter-finals at Gailes Links.
On another perfect golfing day on the Ayrshire coast, Self made hay while the sun shone and swept to a 6&4 win over Spain’s Juan Miro Asorey in the morning’s second round ties before a 4&3 victory over Germany’s Maximilian Franck in the last-16. In a high-quality joust with Franck, Self reeled off seven birdies in total while his clinical putting continued to be a valuable weapon in his match play armoury. Having forged a two-hole lead around the turn, Self staved off a menacing advance from Franck on the 11th when he followed him in for a birdie after the German had rolled his into the cup from 15 feet. Another key moment arrived on the 13th when Self, bunkered off the tee, conjured a superbly executed salvage operation which came to rest within five feet and led to a birdie which extended his advantage. “That was my best shot of the week,” admitted Self who continues to grow in confidence. “I’m playing really well. If someone beats me, on this form, then hats off to them. It’s the best I’ve played in terms of consistency this season and my putting has been really good. When I’ve needed to hole one, I have. “It’s great to be in the quarter-finals but I’m not looking too far ahead. There’s a long way to go and I feel like I’ve played a million rounds of golf already this week.”
Cole Self is happy with the way he is performing.
Self will face a testing encounter with Sweden’s Ludwig Libera, who edged out his compatriot and close friend, Filip Grave, on the final green of a keenly-fought contest.
One-down playing the 17th, the spirited Libera cushioned a terrific 9-iron into four feet and gobbled up the birdie chance to restore parity.
The 18-year-old then won on the last when Grave found the greenside bunker with his approach and failed to get up-and-down.
“It’s sad that one of us had to lose,” said Libera. “We played our first junior event together in the same group as 12-year-olds and are great friends. But golf is a cut-throat business and I’m delighted that I’m through.”
Swedish golfers have a rich history in the Boys’ Amateur Championship since Leif Westerberg’s trailblazing victory in 1992. “It would be a dream to win this,” added Libera.
“We had Swedish champions in 2022 and 2024. Hopefully we have one in 2026 too.”
Ludwig Libera will compete in Friday's quarter-finals.
Denmark’s Christian Photin Hansen has been nursing a fever over the last couple of days but soldiered on admirably. His 3&1 win over England’s Ben Sessions, which secured his place in the last-eight, was just what the doctor ordered.
“I’ve been feeling sick and coughing a lot,” said the young Dane, who was runner-up in the German Boys’ Open earlier this season.
“Maybe it’s helped me, though? My expectations have been lower but I’ve still managed to play some good stuff.”
Two-down to Sessions after just three holes – “I wasn’t feeling too great then” – Photin Hansen rallied and edged into a two-hole lead with birdies on the 11th and 14th.
He put the lid on his victory at the 17th with a terrific wedge to within a couple of feet which was conceded.
Photin Hansen will now face Iceland’s Oliver Eli Bjornsson, who beat France’s Jayson Piermont at the 20th hole.
The other quarter-final ties will see Lauri Diener of Germany play Italy’s Carlo Roman and Qatar’s Daniil Sokolov squaring up to the highly-rated Frenchman, Tao Pemerika.
Full results from Thursday's matches are available here.