Opening Golf to the World
The Amateur
Guus Lafeber advances at The Amateur Championship in bid for rare R&A double
17 Jun 26
7 mins
Guus Lafeber emerged from a tense tussle with Walker Cup player Connor Graham to book a place in the second round of The 131st Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Over the storied Hoylake links which played host to the inaugural staging of the event in 1885, the young Dutchman held his nerve and won on the 19th hole of a fascinating match play duel with his Scottish opponent. Lafeber, who is aiming to add the Amateur Championship crown to The R&A Boys' Amateur Championship title he won last season, was never behind in a nip and tuck encounter but the 18-year-old had to go the full distance and more before he eventually staved off Graham’s spirited resistance. All-square playing the 18th hole, it looked like Lafeber, the son of former Dutch Open winner Maarten, had the advantage as he knocked a wedge from the middle of the fairway to within eight-feet. Graham, meanwhile, was in the right hand rough but conjured a superb recovery and his approach rolled inside Lafeber’s effort and the hole was halved in birdies. The sparring duo were in a similar position off the tee on the first extra hole, but their approaches went in different directions. Lafeber was on the right of the green and Graham had to come up the slope off the left. The Dutchman’s raking putt trundled to within gimme distance, but Graham raced his effort well past the flag and he missed the return to hand victory to Lafeber. "That was so nerve-wracking," he said. "I played great. It was important to get off to a fast start and that’s what I did. But I knew it would be tough. Connor also played some really good golf. It was a really good match. I’m just glad that I've done it. It feels good.
Guus Lafeber enjoyed a memorable victory in the first match play round.
"Our coach, Reiner Saxton, is here with us and he knows how to win this tournament. He’s a great man to lean on.
"I have my win in the Boys' Amateur Championship too. I definitely know what it takes to win in match play."
On a warm and bright day, with enough of a breeze to cause plenty of mischief, the No 1 seed, Wilhelm Ryding of Sweden, had a scare against Loran Appel of the Netherlands but pounced on his rival’s late wobble and won on the final green.
Appel had been two-up after the turn and was still one hole to the good with three to play but the 20-year-old’s game would unravel as the tension mounted.
He plunged his ball out of bounds on the 16th to allow Ryding to restore parity and when his putt up the slope on the 17th rolled back to his feet, Appel found himself one behind.
The momentum shift was considerable. As Ryding blasted his drive down the 18th, left-hander Appel hooked his own tee-shot into the rough and his hopes all but vanished.
It was a battle the whole way", Ryding said. "Loran was up the whole way but in that stretch (near the end) I just tried to keep it in play. I did, and then made some good pars coming in.
"I was 2-down heading into 14 but won that hole. Come the 16th I was still hitting first and just to see the ball in the fairway there was great.
"You try to get it down there so you can reach it in two. Unfortunately, he went out of bounds. It could happen to anyone. It’s a tough, tough hole.
"Conditions were definitely trickier. You've had some longer clubs in today into the wind. That was a little bit different from yesterday and the day before, but it's been fun. It's been fun and challenging."
Stroke play leader Wilhelm Ryding is enjoying an excellent week so far.
An intriguing joust between GB&I Walker Cup foursomes partners, Stuart Grehan and Eliot Baker, ended in an impressive 3&2 win for Irishman Grehan.
Despite losing the opening hole, Grehan’s response was swift and decisive.
In a classic matchplay moment, the 33-year-old chipped in from the back of the second green for an eagle and Baker, who was just six feet away, missed his own eagle chance.
A birdie on the next hole gave the experienced Grehan a lead that he would never relinquish.
"I know Eliot so well, and we’ve played so much golf together, so I knew it was going to be a really tough game," Grehan said.
"We both spoke about playing each other last night. It is a bit of a shame. But, look, you're always going to come across someone you’ve played with before during the week. It is what it is.
"I played really well. I was maybe five or six-under par so I'm pretty pleased with my day's work."
The day dawned with an epic play-off involving 21 players for the 10 remaining match play places.
Germany’s Emil Riegger was one of the lucky ones to emerge from the sudden-death shoot-out.
Buoyed by that success, Riegger went on to enjoy a battling one-hole win over Louis Klein of the Czech Republic.
"I feel I was very fortunate to make par on both holes and get through," Riegger said.
"I haven't played too much match play, but I think it's very enjoyable because one hole doesn't make too much of a difference. You just plough through.
"I played in the Amateur Championship last year but lost in the first round. It’s one better now and hopefully I can keep going."
The winner of Saturday’s 36-hole Final will secure exemptions into The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale next month, the US Open, and, by tradition, an invitation to play in the Masters Tournament.
The Amateur Championship is one of the biggest and most prestigious amateur championships in the world and features a starting line-up of 288 players.
The first Amateur was held at Hoylake in 1885 where 44 players from 12 clubs competed. Some of golf’s greatest names have triumphed in the event, including Bobby Jones, José María Olazábal and Sergio Garcia.
Spectators are welcome and can attend free of charge or people can watch the final two days live at home on R&A TV and YouTube.
Full match play results from Wednesday's play are available here.