Ireland is the 2026 European Amateur Team Champion. The Irish squad edged this week’s home team Estonia, winning the trophy in an unimaginable scenario.
Ireland had the best start in the morning foursomes. Caolan Rafferty and Matthew McClean went 2 up thru 2 holes in the top match, and went on to score the first point of the day over Kevin Jegers and Markus Varjun, 4&3. Stuart Grehan and John Doyle had the lead in the second match, but Mattias Varjun and Ralf Kivi squared the contest on hole 16. Grehan had the opportunity to send the match in extra holes, but couldn’t convert on the last green.
This meant the gold medal would be decided in the afternoon singles, and Ireland was off to a good start yet again. Reigning Amateur Champion Stuart Grehan scored a quick point in the top match, beating Richard Teder 5&4. The Irishmen came one point away from victory after Matthew McClean beat Markus Varjun in match number 4. But the Estonian crowd then witnessed an incredible comeback by the home side. After Carl Hellat scored the first point of the afternoon over Gavin Tiernan, Mattias Varjun evened the contest after 20 holes of a tight battle against Caolan Rafferty.
It all came down to the duel between Thomas Higgins and Kevin Jegers, who remained all square through 19 holes. Estonia’s hopes were high after Higgins’ tee shot on hole number two ended up in the water, while Jegers was sitting a few metres away from the hole for par. The incredible scenario unfolded when Higgins made his putt, and Jegers couldn’t hit to extend the match.
The win is Ireland’s first in the event since 2008, and comes a year after the same team narrowly missed out on a medal on home soil at Killarney.
In the bronze medal match, defending champions Italy overcame France 4.5 – 2.5 to make it consecutive years on the podium.
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