Young men victorious on the last day

Estonia’s under-18 men’s team finished the European Championships today with a 4-1 win over Poland to finish seventh in Division II. Results 

The Estonian women’s team finished yesterday with a loss against Iceland 1,5:3,5 and finished in 19th place. As a reminder, the last time we participated with a U18 girls team was in 2010, but back then the team was four players. Results 

Men’s Division II was won by Belgium, who beat Scotland 4:3 in the final, but the bronze medals went to Portugal, who were outclassed in the quarter-finals. The top three will be promoted to Division I next year, where Italy, Iceland and Spain were eliminated. Results 

In the first division, however, medals were won by France, who beat England in the final, and Sweden, who edged Germany. Results 

However, the top three for women were England, Germany and Italy. The home team, Sweden, was only eighth. Results 

Comments from players and coaches:

Egeti Liiv, coach of the U18 boys: “The Polish pitch was challenging. It reminded me of Otepää, where there were ups and downs on practically every track and it was hard to find flat ground anywhere. The weather was about 30 degrees almost every day and there was rather little wind. But there the weather conditions changed every hour. The gullies were fast, and if you couldn’t hit the gully, you had to work very hard at close quarters. It was almost impossible to leave the downwind approaches/putts near the hole.
The first day went well for our youngsters and good results were played. On the following days, the mistakes started to come a little more: some with the kick-off, some with the approaches, some with the putting. Even the top countries who were in the U18 competition had three putts on the greens.
On the last day against Poland, it was not easy, but we had to pull ourselves together and make fewer mistakes, which led to victory. But again there were definitely lessons to work on and for the new team members it was also a great first experience in such a competition.”

Aivar Paalberg Jr: “I wasn’t very proud of my game. I was not too proud of my game. I was not proud of my game, but I was not proud of my result. Every day (apart from the last one) the focus on the track was completely lost for a few moments and the result was very big numbers. There was also a lot to learn from the opponents. Most of all from the Portuguese as their ability to focus was evident. Everything from their breathing to how long they were behind the ball. Everything was the same every time. This was also shown in the foursome match against them, where we were +2 after nine, but still down by 7. The overall organisation of the tournament was very good. The course was unique and there was no such thing as a light green. On a two-metre putt you could take a half-metre break, which made match play very interesting.”

Hart Oskar Aoveer: “The field was in very good condition and very interesting construction. I qualified quite well, especially on the first lap. The course was very good, especially the first round. It was really fun to play match play as the tracks were different and difficult. The course was really interesting and the course was very challenging because the course was very different and I had a lot of fun. I won both singles matches and lost the foursomes. The tournament was a good experience again and I was happy with my game.”

Kaspar Urh Jamnik: “Considering it was my first time in this competition, I did quite well. As a team, we didn’t get as high a place as we might have liked, but at least we have places to learn from. The course was very hilly, with lots of deep bunkers where you couldn’t even see the flag in places, and the gradients were also quite tricky, with several slopes that you can’t see with the eye. I played pretty well in the first qualifying round, when unfortunately the second was a bit worse. This time I hit the best approaches and putts which helped me to win a lot of match plays. Saving the pars around the green was definitely the most problematic this time, especially as my chip was not the best and the elevated practice with the big slopes were pretty hard to chip. Other than that the team performed very well, the team captain, Robin, did his job well and so did the head coach, Egeti Liiv. The spirit of the team was good and friendly and also the opponents I played with were very friendly. Thanks to all the sponsors and other supporters who helped us gain new experience and the opportunity to play in such a good competition.”

Rasmus Kivila Jr: “My game was okay. My game was OK. I lost the most shots because I didn’t hit the green. The short game was very good as usual, especially the putt. I played well in the first two qualifying rounds, but I also missed quite a few shots. A little bit about the match play: I lost my first two matches, my game was okay, but my opponent just played better. The last match we had against Poland, I played a foursome with Aivar. It went surprisingly smooth and we got our first win there. Our play in this match was very steady and when one of us made a mistake, the other one saved us. Overall, the tournament was very well organised.”

Rauno Pikk. The opponents were strong: especially the Portuguese, against whom Aivar and I were 7 down after nine holes, as the opponents had managed to play -5 in that time. The weather was perfect, maybe too hot, and there were thunderstorms and heavy rain, but that didn’t stop anyone. Teamwork and the team spirit that went with it was good and we were always there to support each other. I’m happy with my two matchplay wins, the last of which ended with a nice chip in (flop over the bunker) eagle win on 18-iron. Personally, my main problem was understanding the grids, especially when chipping and a lot when putting. I definitely made some new acquaintances and I’m grateful to EGL for the opportunity.”

Robin Udodov: “The competition was well organised. The event was well organized. The competition was well organized. I was quite satisfied with my overall performance. The team could have done better on the second day, where we dropped from fifth to seventh place. In the first match play we played against Portugal. We both played quite well in our own match and neither of us made any big mistakes. As the final score was known before our game was over, we settled for a draw. In the next match against Slovenia, I played quite well again, but in the end, the Slovenian won with a birdie on the last one, who just made a few more putts. In the last match against Poland, I played a bit worse, but in the end, I managed to pull myself together and win. Throughout the whole match, my best part was my close game, which I saved a lot. In the match play part, I would have liked to have made more birdie putts.
Overall, I can be satisfied with my performance. As a team, we definitely didn’t achieve our goal. That being said, it was a very good experience to play 6 days of golf in about 35 degrees.”

Daniel Moss Silva, coach of the U18 girls: “The Estonian girls’ team took part in the 2024 European Girls’ Team Championship, organised by the Göteborgs Golf Klubb, Sweden’s first golf course, founded in 1902. The golf course was a real challenge for all teams, with small and sloping greens with 10+ stimp, narrow fairways and lots of elevation gaps requiring a lot of experience and skill. The first participation of an Estonian team in 14 years, especially with a young team where all players were new to the competition. The team was thrilled to be competing against the highest level of girls under 18 in Europe. On both training days there were extreme weather conditions, on the first training day when we played foursome the wind was blowing around 11m/s. On the second training day we played singles in heavy rain.
In the stroke play qualification round Team Estonia played in very rough weather conditions. On the first day there was a strong wind and the team had a tough start to the match, but held on until the last putt. On the second day of qualifying and now with nerves more in control, the team played better, although again in constant rain. With a total score of +99, the Estonian team qualified in 19th place, 27 strokes behind the previous team.
In the match play stages we met Turkey, where we had a chance to win. Unfortunately everything went wrong and we lost 3,5:1,5. The second match play was against Iceland, where the team was made up of more experienced and older girls. This proved to be a real challenge. Again the team gave it their all, but fell just short with a score of 3.5:1.5. The last day was spent watching the final teams warm up and prepare.
Overall, the week was a great experience for all our players. They now saw the level of the best girls in Europe, which will hopefully motivate them to work harder. I believe that by moving forward with a solid plan, the girls’ team will be able to come back stronger and compete for the top spot.”

Elizaveta Sofia Reemet: “This week was a great opportunity to improve various golf skills. Some of the girls also got better at controlling their emotions, including myself. Seeing other girls from other countries playing better gave me hope to improve my game. The course was difficult but very good to prepare for the next important and difficult competitions. The fast greens, different winds every day and challenging course lengths made me realise that there are different ways to complete a difficult course with shorter strokes. Overall it was a great experience with good memories.”

Danielle Truusa: “The course was in great condition, I have never played on such good and fast greens. The courses were half as long and difficult as the ones in Estonia. It was great to play on such a good course and still be the European team champions. The experience was mega, the team was good, the coach and captain Elizaveta were very helpful and supportive, kept the team well when needed and helped when there were concerns. I personally gained so much courage and confidence in my mental side as well as on the game side. All in all, the first big competition was well done, with more or less good scores and definitely gave me more will and hard work to reach a higher position next time.”

Iiris Mätas: “After a long time, we participated again in the European Team Championships in Sweden. The field was in good condition, long and narrow in places. The greens were fast and on the harder side. Unfortunately I couldn’t give 100% of myself as my health wasn’t the best this week. Our team was supportive and supportive. We had a very good experience and it can only get better from here.”

Kirke Kiige. I would like to work more on the irons and the drive, I had a bit of trouble with that. I would like to have a little bit more on the race, I would like to improve a bit more on the bike, I would like to improve my performance a bit more. We had a pretty good schedule, there was always enough time to warm up or practice something after the match. The pitch was quite difficult at times but it was interesting to play.”

Kristella Sikk: “I liked the pitch we played on. The course was long for me in the meantime, so I had to hit long holes like 6 and 5 and hybrid and tree 3 all the time. My GIRs were bad, but I saved a lot of lanes with my short game. Putting was only bad on the first day, but then there were some very difficult flag positions and I ended up in the wrong hole. On the last day I only got one GIR out of thirteen holes. I did well on the second and third day. I didn’t do too bad on the first day, but I wasn’t happy with the last one. The only GIR I made on the last day would have been basically a holar and I made birdie. I was very happy with that round. All in all, I liked the course and got a lot of experience.”

Meribel Malva: “It was the first time we were out as a team with the girls and the support for each other worked really well. The golf course itself was beautiful and in very good condition. The golf course was very nice and we had a great team and the conditions were very good. There was only one track on the whole course and it was smooth, so it was quite hilly. The greens were fast and tricky, so at the beginning of the week they were a real challenge. Overall the game was ok, some days I had a few mishaps because I missed the grizzly and chipping was difficult. I really enjoyed the competition. Of course I was pretty nervous before the start of the competition but by the last day it was over. I also really enjoyed watching the first three. I realised that I still have a long way to go and there is still a lot to learn. I’m very happy to be part of such a competition and I’m now richer with a lot of experience.”