© Sonia Reyes
The European Senior Championship Men's and Women's edition 2024 were held back-to-back in Luxembourg from June 13th to the 15th.
The pristine golf course and country club Kikuoka hosted the best 144 senior (+50) players in Europe, who competed for the champion title over 54 holes played for three days.
90 players in the men's category competed for the title, and after the second day, the cut came, leaving only the top 56 on the field for the last day. Swiss Andreas Bauer was at the top of the leaderboard with -8 shots and a lead of 5 shots. The last day was nerve-wracking as Bauer fell on the leaderboard, giving room to not only one but three players, who, in the end, had to go to play off over two holes before we knew who the new champion would be. They scored -3 shots over the three days.
Rodrigo Larda Soares from France earned the gold medal by sinking a birdie putt after two extra holes. Joe Lyons was the runner-up, and Declan O'Neill came in third place, both from Ireland. An award was also given to the top player in the +60 category, Michael Flindt from Denmark, who ended up with a final score of +1, leading by one shot.
In the ladies' category, 54 players competed for the winning title, and after a cut at 32, Annick Riff managed a score of +9, earning a double-winner title. She became the Senior Champion 2024 and the +60 champion, which is an example of passion for the sport. The runner-up was Hélene Melvy from France, with a total score of +11, and the bronze medallist was Alexandra Kölker from Germany, with +12.
© Sonia Reyes
Luxembourg was very well represented in this tournament with five players participating in the Men's Championship and two players in the Ladies' group. They showed their talent and enthusiasm along the course and two of them made the cut to play on the final day. Their performance showed Luxembourg has the players needed to contest in this kind of high-level tournaments.
On a special note, Angelique Mackaaij from the Netherlands made two holes in one in the second round of the event, something that is almost never seen in tournaments of this level.
During the closing ceremony, Mark Schmit, president of the Golf Federation in Luxembourg (FLG) said: "This championship has been a true testament to the dedication, skill, and passion of our senior golfers."
Mr. Jan Visser, Chairman of the Championship Committee for the European Golf Association (EGA), added, "I have seen many good shots, few bad shots, but also I have seen people competing in great spirits, I have seen fist bumps, high fives, and hugs… that is the true essence of being here together this week."
Thanks were given to the Golf Club for the outstanding work the team put into having the golf course in excellent condition, to the FLG, and to the organization team led by Madame Barbara Forzy, who, together with an army of volunteers from all the golf clubs in the Grand Duchy, showed that Luxembourg is a welcoming country and is ready to host these international events providing a top of the notch experience to international golf players.
