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Hamiltons win wire-to-wire on thrilling last day
 Martin and Connor Hamilton from Lambourne Golf Club completed an impressive wire-to-wire victory at the inaugural European Father and Son Championship, fighting off challenges from the chasing pack with a fine display of cool under pressure over the back nine.
Their third round total of 40 points took them to a massive aggregate of 125, as Connor Hamilton closed out the tournament in style with a magnificent birdie on the final hole to finish three points clear of Andy and Thomas Tremlett.
"The first two days were all about Connor and I‘ve never seen him play better," said Martin, a dentist from Slough, whose wife Gayathri accompanied the pair throughout the final round.
The outcome of the Championship was however in the balance all day. The Hamiltons made a nervous start, playing on an empty stomach, after being unable to eat breakfast. "Our shots were going one club further than normal because of the adrenaline that was flowing, but thankfully I managed to hole a few putts to steady the ship and we got things back together," said Martin. The pair only managed eigtheen points on the front nine and saw their 5 point overnight lead trimmed to just two.
Beginning the back nine, five teams - Hamilton, Tremlett, Lever, Round and Doley were separated by only four points and each team in the chasing pack took its turn at closing in on the lead.
Paul and Lance Round, playing on their first ever golf trip abroad, got to within two points with a birdie four from Paul at the par-five 16th, but were unable to make further inroads, finally amassing 120 points for third place. "We had never played abroad before and didn’t know what it would be like," said Paul, 48, from The Chase Golf Club. “We just wanted to play some good golf courses and give a decent account of ourselves, but the event exceeded all our expectations and we never dreamed of finishing in the top three. We have no regrets at not winning. The best pair won."
Andy and Thomas Tremlett of Old Thorns Golf and Country Club, playing in the group ahead of the Hamiltons, got to within one point after Thomas chipped in for a birdie at the par 4 11th, but their challenge sadly came to an end on the par 3 17th , when Thomas caught his tee shot fat - an uncharacteristic slip on a day when he played otherwise impeccable golf - and neither partner managed to make a par, easing the pressure on the leaders. They brought home 42 points for a 122 point total and the runners-up position, but remained philosophical.
"It’s disappointing to get so close to
winning but we couldn’t have played any better and Tom struck the ball brilliantly," said Andy, 49, a golf marketing consultant who plays off 10. "We thought we had a chance at one stage and it all got very tight, but we made a bit of a mess of the 17th hole and the
best pair won over the three days.”
"It has been a fantastic experience and the courses we played were in superb
condition," added Thomas, 17, a 12 handicapper. "Obviously, it would have been lovely to win but the Hamiltons played some great golf. We’ll just have to
come next year and see if we can go one better."
The slip by the Tremletts left the Hamiltons with the luxury of being able to clinch the title with a bogey on the par 5 18th. Martin played the hole conservatively, keeping well away from the water, but 15-year old Connor, after a big drive down the left centre of the fairway ("not that good, really, it was a bit of a duck hook," he confessed later), hit the shot of the tournament - a sweetly struck rescue club off a hanging lie that soared across the lake and bounced on the apron before rolling to within 25 feet of the hole.
"I really wanted to hole the eagle putt, but it was too weak," said Connor. He came up five feet short, but with all the cool of a seasoned pro he confidently holed the left to right birdie putt in front of the crowd of more than a hundred gathered round the green, allowing himself a modest fist pump before acknowledging the applause and falling into a bear-hug with father Martin. It was a fitting climax to the week, with the most consistent team finishing the job in style, bringing home three points scores in the 40s - the only team to do so.
"I’ve never known pressure like it with the SKY TV cameras on us but we both played some good shots at crucial times in the final few holes to see us home. I’m so proud of Connor and it’s hard to sum up what it feels like to have won," said a relieved Martin Hamilton.
"That was the most stressful thing I've ever done, but also the most enjoyable. It's been a beautiful three days and it's the best I've ever seen Connor play. He's won medals, and we've won two father and son competitions, but that's all. I had no concept that we could come up here and win. I just wanted us to be in contention, and we ended up winning it!"
Amid the hoopla of their victory, Connor stayed remarkably level-headed. "I don't think I'm good enough," he said, when asked if he had thoughts of one day turning pro. "I didn't even like golf up to two years ago - I played cricket and rugby. So I've only been playing two years and I've come down 11 shots. But my dad played well today and I played better on the second nine."
The winners took away the title of European Father and Son Champions for 2008, a handsome trophy, a celebratory magnum of champagne and a free trip to next year's event to defend their title.
A pupil at Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, also attended by Luke Donald, Connor is coached by
Laurence Marriott, assistant professional at his home club at Lambourne, where head professional Scott Marshall believes he has the talent to go all the way. In the meantime, however, he will pursue his good academic results and go to university.
The pairing of professional Graham and 12 handicap Fred Coombe from Palleg Golf Club took the honours of the day's best score with 44 stableford points, closely followed by Afred and Abbas Iqbal and Robert and George Mackay on 43 points. Ten teams managed at least 40 points, and 26 of the 49 starters scored 36 points or better. Across the three days of competition, 18 teams managed to score 108 points or more, an average of 36 a day - high quality golf on two very testing courses.
The tournament also recorded its first hole in one, when Philip Hokr from Karlstejn Golf Resort in the Czech Republic aced the 162 metre 4th.
Congratulating the winners, Tournament Director Toby Marsden said: "Martin and Connor showed great courage to come through in such testing conditions. We are honoured to have such worthy champions for our first year and look forward to welcoming them back to defend their title in 2009.
"The standard of golf produced at events like this never ceases to amaze me, especially from the younger players, and it is great to see such talent coming through. It has been an inspirational week for everyone involved and we’re looking forward to the event being the first of many."
Leading final scores (click here for the full final leaderboard):
1 Martin and Connor HAMILTON 45 40 40 125
2 Andy and Thomas TREMLETT 37 43 42 122
3 Paul and Lance ROUND 41 38 41 120
4 Brian and Christian LEVER 38 42 38 118
4 Robert and Callum DOLEY 38 42 38 118
6 Richard and Lee INMAN 38 37 42 117
6 Robert and George MACKAY 36 38 43 117
8 Paul and Philip TROW 37 41 38 116
9 Phil and Ben TAYLOR 36 38 41 115
10 Tomas and Peter VECERA 34 40 38 112
11 Graham and Fred COOMBE 29 38 44 111
11 George CARDWELL and Peter DUNN35 37 39 111
11 Greg and Mark BAILIE 37 37 37 111
11 Max and Miles TAYLOR 36 38 37 111
15 Afred and Abbas IQBAL 38 29 43 110
Click here for more photographs of the final day's play, and here for a full list of the week's prize-winners.
2009's event will take place from October 28 - 31, and early registration is recommended, as demand for places is expected to grow strongly after the success of this year's tournament. To express your interest, ask for a brochure or register now, simply click here.
November 1, 2008
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