Norfolk’s Sullivan Goddard has been crowned the English U18s Amateur Champion after producing superbly consistent golf across three days at Sand Moor Golf Club in Yorkshire.
The Thetford player posted rounds of 68, 72, 69 and 69 on the par-71 layout to finish -6, securing a three-shot victory over Sandy Lodge’s Nicholas Curran.
Goddard, who started a shot behind the lead after two rounds, attacked the third round, firing five birdies in a -2 that gave him a two-shot cushion heading into the final round.
With a small group hunting him down, the East Region golfer turned the screw with successive back-nine birdies to create head room. A chip-in from the right of the 13th green sparked a brilliant run, followed by a 6-ft birdie on the par-4 14th and a 3-ft birdie on 15 after a superb approach.
Suddenly, Goddard held a five-shot lead with three to play, and from there the left-hander held his nerve to lift the trophy in front of a packed balcony.
“It feels really, really good,” said the 17-year-old. “I feel like I’ve played well all season and this has kind of put it all together. In the final round I felt a little bit more pressure, I didn’t take advantage of the par 5 and had a wobbly start. From there it was quite solid, and from 13 where I’ve gone three birdies in a row, that settled me.”
The tournament, which started in 2021, has proven to be a springboard with Lottie Woad finishing runner-up in it’s opening year, while 2022 Champion, Tyler Weaver, is currently the third best amateur in the world.
Goddard, who won the Norfolk Amateur Championship last month, will hoping to follow in their footsteps, especially with an exciting schedule ahead of him.
“This result gives me a lot of confidence going into the Carris Trophy and British Boys,” added Goddard. “I’m really looking forward to those events now.”
Elsewhere, George Cooper shot -6 across the final two rounds, including the tied-best round of the tournament at -4 (67) to finish third with Sherwood Forest’s William Psenko finishing fourth on the same score.
Teeside’s Thomas Hartshorne was the last prize recipient in fifth place showing immense spirit to climb the leaderboard.
First out with a playing scorer after just making the cut, the England Boys’ Squad member shot rounds of 67 – also tied for the best score of the tournament – and 69 to incredibly claw his way back from +6 to level par.
The leading female in the tournament was Bristol and Clifton’s Mariella Buchanan, who finished eighth overall.