Kent’s Alfie Plant won a dramatic three-way playoff with a birdie on the fifth extra hole to become the European Amateur champion at Walton Heath Golf Club – and book his place in The Open.
“It’s going to take a few days to sink in, but this couldn’t have happened at a better place. It’s brilliant,” said Plant, who saw off the challenge of defending champion Luca Cianchetti and Lorenzo Scalise, both from Italy.
Plant was loudly cheered off the green by a large gallery which included the sizeable contingent of ‘Team Alfie’ – the band of family and friends who enthusiastically follow the 24 year old from Sundridge Park.
“I’ve got great family support,” said Plant, who revealed his great grandmother passed away at the start of this week. “This is a good way to put a smile back on everyone’s faces.”
Plant produced two crucial birdies to secure his victory. The first was on the 18th in regulation play, which took his score to 15 under and, after Scalise and Cianchetti both finished with bogeys, put him in the play-off.
The trio set off on a circuit of holes one, two and 18, which left Plant and Scalise deadlocked on level par, while Cianchetti, who was one over, was eliminated.
The pair returned to the first, and Plant almost snatched the win when his 25ft birdie attempt lipped out. But his par was matched by Scalise, and they marched on to the second – where the Englishman scored that other crucial birdie, rolling in a 12ft putt for victory.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of a year,” said Plant, who won the 2016 Lytham Trophy and secured England’s silver medal at the world championships, but has recently endured a run of disappointing results. “You’ve got to take the highs and the lows, and I know I’ve been playing really good golf, so it was only a matter of time.”
The championship has been intensely close from the first day – with a play-off confidently predicted by many of the spectators – and the competitors guaranteed the excitement continued throughout the final round, when a host of players made a charge up the leaderboard. Ireland’s John-Ross Galbraith returned a 65, Jack Singh Brar (Remedy Oak) shot 66 and Germany’s Matthias Schmid 67 to all finish on 12 under. Matthew Jordan (Royal Liverpool) finished on 13 under with his 66, while Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and Spain’s Victor Pastor also shot 66s for totals of 14 under.
Out on the course, however, Plant, Scalise and Cianchetti were responding to the scoreboard challenge with superb golf, trading birdies and swopping the lead. Cianchetti made a break with an eagle three on 14 and a birdie on 15 to get to 16 under. Bur Scalise quickly joined him with an eagle of his own on 16. Plant, meanwhile, was trailing the Italian pair by two – but it all changed on the 18th where the scores were levelled.
Plant’s victory earns him a place in The Open at Royal Birkdale – and saves him an early outing at final qualifying on Tuesday where he had a start time of 6.45am. He will be joined in the field by Luca Cianchetti, who takes his place as a result of his win in last year’s European Amateur.