Estonian U14 team finished 20th at Evian Junior´s Cup
The Amundi Evian Junior Cup came to an end in France today, with Estonia’s U14 national team also taking part. Estonia were represented by two boys and two girls: Kris Kuusk, Lui Saat, Brenda Paalberg and Getrin Vahtra. The tournament was held at Evian Resort Golf Club (par 71) and consisted of three rounds. A total of 21 countries competed, with the scores of the three best players from each round counting towards the team total.
France claimed a dominant victory in the team competition, having held the lead since the opening day. France finished at 15 under par, 14 shots ahead of runners-up China. South Korea finished third at level par. Estonia placed 20th with a total of 107 over par.
In the boys’ individual competition, France’s Alan Rode took the title with a three-round total of 10 under par (64, 73, 66). Rode finished five shots ahead of Finland’s Lionel Mutikainen, who finished at 5 under par (66, 70, 72). France’s Sunil Ramsamy was third at 4 under par (69, 69, 71). Among the Estonians, Kris Kuusk finished tied for 33rd at 27 over par (77, 82, 81), while Lui Saat finished 40th at 39 over par (80, 86, 86).
In the girls’ individual competition, Austria’s Samira Petek was crowned champion at 2 under par (68, 70, 73). China’s Yuqian Lin finished second at level par (74, 73, 66), while South Korea’s Haeun Jang was third at 1 over par (74, 72, 68). Estonia’s Getrin Vahtra finished 34th at 41 over par (85, 84, 85), while Brenda Paalberg placed 40th at 62 over par (90, 94, 91).
Coach Hanna-Maria’s comments: “The course was difficult for the youngsters, and it was hard to recover from even small mistakes. For three of our four players, this was their first time representing Estonia, so nerves and a lack of competitive experience were noticeable. As a coach, this was a very valuable week. I got a much clearer picture of what we need to work on: how the youngsters prepare for competitions themselves, what they pay attention to during practice rounds, how they make decisions on a difficult course, and how they keep their game together when things do not go according to plan. The confidence needed to compete at international level comes with time and experience. For our youngsters, this was one of the first steps towards that level. Despite a challenging week, they kept their heads up and are already looking forward to getting back to training and preparing better for their next competitions.”
