Kristella Sikk is the European U16 Champion!
A new chapter was written in Estonian golf history today as Kristella Sikk (Niitvälja Golf Club) was crowned European U16 Girls’ Champion at El Saler Golf Course in Spain. Her winning score was -3 for the three rounds combined (69, 71, 73), making her the only female player to finish the tournament under par. Sikk made 21 birdies over the three days, nine of them coming in the second round, leading the entire tournament in birdies across both the boys’ and girls’ fields. She did card one big number each day, but her numerous birdies more than made up for the smaller mistakes. For example, her eight on the second day came after her ball landed so deeply in a bunker that it took three shots to get it out. The silver medal went to the Czech Republic. Anna Gejdošová (+1), who also played excellent golf over all three days, did not make a score higher than bogey during the tournament, apart from an extraordinary 11 on one hole in the opening round. The bronze medal stayed at home in Spain, going to Rut Díaz García (+2), who did not record a score higher than bogey on any hole. Sikk became the first Estonian golfer to win a gold medal at an individual European Championship. Estonia’s only previous individual medal came last year, when Mattias Varjun returned from the Mid-Amateur European Championship with a silver medal.
Making her debut in the championship, Nora Marleen Animägi (Estonian Golf & Country Club) showed increasingly mature golf each day and eventually finished tied for 43rd. Her rounds were 91, 78 and 78.
In the boys’ competition, the title went to France. Tao Pemerika was crowned champion after an impressive final round, finishing at -11 (71, 69, 65). The silver medal stayed in Spain, with Jorge de la Riva Vázquez finishing at -5, while Germany’s Bjarne Murri took bronze with a score of -4. Among the Estonians, the best finish in the boys’ field came from the youngest member of the national team, just 13-year-old Kris Kuusk (Estonian Golf & Country Club), who finished tied for 35th. His rounds were 77, 74 and 80. Karl Konrad Ranna (Estonian Golf & Country Club) carded rounds of 81, 81 and 80, finishing tied for 49th.
France won the team competition, finishing ahead of Spain and Germany. Estonia finished 16th, ahead of the birthplace of golf, Scotland, as well as Finland, Portugal, Ireland and several other golfing nations. A total of 29 teams took part in the competition. The team was coached by Hanna-Maria Tammo.
Kristella Sikk: “European Young Masters was a very valuable experience for me, as I got to play against very strong opponents and test myself. The competition was very well organised and extremely competitive. The weather was much warmer than in Estonia, but once I got used to it, it was actually quite enjoyable. The course was beautiful and in great condition, and the greens were fast and good for putting. The team stayed close and I was very grateful that Kris and Konrad came to caddie for me on the second and third days. Hanna-Maria was a huge help throughout the week. She reminded me to put on sunscreen, drink water and stay in the shade, and she helped me make decisions in difficult situations and calm me down. I had fun and enjoyed playing every day. There were good moments and bad moments, but in the end everything worked out well. For example, I don’t think I have ever made so many birdies in a single tournament, 21, and at the same time I can’t remember the last time I made a quadruple bogey in competition. Last year, I never would have thought that I could actually win this tournament.”
Coach Hanna-Maria Tammo: “What a week! Incredible emotions!
Overall, the week went perfectly for us as a team as well. We had two practice rounds, during which we focused on positioning our tee shots and approaching the greens. The tee shots were sometimes difficult because it was not always clear where you needed to hit and exactly how wide the fairway was. The greens had interesting slopes and were surrounded by large bunkers. The biggest challenge every day was the weather, which was extremely hot, reaching up to 38 degrees. Fortunately, the course made sure there was water and ice available at almost every hole. As a team, Kristella, Nora, Kris and Konrad were fantastic and held up very well. If one player did not have their best round, the other three took responsibility, because the three best scores out of the four players counted. Two players started in the morning and two in the afternoon, so the afternoon players also had a caddie with them. After each round, we reviewed the problem areas and worked on improving them for the following days. For example, we significantly improved our performance on the par-5s after the first day. As a team, we finished 16th. Kristella played as she always does, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. Birdie after birdie, with the occasional double, triple or quadruple bogey in between. She led the competition every day and handled the pressure and the heat extremely well. Her mistakes came from lost balls or unsuccessful approaches. Starting the back nine on the final day with five birdies and a par visibly put pressure on her opponents. Kristella also made more birdies than anyone else throughout the competition. Her putting was simply incredible, the ball kept finding the hole from everywhere. She showed amazing concentration, athleticism, respect and sportsmanship throughout the entire competition and received plenty of compliments from captains and coaches of the other teams. And that is how the new U16 European Championship title was born!”
Nora Marleen Animägi: “It was a lot of fun representing Estonia at the European Young Masters. The course was uniquely beautiful and cool, while also providing a real challenge, as the first-round score of +19 showed. My results improved every day, which was positive (the last two rounds were +6, +6). The team was great and we got along really well. Coach Hanna-Maria also helped us map out the course during the practice rounds and identify where we should avoid making mistakes. Overall, I am happy with the tournament. I gained valuable experience and motivation for the future. A big thank you to coach Hanna-Maria and to our great team.”
Kris Kuusk: “The European Young Masters was a very good experience, but also quite a big challenge. The weather was extremely hot every day, which made playing more difficult. There was also strong wind every day, which had to be taken into account on every shot. The course was relatively narrow and had lots of bunkers and fast, sloping greens, which made the game even more challenging. Overall, I was happy with my first two days. I had some problems with the driver, but otherwise my game worked quite well. On the final day, it was harder for me to concentrate because of the weather, and my game was not as good. Nevertheless, I learned a lot from this tournament. I am very proud of our team because we worked well together and supported each other throughout the competition. I am especially happy for Kristella and very proud of her victory.”
Karl Konrad Ranna: “European Young Masters was a very valuable experience for me, as I got to play against the best young golfers in Europe in a high-level competition. The course was in excellent condition and demanded precision in every aspect of the game. The fairways were narrow, the rough punished inaccurate shots, and the fast, undulating greens made putting difficult. The weather also played an important role, especially the wind, which made choosing the right shots more challenging. The team performance was absolutely incredible. Kristella is European Champion, pure history. We kept our team spirit high and pushed each other to give our best. We all managed to stay strong despite the extreme heat and did not let it overwhelm us. I am proud of our team and hope this will not be the only European Championship title that comes to Estonia. A big thank you to coach Hanna-Maria, who supported us throughout the trip and helped us out of difficult situations.”
