Sikk helps Team Europe to victory
The Junior Vagliano Trophy was played on Friday and Saturday at The Island Golf Club in Ireland, bringing together teams representing Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland. Each team consisted of six of the best girls aged 16 and under, with newly crowned U16 European champion Kristella Sikk becoming the first Estonian to compete in the event as part of the Continental Europe team.
On the opening day, both matches involving Sikk ended in ties, but on Saturday morning she teamed up with Italy’s Maria Sole Albini to claim a valuable point. Going into the decisive singles matches, Continental Europe trailed by one point. However, the singles went extremely well for Myrte Eikenaar’s team, with the Estonian also securing a convincing win, defeating Morgan Bollan 6&5. Continental Europe therefore claimed a narrow but sweet 9.5–8.5 victory, with Sikk contributing three points to the team’s total. Results
The event has been contested since 2011, with Continental Europe taking on Great Britain & Ireland. Continental Europe won each of the first seven editions. The 2023 contest ended in a tie, but under the rules the trophy remained with Continental Europe. Great Britain & Ireland finally won the event for the first time in 2024, but Continental Europe reclaimed the trophy in 2025.
Kristella Sikk: “I’m very happy and was also really surprised to be selected for the Continental Europe team. I didn’t know most of my teammates beforehand, but we had a really good and enjoyable team atmosphere. Our captain was very positive and helpful and took care of every problem. It was a links course, which suited match play well, but would have been a very difficult course for stroke play. You could reach the par-5s in two, but some of the tee shots required you to hit blindly over a hill, and there were a lot of bunkers around the course. The greens were a nice speed for putting — neither too fast nor too slow. I played pretty well on the first day, although I made a few mistakes. I played both foursomes matches with Maria Sole Albini from Italy. Our partnership worked well, especially on the second day, when we holed practically every putt. That continued into the singles, which was one of my best rounds of golf. Overall, I have very positive feelings and I’m really happy that I was able to contribute three points to the team.”
The Jacques Léglise Trophy, a similar event for boys aged 18 and under, was also played at the same venue. Continental Europe secured a convincing victory there as well, defeating the opposing team 14.5–10.5. Results
The roots of the match date back to 1958, when Continental Europe faced a team representing England and Scotland. Since 1977, however, the event has been contested in its current format. Following this year’s edition, Great Britain & Ireland have now won the trophy 29 times and Continental Europe 17 times, with Continental Europe having won the last seven editions in a row.
