Batens best player - Germany best team

The second day of strokeplay sees the German boys team coming out on top. Best individual player is Thijmen Batens from The Netherlands.

St. Leon-Rot. The qualification phase of the European Boys Team Championship (EBTC) is finished and after two days of great strokeplay golf, the results are in. As previously stated, the championship will be fought out by the eight teams, that rank highest in the strokeplay qualification. And as it turns out, the defending champions from Germany have unleashed their full power to steam into the lead. Here on their home turf, the team around national coach Christoph Herrmann finished the two strokeplay rounds at an impressive 695 strokes (-25), with 352 strokes at the first day and 343 strokes at day two.

>>>Pictures of Day Two

Golf Team Germany is followed by England. The notoriously strong English squad played a total of 701 strokes (-19), although the second day (358) demanded a full 15 strokes more than the first day (343). The third rank is taken by Sweden with 703 strokes (-17). Trailing with only one stroke is Italy in fourth place. The other teams, that qualified for Flight A are Spain (712; -8), France (720;+/-0), The Netherlands (721 +1) and the Czech Republic (723; +3), which edges out Ireland (724; +4) in a foto finish like manner by one stroke, as Darcy Hogg (Ireland) finished the last hole with a bogey.

31 players below par

The hosting venue GC St. Leon-Rot has done everything to prepare a challenging championship course. And indeed the players are teeing off from the most backward position: the newly installed black tees. Roughs and semi-roughs are high and the greens - being mowed by hand - are hard and fast. Still the top teams were able to score well below the course standard of par 72. One obvious reason: dry weather, resulting in favorable bounces and rolls. And even more importantly: the density of skill in the field of the competing teams.

The best individual player is Thijmen Batens from The Netherlands. Batens scored a 67 (-5) in each of the two strokeplay rounds, finishing with an astounding 134 strokes (-10). Right after signing his scorecard, he sums up the previous rounds: „I am very happy with my performance so far. I have played two very solid rounds. I hope that my team mates can bring in some low rounds as well so we can move into Flight A. That is our main goal and after that we will see, what happens. We are a very young team and the spirit is very good.

The course is incredible. I have played it two times before, during the German Boys and Girls Open. It is in a very good condition and just an amazing golf course. The black tees make the holes a little bit longer, but the weather is really warm, so that we can hit the ball further. So after all it doesn’t make any difference.“

Keller improves by 49 ranks

Second best individual player is Harley Smith from England. One the first day, Smith was one of the players to score the lowest round in the qualification: 66 strokes (-6) was his result. On the second day, he even scored two eagles, but his score ended up at 70 strokes (-2), due to some bogeys along the way. He totals at 136 strokes (-8). Third place is taken by Eugenio Bernardi from Italy with 137 strokes (-7), who scored rounds of 68 and 69 strokes each.

On this second day, one player absolutely catapulted himself into the top ten of the individual ranking: Marc Keller from the Swiss team scored a 66 (-6) to tie for the lowest round in the tournament. Keller recalls: “I am incredibly happy. Yesterday I putted and chipped very well - but things didn't go so well in the long game. Today though, everything came together today. The drives were great, the putts actually fell. I picked up an eagle on the 17th and I'm just happy that it went so well. And it's just fun to be able to play with so many others at such a high level and to see where you are at. It's a really great atmosphere.“

But not all of Kellers wishes were meant to come true: his team, that started with ambitions for a medal or at least a top five rank, did not make it to Flight A.