Tyler Weaver put on a true exhibition of stroke play golf as he became the new name on the Carris Trophy at its spiritual home of Moor Park Golf Club in Hertfordshire.
The Bury St Edmunds golfer closed with a superb final round 68 to add to previous scores of 68, 69 and 67 to win the English Boys U18 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship by five shots from Italy’s Giorgio Celani.
Celani’s runner-up finished came courtesy of a stunning final round 63, which included nine birdies and an eagle at the 485-yard, par-five fifth. Netherlands’ Loran Appel finished third on -9, while Goodwood’s Drew Sykes secured fourth spot on -8.
Weaver was left to reflect on a tremendous four days of golf and his name will now join those of Justin Rose, Sandy Lyle, David Gilford and Ken Brown on the famous trophy that has been played for since 1935.
It is another addition to Weaver’s trophy cabinet following his win in the 2022 English U18 Amateur Championship at Woodhall Spa and a richly deserved success for the Suffolk golfer having led since the end of the opening day. Going into the final round, he was two shots clear of Appel and the pair were presented with excellent conditions for golf on the final day with little to no wind and the typical English summer rainfall having drifted away.
Weaver started out in consistent form, as his brand of faultless golf saw him make par on the first eight holes before an impressive birdie on the ninth helped him make the turn in 36 shots. Appel wasn’t going away though and he remained just two shots behind following the front nine but the first four holes of the sprint for home saw Weaver apply real pressure and, ultimately, clinch the title.
Birdies at the par-three 10th and the par-five 13th for Weaver, combined with dropped shots at 12 and 13 for the Dutchman, meant the overnight leader had stretched his advantage but stirrings were being made elsewhere on the course.
A few groups in front of the leaders, Celani had posted an incredible final round of 63 to put himself into the clubhouse lead thanks to a masterful display of stunning drives and excellent putts. That pressure from the Italian meant Weaver could ill-afford any mistakes and he despite dropping a shot at 15, he bounced back brilliantly to make birdies at 16 and 17 and secure the trophy that his phenomenal play deserved.
“I’m really happy with my week. I was comfortable this morning because I knew I was playing good golf and I just wanted to get out there and get going,” admitted Weaver. “You need to pay attention to other scores coming in from around the course so you know what you’re doing but obviously it was a little bit easier to keep an eye on what my playing partner Loran was doing!
“The course here at Moor Park has been in great condition, the greens were rolling really well and it was nice to play a course in such superb condition. It was also nice to have loads of my England teammates there supporting me at the end, as well as my parents, so I really can’t thank them all enough. It has been a great week!”
Weaver was also part of the England team that won the Nations Cup at the championship. He teamed up with Sam Easterbrook and Harry Malin to claim that prize ahead of The Netherlands. The Hazards Salver for the top U16 boy from GB&I was won by Colne Valley’s Charlie Rusbridge on -1.