Royal Lytham & St Annes' Jamie van Wyk has a memorable Home Internationals debut
Royal Lytham & St Annes’ Jamie van Wyk holed the decisive putt as England won the Men’s and Women’s Home Internationals at Woodhall Spa.
England edged a tight clash with Wales, 12-9, on the final day last Friday for a clean sweep of all three matches.
The result means England reclaimed the trophy from Ireland, making it three wins from four events since the amalgamated tournament began in 2022.
Team captain and manager Jenny Henderson said: “Home Internationals week is always a challenge as the players across all four home nations seem to get stronger and stronger.
“All the players this week did a great job in promoting England Golf and themselves.”
Van Wyk recorded pairs and singles victories as England saw off Scotland 13-8 on day one, only to lose both matches in their 11.5-9.5 win over Ireland on the second day.
The final day saw the men’s, women’s and combined trophies all up for grabs – and things looked promising after a 5-2 foursomes lead over Wales.
However, a dramatic final putt for Ireland secured the women’s title, meaning all focus turned to the other sections.
With leads toing and froing, the combined trophy was claimed with a 2/1 win for Lindrick’s Tom Osborne over Ioan Rowe.
It was van Wyk who sealed the men’s triumph with a birdie putt on the 17th hole, earning the 24-year-old a 2/1 win over Alex James.
That saw England finish top of the table with 36.5 points, followed by Ireland (31), Wales (30.5) and Scotland (28).
Men’s manager Ben Gorvett added: “For the men, it was an up-and-down week and we didn’t always start well, but our true quality shone through.
“It was fantastic to see some new blood in the team and you would expect them to be nervous, but not these boys. They came up trumps.
“The men and women showed true resilience throughout, especially as we were at home, and we’re really pleased with the result.”
Van Wyk’s selection came after a year which has seen him win the Welsh Men’s Open Stroke Play Championship, in addition to top-10 finishes at the NSW Amateur, Avondale Amateur and Concord Cup competitions in Australia, as well as 11th place at this year’s Lytham Trophy.