Evian Championship Juniors Cup

Portugal had its best ever performance at the Evian Championship Juniors Cup, one of the most prestigious world tournaments in the under-14s. The event was played over two rounds at the Evian Resort Golf Club, with 16 participating countries, and 17 mixed teams of four players (two boys and two girls) as the host country entered two quartets. The national team, including Francisco Matos Coelho, Leonor Medeiros, Rita Costa Marques and Diogo Mealha, finished in 5th place, tied with China. The previous best finish for the Portuguese team was 12th. The USA won the tournament convincingly, with -5. Japan, who was defending their title, was runner-up 13 strokes back. France 2 was third with +19, and Holland fourth with +24.In the boy’s singles standings, Francisco Matos Coelho, two-time National Champion of the under-14 and newly crowned Men’s National Championship, took the final spot on the podium with a total of 143 (73-72), 1 over par. Diogo Mealha was 27th, with 164 (83-81), 20 over par. The boy’s event was won by American Jackson Van Paris with -4, followed by Kyo Morishita from Japan (par). In the girl’s competition, Lucie Malchiron from France won with -4, Rita Costa Marques (78-78) and Leonor Medeiros (75-81) shared the 13th place, with +1 A seleção de Portugal teve aquela que foi de longe a sua melhor prestação de sempre no Evian Championship Juniors Cup, um dos mais prestigiados torneios mundiais no escalão de sub-14 anos. A prova jogou-se em duas voltas no Evian Resort Golf Club, com 16 países participantes e 17 equipas mistas de quatro jogadores (dois rapazes e duas raparigas), visto que o país anfitrião entrou com dois quartetos. Francisco Matos Coelho foi terceiro na tabela individual masculina e a selecção nacional, composta ainda por Leonor Medeiros, Rita Costa Marques e Diogo Mealha, acabou no 5.º lugar empatada com a China, quando a anterior melhor marca portuguesa era o 12.º. Os EUA venceram de forma categórica, com -5, o Japão, que defendia o título, foi vice-campeão a 13 pancadas de distância do país vencedor. A França 2 foi terceira com +19 e a Holanda quarta com +24. No campo de par-72 do Evian Resort, Francisco Matos Coelho, bicampeão nacional de sub-14 e recém-sagrado campeão nacional de clubes em homens por Vilamoura, subiu ao pódio com um total de 143 (73-72), 1 acima do par. Diogo Mealha foi 27.º, com 164 (83-81), 20 acima do par. A prova masculina foi ganha pelo norte-americano Jackson Van Paris, com -4, seguido do japonês Kyo Morishita (par).