Cover photo: The R&A/ Getty Images
The EGA is delighted to announce the final three players that will represent the Continent of Europe teams at the upcoming Vagliano and Junior Vagliano Trophy matches.
Selection for the teams recognizes the players’ outstanding achievements in the amateur game.
Chiara Horder (GER) will join six previously announced selections after winning the prestigious Women’s Amateur Championship title this weekend.
The German player defeated world amateur number-one, and soon to be teammate, Ingrid Lindblad (SWE) in the semi-finals and would go on to beat Annabelle Pancake (USA) 7&6 in the 36-hole final to secure the title.
Rocio Tejedo (ESP) will also represent the Continent of Europe women’s team for the first time. The Spaniard has performed exceptionally in the first half of the year, with five victories in just eight events including the Portuguese International Ladies’ Amateur Championship, the German Girls’ Open and the Copa Sotogrande.
The 17-year-old is also yet to finish outside the top-three in an event, with top-three finishes in the Spanish International Ladies’ Amateur Championship and the French International U21 Championship.
Kinga Kuśmierska (POL) will join five players previously announced for the Continent of Europe junior team.
The Polish player has risen in the World Amateur Golf Rankings this year with strong results, including a top-three finish at the Copa Sotogrande, and recently finished runner-up in the ANNIKA Invitational Europe.
The full teams:
Vagliano Trophy
Helen Briem (GER)
Savannah De Bock (BEL)
Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (ESP)
Chiara Horder (GER)
Julia Lopez Ramirez (ESP)
Ingrid Lindblad (SWE)
Meja Örtengren (SWE)
Rocio Tejedo (ESP)
Junior Vagliano Trophy
Natalia Aparicio (ITA)
Ginevra Coppa (ITA)
Kinga Kuśmierska (POL)
Sofia Maier-Borst (GER)
Marie-Elodie Prats-Rigual (FRA)
Antonia Steiner (GER)
The Vagliano Trophy is a biennial match between the best female amateur players from Great Britain & Ireland and the Continent of Europe. The contest will take place alongside the Junior edition, for U16 girls, at Royal Dornoch, Scotland on 30 June and 1 July.
The Great Britain & Ireland teams were announced recently by The R&A.
The selected players will follow in the footsteps of Solheim Cup stars Anna Nordqvist, Carlota Ciganda, Céline Boutier and major champion, Sophia Popov, who have all formerly represented the Continent of Europe in the match.
Royal Dornoch will set the stage for both the Vagliano and Junior Vagliano matches this year. Having formerly hosted the Jacques Léglise Trophy in 2015, the course is consistently ranked amongst the best in Scotland and the world.
ABOUT THE VAGLIANO TROPHY
The Vagliano Trophy is a biennial match played between eight-player teams from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland. The EGA selects the Continent of Europe team, while the GB&I side is selected by The R&A.
The Vagliano Trophy was presented by André Vagliano to the French Golf Federation and the Ladies’ Golf Union in 1931, originally for an annual match between Great Britain and Ireland and France. The format was changed in 1959 to include the entire Continent.
The match takes place over two days. Four foursomes matches in the morning and eight singles matches in the afternoon are played on both days with 24 total points available to the teams.
This year’s match will be the 32nd between GB&I and the Continent of Europe. Both teams have won 15 times each since 1959, with one match halved. The Continent of Europe team is looking for their eighth consecutive win, with Great Britain & Ireland’s last victory coming in 2005.
ABOUT THE JUNIOR VAGLIANO TROPHY
The Junior Vagliano Trophy is an annual junior girls’ match played between six-player teams from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland.
First played in 2011, the match is now in its eighth edition. The contest was created as a junior version of the Vagliano Trophy, which is an amateur ladies match between eight-player teams from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland.
The match has historically been played every other year alongside its senior equivalent, although will now be played annually; In even years alongside the Jacques Léglise trophy, and in odd years with the Vagliano Trophy.
A number of high-profile players have competed on both sides of the match in the past including Solheim Cup stars Georgia Hall, Charley Hull and Emily Pedersen. European Ladies’ Amateur Champions, Agathe Laisne, Bronte Law and Alice Hewson all also competed in the junior version of the match before graduating to the women’s teams.
The match takes places over two days, with three foursomes matches on both mornings and six singles matches on both afternoons. With 18 total points on offer, 9.5 points are needed to secure victory.