Austria
Ireland and Germany have won the 2026 European Mid-Amateur Team Championship titles in Austria.
16 men's teams and 12 women's teams, each of four players aged 25 and over, teed it up at Golfclub Föhrenwald in the third edition of the championship.
MEN
Ireland added a second men's team gold medal to their 2026 collection. The winners of the European Amateur Team Championship lifted another trophy two months on, under the same captain, Damien Coyne.
Defending champions and two-time winners Spain struggled in stroke play qualifying, failing to reach Flight A and opening the door for a new name on the trophy.
Ireland set the pace as the team to beat, posting an impressive 23-under-par total from six counting rounds over two days.
Austria, led by golf club member and 2024 European Mid-Amateur Champion Markus Habeler, along with the Netherlands and Finland, completed the top four to contest the medals on Friday and Saturday.
Ireland proved too strong for Finland in the semi-finals, winning both morning foursomes before clinching the deciding point on the 16th in the afternoon. The hosts won the other semi-final, edging the Netherlands 3-2.
The gold medal match went to the closing holes. The morning foursomes were split 1-1, then Keith Egan secured a quick 5&4 win in the afternoon to move Ireland within one point of victory. Markus Habeler levelled the tie at 2-2 with a win on the 16th, leaving the title to be decided by the match between Paul Kamml and David Howard. Kamml brought the match back to all square at the 15th, but a costly mistake on the par-3 16th opened the door for Howard, who clinched the winning point with a birdie on the 17th.
The Netherlands secured a comfortable win over Finland in the match for third place, earning the bronze medals and their best finish in the event.
LADIES
Germany claimed the ladies' title after a comeback from a disappointing opening day. The eventual champions sat seventh after the first of the two stroke play qualifying rounds, six shots outside Flight A qualification. The team came to life on day two, posting the lowest round of the field by eight shots to climb into second place and earn a place in the medal-contention matches.
Ireland still looked like the team to beat after topping stroke play qualifying, leading the 12-team field on 2-under-par, 11 shots clear of Germany. Defending champions France and Spain seeded third and fourth to complete the semi-final line-up.
The semi-finals produced two 3-2 results. Spain upset top seeds Ireland to reach the final, while Germany came through against France by the same margin in another tight contest.
The gold medal match was tight throughout, with the morning foursomes shared. Alena Oppenheimer then secured the biggest win of the week, an 8&6 triumph to move Germany within one point of victory. Ane Urchegui was three holes up in the last match out for Spain, but Vivienne Gina Bühle clinched the decisive point on the 16th green with a 3&2 win. The victory is Germany's first in the event and avenges their defeat in last year's final.
Defending champions France beat Ireland in the third-place match to take the last spot on the podium.
