The EGA is delighted to announce a talented line-up of players for the 2025 Continent of Europe Jacques Léglise Trophy Team.

The eight players, to be joined by a final selection in the coming weeks, will look to defend the trophy against Great Britain & Ireland at Royal Golf Club of Belgium on 22 and 23 August

Selection to play in the biennial match, for male junior (U18) golfers, recognises the players’ outstanding achievements in their young amateur careers.

THE SELECTIONS:

Callixte Alzas (FRA)

Giovanni Binaghi (ITA)

Tom De Herrypon (FRA)

Lev Grinberg (UKR)

Hugo Le Goff (FRA)

Štěpán Plášek (CZE)

Edwin Sjödin (SWE)

Václav Švub (CZE)

Returning to the squad are Hugo Le Goff (FRA) and Lev Grinberg (UKR), who both played key roles in last year’s victory at West Lancs. The pair are now targeting a third consecutive win, having also represented Europe in the 2023 edition. Both players have also competed on European men's teams this year—Grinberg at the Bonallack Trophy and Le Goff at the St Andrews Trophy—and will bring leadership to the 2025 team.

Italy’s Giovanni Binaghi is the only other returning player, having contributed to the Continent’s triumph in 2024. The Italian recently helped his country to their first  European Amateur Team Championship victory since 1999.

France will be represented by three players. In addition to Le Goff, Callixte Alzas and Tom De Herrypon will both make their Jacques Léglise Trophy debuts. De Herrypon has consistently placed in the top 10 in interneational events this season, while Alzas is among the most in-form juniors in Europe, reaching the quarter-finals of The Amateur Championship and winning the English Boys’ U18 Open Amateur Stroke Play (Carris Trophy) in recent weeks.

Štěpán Plášek and Václav Švub will make it two Czech players on the Continent of Europe team, and will also be the first players to represent the country in the match since 2014. The pair were instrumental in the historic Czech win at the European Boys’ Team Championship earlier this month, earning the country’s first gold medal in any EGA team championship category. Following Filip Jakubčík’s European Amateur victory, Plášek carried on the Czech Republic’s golden run in Paris last week, clinching the boys’ title at the European Young masters.

Rounding out the squad is Sweden’s Edwin Sjödin, the only Nordic player selected. Sjödin has had a stellar season, winning the Fairhaven Trophy in England against an international field, along with three junior titles in Sweden.

The team will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia and José María Olazábal who have all formerly represented the Continent of Europe in the match.

The event also boasts a strong history of former participants on the GB&I side including Robert MacIntyre, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Danny Willett, Justin Rose, Luke Donald and many others.

RELECOM RETURNS TO LEAD ON HOME SOIL

The Continent of Europe team will be led by non-playing captain, Pierre Relecom for the second time.

The Belgian has represented his country numerous times on the international stage, and competed in the Jacques Léglise Trophy as a junior in 2003 before leading the team to victory as captain over 20 years later.

Impressively, he has won all possible national championship categories in Belgium, at U14, U16, U18, U21, Men’s, Foursomes, and interclub levels. The Belgian played professionally for nine years, with a Challenge Tour victory and multiple European Tour seasons on his golfing CV before regaining his amateur status in 2019.

Relecom will face the task of retaining the trophy on home soil, and extending the Continent of Europe’s record five-match winning streak.

ROYAL GOLF CLUB OF BELGIUM TO HOST EUROPE’S BEST JUNIOR BOYS AND GIRLS

The 2025 match will be held at the prestigious Royal Golf Club of Belgium, also known as Ravenstein, one of the nation’s oldest and most historic clubs. Founded by King Leopold II in 1906, the club has held the Royal title since its inception.

The centrepiece of the club is the Ravenstein Manor Farm, which dates back to 1460. The match will be played on the par-73 Arboretum Course, formerly known as the Old Course, which is celebrated for its rich diversity of tree species, reflecting the King’s passion for dendrology.

ABOUT THE JACQUES LÉGLISE TROPHY

The Jacques Léglise Trophy is an annual match played between nine-player teams of junior (U18) male golfers from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland.

The match takes place over two days, with four foursomes matches on both mornings, eight singles matches on the afternoon of the first day, and nine singles matches on the afternoon of the second day. With 25 total points on offer, 13 points are needed to secure victory.

The contest is jointly organised by the European Golf Association and The R&A. The EGA selects the Continent of Europe team, while the GB&I team is chosen by The R&A. Identical matches between the two regions also exist for men (St Andrews Trophy), women (Vagliano Trophy), and girls (Junior Vagliano Trophy).

The match can trace its origins back to 1958, when a one-day match between Europe and a combined English and Scottish team was played immediately before the Boys’ Amateur Championship. The England and Scotland team dominated to such an extent that the match was discontinued in 1966. It was rejuvenated in 1977 when the Jacques Léglise Trophy was presented by Jean-Louis Dupont, a renowned French amateur champion and former president of the EGA and French Golf Federation, and has been played every year since.

The GB&I side have historically had more success in the contest since 1977, although five consecutive victories from the Continent of Europe team suggests the home side will likely enter this year’s match as favourites.

Up until 1995 the event was played over one day in connection with the Boys’ Amateur, and since 1996 it has been played separately as a two-day match.

A number of high-profile players have represented both sides in the match, including Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Danny Willett, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, José María Olazabal, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald and many more.