Liam Nolan is left speechless after he defeated Zack Little in a thrilling three-hole playoff to win the 2023 Brabazon Cup.
The 23-year-old Irishman, who plays out of Galway Golf Club, had nerves of steel and his calm and easygoing nature helped him putt his up and down putt in the final match to victory.
The end result was harsh for 18-year-old Little from West Herts, whose massive final round of 63 forced a playoff, but the talents he has shown at Sunningdale Golf Club leave no doubt that he has a great performance. The future is in the game.
When all is said and done, the famous Brabazon Cup returns to the Emerald Isle as Nolan becomes the first Irishman to win the competition since Cormac Charvin at Notts GC in 2015.
As had been the case all week, the final day’s play took place in lovely sunlight and it soon became apparent that lower scores were being scored across the field as Loic Naas (65), Matthew McClean (66), James Claridge (67) and Jake Plumb (67) all scored great runs. None of these compared to Little’s amazing bogey-free 63 which included birdies on 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 13 as he climbed to the top of the leaderboard and established himself as club captain at the halfway point during the afternoon.
Claridge and Plumb both made valiant attempts to match Little’s goal but fell short, meaning it was left to Nolan, playing as part of the latter group to try and become the only man who could stop the youngster’s penchant for the title. The Irishman made his way down the 18th par knowing that only a birdie was good enough to force a playoff and his second putt on the par 5 left him at the back of the green on a slight slope.
Nolan ruled his home court to perfection and let himself be comfortable for birdie, much to the delight of the waiting crowd who knew they were about to see a great playoff between two in-form players.
Little and Nolan did not disappoint, and after both found the back of the green on the first playoff hole, they agonizingly missed Birdie’s putt by a few inches to ensure the need for a second hole. Nolan repeated his feint from his regulation round as he chipped beautifully from the back of the green to within inches of the hole, forcing Little to sink an eight-foot putt to extend the contest. Nolan put another fine pitch close to the hole and unfortunately for Little, his six-foot putt caught the lip of the hole and drifted to give the Irish a chance to win. The Galway man punched it to the cheers of the assembled crowd to ensure he will be the newest name in the iconic Brabazon Cup and the 2023 champion he so well deserves.
There was a consolation prize for Little as he brought home George Henriques Salver – awarded to GB&I’s leading under-20 player – for his impressive 72-hole score of -3.
Just after the presentation, Nolan said: “The history of Brabazon and Sunningdale Golf Club makes it one of the most amazing places to win a championship. There have been a lot of really good winners here in the past and it’s amazing to put my name on this trophy.”
For all grades of the Brabazon Cup, click here.