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Student Series
Jamieson and Walker win Student Tour Series - Portugal titles
03 Feb 23
3 mins
Lucy Jamieson and Simon Walker passed perhaps the biggest examination they will face in their student days: they won a golf tournament at Troia Golf, one of the toughest tests in Continental Europe.
Six shots off the lead
St Andrews student Jamieson came from six shots off the lead heading into the final round to win the R&A Student Tour Series – Portugal, her second Student Tour Series win. The chemistry student won the Student Tour Series Final at St Andrews last year, the last counting event on the 2021/2022 Student Tour schedule. It is Walker’s first Student Tour Series win, and arguably the biggest achievement of his young life. Jamieson didn’t really have strong thoughts of holding the trophy when she began the final round, not with Stirling University’s Lorna McClymont sitting on top of the leaderboard with a five-shot lead. However, the Heswell Golf Club member was making her sixth trip around Troia, and knew she might just have a chance if she posted a good score.
Lucy Jamieson - University of St Andrews
“To win here is very rewarding because it’s such a tough course. I struggled here last year so it’s nice to get some redemption and get a win around it."
McClymont struggles
So it proved. McClymont returned a final round 13-over-par 85, easily done around the demanding south of Lisbon layout, to throw the tournament wide open. Jamieson took full advantage by returning a 1-over-par 73 to pip Trinity College’s Kate Lanigan by a shot, with the Irish international posting a best of the week 2-under 70, the only score under par over three rounds in the women’s section. “I’ve played here enough to know that a good score can move you up the leaderboard,” the English player said. “But I wasn’t thinking about where I might finish, I just wanted to play well for myself. I did that today. I’m more than happy to shoot 73 around here because, as tough as this course is, it’s probably a par 75 for us in all reality.” Jamieson’s St Andrews’s win last year was special because it was her maiden Student Tour Series victory, and in her adopted home town. However, passing the Troia examination may just top that victory.Golf club design
“I’m going to get my degree and take it from there. I might try the Ladies European Tour Qualifying School if I feel my game is good enough, but in an ideal world I’d like to go into golf club design, golf club engineering.” The way she wielded her clubs around Troia in the final round suggests Jamieson will be more than a dab hand at designing the golf clubs of the future.A coin toss
The men’s tournament came down to Walker and Edge Golf College’s Noah Brummer. They separated themselves from the rest of the field early on, with Walker eagling the par-5 first to the Swiss player’s birdie, and then went head to head down the stretch. It was practically a coin toss to see who would come out on top. Walker only settled things on the par-5 final hole. Holding a one-shot lead, the 21-year-old Irishman closed out the tournament in style by nearly holing his third shot for eagle. He was left with tap in birdie to give the men of Maynooth University a third consecutive Portuguese win.
Ireland's Kate Lanigan shot the round of the week in the women's event on a difficult Troia track. A two-under-par 70 sending her to outright second by the close of play.