Ireland's Chloe Ryan wins women's championship at St Andrews

Stirling's Eggenberger beats Wilson at fifth 

hole of sudden death play-off at St Andrews

Chloe Ryan and Mathias Eggenberger,  winners of the women's and men's sections of the R and A Foundation Scholars tournament at St Andrews. Picture by courtesy of the R and A.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Defending champion and Swiss international player Mathias Eggenberger (Stirling University) won a sudden-death, one-hour,  five-hole play-off against Andrew Wilson (Northumbria University) to win the coveted R and A Foundation Scholars' Tournament men's title
for the second year in a row at St Andrews today.
After 27 holes over the Eden Course and 18 holes today (Tuesday) over the Old Course, they had tied on five-under-par 172.
Eggenberger had scores of 67-34-71; Wilson 71-32-69.
Wilson had a disastrous double bogey 6 at the Road Hole 17 and needed a birdie 3 at the last to salvage a 69, after going out in 33, for 172.
Eggenberger birdie the 14th and 18th in his closing 71 (36-35).

The players matched each other for four holes of the play-off on the 1st and 18th holes before Eggenberger holed a 12 foot putt on the 1st green - the fifth extra hole -  to achieve a memorable win.

So Eggenberger, by this victory, is guaranteed a place in the Europe line-up to play the United States team in the Palmer Cup transatlantic students' contest at Formby Golf Club, Lancashire in June.
+  More about Mathias Eggenberger after the final totals below.

Ronan Mullarney from Maynooth University, Ireland finished third on 174, two behind the play-off participants with scores of 68-36-70.
Irish international Chloe Ryan (Dublin University) won the women's title and with it a place in a Ladies European Tour event. She scored 72-36-72 for a six-under-par total of 180.
Ryan, who had 10 birdies over the 45-hole tournament, including five in her closing four-under-par 72 on the Old Course, finished two ahead of Belfast's Jessica Ross (Queens University) who scored 77-37-68 for 182
Scotland's Eilidh Briggs (Stirling), second overnight, slipped back to a final placing of 183 with rounds of 75-35-73. She was on course to challenge for the lead when she birdied the second, fourth, eighth and ninth in 34 to the turn over the Old Course.
But Eilidh was one over par for the second nine with a bogey at the 11th in 39 shots to come home.
Scottish universities champion Gemma Batty (Stirling), one of the favourites for the Scholars' title tied for fourth place on 186 with Stirling team-mate and Irish international Sinead Sexton.


R and A FOUNDATION SCHOLARS' TOURNAMENT
Eden Course first 27 holes, Old Course last 18 holes.
LEADING FINAL TOTALS
MEN
Par 177 
172 A Wilson (Northumbria) 71 32 69, M Eggenberger (Stirling) 67 34 71 (Eggenberger won play-off at fifth extra hole)
174 R Mullarney (Maynooth) 68 36 70.
175 J A Wilson (Stirling) 73 36 66, D Reidy (Sligo) 72 35 68, C Howie (Stirling) 70 33 72
176 D Hau (South Wales) 74 36 66, S Flanagan (Maynooth) 71 34 71, A Gleeson (UCD) 71 37 68, M Howard (Edinburgh) 71 35 70
178 L Michel (Australia) 75 35 68, T Beasley (St Andrews) 74 36 68
179 G Burns (St Andrews) 76 35 68, A Lowry (Maynooth) 73 36 69, S Grehan (Maynooth) 77 33 69, R Dawson (Maynooth) 72 40 67, G Leon (St Andrews) 72 33 74.
180 J Glenn (Durham 75 35 70.
182 C Edgar (Stirling) 75 36 71, K McCarron (Maynooth) 72 38 72.
184 K O'Connor (Loughborough) 73 38 73
185 M Bacon (Birmingham) 78 37 70.
186 C MacLean (Stirling) 76 36 74, J Sutherland (Queens) 80 38 68, E Smith (Maynooth) 80 37 69, J Rooney (Edge Hill) 74 39 73, J Shelley (Liverpool JM) 73 39 74.  

TO VIEW ALL THE MEN'S FINAL TOTALS

CLICK HERE

WOMEN
par 186
180 C Ryan (Dublin) 72 36 72
182 J Ross (Queens) 77 37 69
183 E Briggs (Stirling) 75 35 73
186 G Batty (Stirling) 77 40 69, S Sexton (Stirling) 78 39 69.
189 S Stone (Exeter) 77 39 73
191 B Davies (Myerscough) 78 35 78.
193 M Brain (St Andrews) 80 39 74
194 J Saxton (Stirling) 78 41 75,  A Herbaut (France) 78 37 79
196 B Morris (Cardiff) 78 41 77, C Goadby (Stirling) 80 38 78
197 T Mactaggart (Stirling) 77 40 80
199 M Lockett (Birmingham) 81 39 79
203 N Greville (Stirling) 80 40 83
218 H Holden (Sheffield) 89 45 84.


To view all the final totals 


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MEET MATHIAS EGGENBERGER

 Mathias is 24 and will finish his Bsc (Hon) in ‚Business Management and Marketing‘ in May this year. He is finalizing his thesis next week, he hopes. And then he will see what he will do in golf. 
Mathias has a double citizenship. He is‚ Liechtensteiner‘ (due to his mother’s nationality) and Swiss through his father. The family live in Liechtenstein as dad has worked and lived there for more than 40 years. 
Mathias has his own website www.mathiaseggenberger.com