Hobbling Hodgson wins Carris at fifth extra hole

• Friday, 25 July 2008
• Paula Benn
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Stiggy Hodgson, the 17 year old from Sunningdale, who ruptured a ligament in his right knee during his morning round, finished tied with Norway’s Frederik Kallevold on level par 288 but managed to survive five extra holes to take the title.

“What a day,” said Hodgson. “There are so many things going through my mind but I refuse to give up no matter what happens”.

“At lunch I thought I might not play the final round. The pain was like someone putting a knife through my leg. But I thought my dad would say: ’get your backside into gear and go out there’.

“In the playoff I just kept in the moment and didn’t think about winning. I think my mum was looking down on me and this victory was meant to be.”

Kollevold, a member of the Norwegian sides that won the World Boys in Japan and finished runners-up in the European Boys this year, said he was happy just to be in the playoff. The Norwegian must have felt he’d won when he recovered from a greenside bunker to two feet while Hodgson never saw the fairway and was five feet away in three. But both holed their putts and it was another episode with sand at the fifth playoff hole that proved crucial.
Kollevold only just recovered from a fairway trap and took five while Hodgson left his approach short of the green but pitched to two feet and holed for victory.

It was a tale of woe for the other England players. Gary King missed by a single shot yet again in a key championship, Tom Lewis saw his chance disappear with four dropped shots in the closing four holes, while Tom Boys’ world fell apart with a closing 80. Gary King finished third on 289 after a solid 71 but had to endure the disappointment of coming up a shot shy again just as he had in the McEvoy Trophy.                          

“I’m gutted to come up a shot short again,” he said. “I played really solid but so many putts wouldn’t drop. I gave it my best and I’m happy.”

It will be no consolation to Lewis, who finished equal fourth on 291, that he had the championship in his grasp on one under with four to play. But three putts at the 15th followed by a bogey at the 17th meant he needed a birdie at the last to join the playoff. But he lost his approach to the 433-yard 18th in the jungle left of the green and finished with a double-bogey six for 71.

Boys, who led going into the final round after a morning 70, started well but then saw his game fall apart with 40 on the front nine and another 40 on the back to finish joint ninth on 293.

“I started well and made a few chances but it gradually got worse and I’m still in shock,” he said.

There were other hard luck stories. Tommy King, who led for the first two rounds and was still in the hunt with three to play, also finished poorly by dropping a shot at the 16th and two more at 17 for a 78 and 292.

The Hazards Salver for the best performance by an under 16 was won by Colin Walsh on 301 while Hodgson collected the Malcolm Reid Trophy for the best aggregate from the McEvoy and Carris Trophies with 538.