Italy made history Saturday.
Teenager Marco Florioli shot a bogey-free 6-under 66, and a 3-under 68 from Pietro Bovari led Italy to the Eisenhower Trophy in the men’s World Amateur Team Championship on Saturday at Le Golf National in Paris, France. It was the country’s first medal in 32 WATC appearances. Italy beat Sweden by one stroke, and the United States finished in third, four strokes behind Italy.
“The key point today is that I have seen our players winning without thinking about the results,” Italian captain Matteo Delpodio said. “They were winners on the golf course. When you see players playing this way with this attitude, the results do not matter. What matters is that they played like champions.”
The World Amateur Team Championship is four rounds of stroke play with the two lowest individual scores from each team counting every day.
The par-5 14th hole was pivotal down the stretch. Florioli was the first Italian player out and holed a chip, then Bovari followed with an eagle for a three-stroke gain on Sweden.
“I was feeling that I was going to make a birdie on that chip, and I made it,” said Florioli.
Although there is no official recognition, Sweden’s Tobias Jonsson was the low individual with a score of 17-under 269.
Austin Greaser played well for the U.S., shooting in the 60s all four days. Norway finished in fourth place, its highest finish ever.
