Tom Lewis Adds British Boy Championship to His English Title.

Tom Lewis continues in magnificent form as he has added the British Boys Championship to his English title by beating his international team-mate Eddie Pepperell 5&4 in the 36-hole final at Royal St George’s.

The English Boys Stroke Play Champion now adds his name to a list of champions which includes Sir Michael Bonallack, two-time Masters winner, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and David Howell; a fact that the 18-year-old England International struggled to take in.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s hard to explain. You don’t expect to be in the same boat as those players,” explained the young man from Welwyn Garden City Golf Club. “To continue being alongside those names is a tough goal but if I keep doing what I’m doing, which seems to be working, then hopefully I can continue being up there with them.”

In glorious sunshine and in front of a 200-strong gallery, Lewis won the second hole with a birdie, to grab control of the match as he had done in the majority of his contests over the week, maintaining at least a two-hole cushion on all but one hole. He was two-up at lunch, increased that early in the afternoon and wrapped up his victory with a birdie-four on the long 14th.

“I was only down once in the week,” he added. “Once I’ve been up, I haven’t lost it so it was good to win the second and be up for the rest of the holes I played.”

“I was just a little bit more solid and probably kept it together a little better. Eddie played better than the score made it look but I made the right decisions, didn’t short-side myself and made some putts when I needed to.”

Pepperell agreed with that assessment. Visibly deflated, the Drayton Park player knew he had not played to his full potential despite showing his undoubted talent on a number of occasions.

“I didn’t feel nervous out there. I felt really good; the same as I have done all week. But for whatever reason I wasn’t playing well enough today,” the 18-year-old said. “I scrambled well this morning, hanging on to Tom, but I felt like I didn’t give him a game. I’m disappointed as it was unlike me.

“There are lots of positives, though, which I’ll probably be able to reflect on a bit better in a few days time. But, overall, I loved it. It was great to have so much support.”

“I think he gave me a game more than he thought,” interrupted Lewis, a close friend as well as a team-mate of Pepperell’s. “Eddie’s the best grinder I’ve ever come across and he put a lot of pressure on me because he has such a good short game.”

Lewis will soon head to Ganton for the Jacques Leglise Trophy match where he will compete for Great Britain and Ireland against the Continent of Europe on 28 – 29 August.

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