Jack's the Lad at Royal Cinque Ports!

Deal, England: Jack Bigham defeated Riccardo Fantinelli on the first extra hole to win the final of the 94th R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship at Royal Cinque Ports.

After the pair could not be separated following the regulation 36 holes, it was the England international who held his nerve in a sudden-death shootout to lift the biggest title of his budding amateur career.

Bigham capped off a fantastic individual week after progressing through the stroke play stage as the leading qualifier and continued a fine run of form in the match play stages where he went on to claim victory in the championship’s centenary year.

He joins a long list of famous names including Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and Matt Fitzpatrick to lift the trophy and gains exemptions into next year’s Amateur Championship, the US Junior Amateur Championship and Final Qualifying for The 150th Open at St Andrews.

Bigham said: “What a moment after holing that putt on 18, particularly after the horseshoe putt on 17. I am over the moon. I was playing great in the stroke play and just continued all the way through to the final. I was a little bit sloppy in some areas today, but I managed to get the job done.

“It is my only win and I am so happy as it was in my last junior event as well.”

Italian Fantinelli said: “I would have preferred to win, but this is golf. I will accept it and just work harder and move on. It really hurts, to be honest. I thought I had it, but he is such an experienced and good player. You have to expect the unexpected in golf.”

Bigham rolled in a birdie on the 18th in the morning to leave the match all-square at the half-way stage, but it was Fantinelli who came out of the blocks after the restart, making birdie on the 19th to regain his advantage. Bigham responded with a birdie of his own two holes later to bring the match level again.

Although neither player managed to create a sizeable lead, it was Fantinelli who began to assert his authority going into the closing nine holes.

A bogey on the 28th hole for Bigham put the Italian back in front and that lead remained in place through the next five holes, where a bogey five from the Englishman on the 33rd hole put Fantinelli two-up with three holes to play.

However, a bogey from Fantinelli on the par-five 16th hole, the 34th of the match, opened the door for Bigham to mount a last-ditch fightback. Despite missing a golden birdie opportunity on the 35th hole, he made up for it by making a clutch birdie-three on 18 to send the match to extra holes.

A topped tee shot from Fantinelli led to a situation from which he couldn’t recover and was unable to match Bigham’s par-four at the first play-off hole.