Hertfordshire's Marcus Karim produced three rounds of impressive golf to claim the 2026 Reid Trophy, winning the English Boys' Under 14 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship by one shot at Porters Park Golf Club.
The 12-year-old East Herts golfer, who is also a member of the England Golf Thames Valley Regional Squad, carded rounds of 70, 71 and 71 to finish on 2-over-par and secured a one-shot victory, becoming the first English player to win the championship since Kris Kim triumphed at the same venue in 2021.
Fellow Hertfordshire player Freddie Buck (Hadley Wood) and France's Alan Rode finished tied for 2nd on 3-over-par. France’s Maxence Dennetiere started the day with a two-shot advantage over Rode, with Karim a further two shots back, and the Frenchman quickly looked set to pull further clear.
For the third consecutive round, he birdied the opening hole and extended his lead with another early gain to move three clear through the opening three holes. However, the championship soon began to take a different shape as the Frenchman's challenge began to unravel.
A difficult run saw Dennetiere drop shots at the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th, allowing the chasing pack back into contention.
Rode, who had led after the opening round, took advantage and moved to the top of the leaderboard. The Frenchman produced one of the moments of the day with an eagle at the par-5 10th and, after 12 holes, held a two-shot lead over Karim.
However, the championship swung again when Rode dropped consecutive shots at the 13th and 14th. In the group ahead, Karim put together a string of pars and continued to quietly apply pressure.
The East Herts youngster stuck to his gameplan and kept mistakes to a minimum on the demanding Porters Park layout. Karim suffered a setback with a bogey at the 16th, but he responded impressively almost immediately.
A superb up-and-down from a bunker at the 17th allowed him to roll in another par, before he faced a crucial five-foot putt on the final green. Showing maturity beyond his years, the 12-year-old calmly found the bottom of the hole to close with a par and complete a round of 71 to post the clubhouse target at 2-over-par.
Karim was left to watch and wait as the final pairing played their way home. Rode, who had held the lead late into the round, stood on the 18th green knowing a par would secure the title. After reaching the green in two, his lengthy first putt finished well short of the hole. With the championship on the line, the Frenchman's par attempt then agonisingly slipped past the cup and a further miss denied him the chance of a play-off, confirming Karim as the Reid Trophy champion.
He said: “It feels amazing to be honest! I’m speechless at the minute. I got off to quite a slow start, I wasn’t holing many putts, but as the round went on I held a really good putt on 10 for birdie and it gave me a lot of momentum.
“I definitely knew I had a chance, but I was nervous pretty much the whole way round. I could see the scoreboard behind me, and I had to wait at the end. I couldn’t move a muscle; I was just hitting a few putts in case it went to a play-off. It was unfortunate for Alan [Rode], but I’m really pleased.
“I hit some really good approach shots, and I was good off the tee, I probably could have holed a few more putts, but I mean I played really solid so I can’t complain! My knowledge of the area helped me with the firmness, and I was definitely able to use that to my advantage.”
Despite the disappointment, Rode can look back on another strong performance during an excellent season which has included victory at the Belgian International Under 14 Championship and a number of top-10 finishes.
Joining Rode on 3-over-par was Buck, who produced a strong finish to the championship. The Hadley Wood golfer carded a level-par round of 70, his best score of the week, featuring three birdies, including one at the last.
Golf Ireland's Tom Doyle recorded the lowest round of the final day, firing the only under-par score in the field with a 1-under 69 to finish 4th on 4-over-par overall. Spain's Sergio Vargas Tejerina and Dennetiere, who steadied himself on the back-nine completed the top five. View the final leaderboard here.
Fellow Hertfordshire player Freddie Buck (Hadley Wood) and France's Alan Rode finished tied for 2nd on 3-over-par. France’s Maxence Dennetiere started the day with a two-shot advantage over Rode, with Karim a further two shots back, and the Frenchman quickly looked set to pull further clear.
For the third consecutive round, he birdied the opening hole and extended his lead with another early gain to move three clear through the opening three holes. However, the championship soon began to take a different shape as the Frenchman's challenge began to unravel.
A difficult run saw Dennetiere drop shots at the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th, allowing the chasing pack back into contention.
Rode, who had led after the opening round, took advantage and moved to the top of the leaderboard. The Frenchman produced one of the moments of the day with an eagle at the par-5 10th and, after 12 holes, held a two-shot lead over Karim.
However, the championship swung again when Rode dropped consecutive shots at the 13th and 14th. In the group ahead, Karim put together a string of pars and continued to quietly apply pressure.
The East Herts youngster stuck to his gameplan and kept mistakes to a minimum on the demanding Porters Park layout. Karim suffered a setback with a bogey at the 16th, but he responded impressively almost immediately.
A superb up-and-down from a bunker at the 17th allowed him to roll in another par, before he faced a crucial five-foot putt on the final green. Showing maturity beyond his years, the 12-year-old calmly found the bottom of the hole to close with a par and complete a round of 71 to post the clubhouse target at 2-over-par.
Karim was left to watch and wait as the final pairing played their way home. Rode, who had held the lead late into the round, stood on the 18th green knowing a par would secure the title. After reaching the green in two, his lengthy first putt finished well short of the hole. With the championship on the line, the Frenchman's par attempt then agonisingly slipped past the cup and a further miss denied him the chance of a play-off, confirming Karim as the Reid Trophy champion.
He said: “It feels amazing to be honest! I’m speechless at the minute. I got off to quite a slow start, I wasn’t holing many putts, but as the round went on I held a really good putt on 10 for birdie and it gave me a lot of momentum.
“I definitely knew I had a chance, but I was nervous pretty much the whole way round. I could see the scoreboard behind me, and I had to wait at the end. I couldn’t move a muscle; I was just hitting a few putts in case it went to a play-off. It was unfortunate for Alan [Rode], but I’m really pleased.
“I hit some really good approach shots, and I was good off the tee, I probably could have holed a few more putts, but I mean I played really solid so I can’t complain! My knowledge of the area helped me with the firmness, and I was definitely able to use that to my advantage.”
Despite the disappointment, Rode can look back on another strong performance during an excellent season which has included victory at the Belgian International Under 14 Championship and a number of top-10 finishes.
Joining Rode on 3-over-par was Buck, who produced a strong finish to the championship. The Hadley Wood golfer carded a level-par round of 70, his best score of the week, featuring three birdies, including one at the last.
Golf Ireland's Tom Doyle recorded the lowest round of the final day, firing the only under-par score in the field with a 1-under 69 to finish 4th on 4-over-par overall. Spain's Sergio Vargas Tejerina and Dennetiere, who steadied himself on the back-nine completed the top five. View the final leaderboard here.
ENDS
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org
Contact details:
Tom Vale, Press & Media Manager
Tel: 07912 240850
Email: tom.vale@englandgolf.org
www.englandgolf.org