Resilient Coxon secures tough win for Stirling in Portugal

University of Stirling golfer Will Coxon has been praised for his incredible character, grit and determination in winning the R&A Student Tour Series event in Portugal in challenging conditions.

Despite enduring horrendous weather on course, including torrential rain, strong winds and thunderstorms, Will emerged victorious at Palmares Golf Club in the Algarve – winning by one shot.

With the final day’s play cancelled due to the conditions, Will finished in top spot after two rounds, on six over par, ahead of Conor Stapleton, of Maynooth University, in second (+7), and Judd Sundelson (University of St Andrews) and Tommy Evans (University of Exeter) in tied third (+10).

The Portuguese competition followed the opening two events – at Halmstad Golf Club, Sweden, in September, and Malone Golf Club, Ireland, in October. Players have this week arrived in Spain for the fourth event of the Tour Series, ahead of the final at St Andrews next month. The University of Stirling has several players – including Will – in contention for the R&A Student Tour Series Men’s Order of Merit, which recognises the best player over the five events.

Character

Reflecting on Will’s performance in Portugal, the University of Stirling’s Head of Golf Dean Robertson said: “There was a lot of torrential rain and strong gusts of wind, so it was very much about survival – improvising and adapting to the challenging conditions the players’ faced. Will showed a great deal of character, grit and determination to win the event – he did well and I’m delighted for him. His win has opened the battle for the Order of Merit title, as we go into the last two events. It will be an exciting climax.”

Thirteen players – eight men, five women – from the University’s lauded high-performance golf programme have arrived in Spain ahead of the fourth event in the Series, which will be played at La Sella Golf Club, near Alicante. The competition runs from Tuesday to Thursday this week [24-26 February] and will be followed by the final event in St Andrews, running 30 March – 1 April.

The top 20 finishers in the first four events receive anywhere between 5 and 120 points, while the final meet in St Andrews will see those points multiplied by 1.5 – meaning the race for the overall title remains wide open.

Contention

In the Men’s Order of Merit, the University of Stirling’s Ross Laird sits third on 162 points, behind Sam Haynes-Coote (University of Exeter, 201 points) in first, and Patrick Curran (National College of Ireland, 180 points) in second. Stirling also has several others in contention: Nicholas Wall (5th, 146 points), Alexander Farmer (6th, 145 points), George Cannon (9th, 135 points), and James Wood and Will Coxon (tied 11th, 120 points).

In the Women’s Order of Merit, Stirling’s highest ranked golfers are Abbie Nisbet (tied 8th, 65 points) and Grace Bowen (11th, 54 points) – with the leader Cailtin Maurice, of the University of St Andrews, on 245 points.

Separate to the R&A Student Tour Series, Stirling Mixed 1s currently sit top of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Premier North league. They play the University of the Highlands and Islands in their final league match at Royal Dornoch on Wednesday, 18 March.

Stirling’s golfers will compete in a host of other BUCS events across the rest of the season too – including the Scottish Student Sport Championships at Moray Golf Club (5-7 April), the Team Championship and Trophy Finals (22-23 April), and the Tour Finals at Princes Golf Club (5-7 May). They will also be hopeful of international callups over the summer, once student competitions end.

In an exciting summer of sport, Head of Golf Dean Robertson will again take charge of Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) as they go up against the United States at the Walker Cup on 5 and 6 September. Dean was reappointed Captain of GB&I after taking charge of the team for the first time at the 50th edition of the Walker Cup, at Cypress Point Club in California. The team trailed by just one point going into the 10 closing singles matches, however, ended up losing 17-9. Dean’s meticulous work behind the scenes, along with the strong rapport developed with the players, helped secure backing for his second stint as Captain at Lahinch Golf Club, County Clare, Ireland.

Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence

The University of Stirling is Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence. At Stirling, athletes have access to world-class facilities, including a 50-metre pool, unrivalled outdoor space, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suites. The coveted high-performance golf programme has recently added a state-of-the-art indoor studio to its facilities, enabling the University's golfers to use data-driven insights to perfect their game.

In addition to its coaching and facilities, Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, equipment and kit. It has supported hundreds of athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Core sports include golf, triathlon, football, tennis, swimming, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Read more about sports scholarships at the University of Stirling.