44-Under Tournament Record Seals Gold for Team England at Spirit International
Cheshire’s Matthew Dodd-Berry helped Team England fire a tournament record to clinch two of three team golds at the 2024 Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship in Texas late last year.
The 21-year-old, who plays out of Royal Liverpool and is currently studying at Louisiana State University, joined Dominic Clemons, Nellie Ong, and Patience Rhodes to shoot a tournament record low score of 44-under-par to win the Overall Gold for the third time in England’s history.
The male pair, who shot 28-under, also secured the men’s gold in a tie with Mexico, whilst Ong and Rhodes went bogey-free across the 54-hole better-ball event.
Record-Breaking Performance
Making four eagles and 45 birdies in total, the event switched from four rounds to three in 2015, and their score, which included a 12-under final round, not only eclipses the -38 shot by the USA team in 2015 but the previous two winning scores for the Red Rose.
Oliver Fisher, Felicity Johnson, Jamie Moul, and Sophie Walker combined to score -43 in 2005, whilst Liz Bennett, Gary Boyd, Naomi Edwards, and Danny Willett reached -32 two years later.
“It’s really good,” said Dodd-Berry. “I enjoyed my time out there with Dom, and it was a lot of fun. We got off to a rocky start on the front nine on the final day, I don’t know how many shots we were back, but we lit it up in the middle with two eagles. We had a few chances coming down the stretch, but it is what it is. We’ll take the co-win.”
A Prestigious Amateur Event
The tournament is one of the amateur game’s showcase events, with 20 countries battling it out for five prizes at Whispering Pines Golf Club.
Taking place in alternating years with the World Amateur Team Championships, the competition, in its 11th edition, was started in 2001 by The Spirit Golf Association.
The event has proven to be a springboard, with Paula Creamer, Brooke Henderson, Martin Kaymer, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, and Lexi Thompson all previous winners.
Praise from Team Manager Stephen Burnett
Team Manager Stephen Burnett added:
“Well, 44-under? That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? I knew we had a good team, but to shoot the numbers we did exceeded expectations. The girls didn’t make a bogey, and that’s the type of scoring you need to win a tournament like this. It’s been a great week, and they were awesome.”
Asked about the men’s success by the Spirit Invitational media team, Burnett concluded:
“All week they kept giving themselves chances. They started their rounds steady, but around the turn, they lit up. The scoring between holes eight to 13 was incredible.
“I’ve known Dom and Matt since their early teens, so to see them come out here and do what they’ve done is fantastic. They’ve grown, they’ve matured, and they’ve got their whole future ahead of them.”
