Schmidt shines again to defend Tillman Trophy
Thomas Schmidt (Arkansas State photo)
Germany’s
Thomas Schmidt made it two in a row at the Tillman Trophy, capturing the title once again at The Caversham in Reading with a steady and impressive 10-under total of 278.
The 23-year-old from Gelsenkirchen, currently a junior at Arkansas State, led by three shots heading into the final round and closed with a cool 3-under 69 to seal the deal. It was a very different script from last year, when Schmidt came from behind with a blistering 66 to win. This time, he never gave up the lead—and never looked like he would.
England’s Jack Maxey and Will Tate finished tied for second at 8-under. Maxey fired a final-round 67 to climb the leaderboard, while Tate, playing on home turf, stayed in the hunt with a pair of closing 69s.
RELATED: Thomas Schmidt secures commanding victory at Tillman Trophy
Schmidt, ranked 107th in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings, has been turning heads all year. Back in March, he won the UC San Diego Invitational by six shots.
In May, he set a school record for Arkansas State with a two-round 142 at the NCAA Auburn Regional. This was his 10th ranked event of the year—and his second win.
The 2025 Tillman Trophy brought together 117 players from seven countries. Only 59 made the cut, with England providing the bulk of the field. But in the end, it was Schmidt who stood tallest—again.
ABOUT THE
Tillman Trophy
Stroke play over 72 holes. After 36 holes on
day
one, the leading 44 competitors and ties will
play
a further 36 holes on day two. The
Winner shall be the competitor who returns
the
lowest scratch score over 72 holes.
TOURNAMENT BACKGROUND
Bill Tillman was a fine amateur golfer in his
day
and played 13 times in the Bing Crosby Classic
in America where he was to meet Doug
Sanders
who insisted that if our youngsters were to
ever
compete on the world stage they had to get
used to playing the ‘big ball’. In those days the
British Golf Ball was 1.62 inches in diameter
and the American Ball 1.68 inches. At that
time
Bill was an EGU Committee Member but he
had
a struggle trying to persuade his colleagues in
the corridors of power and so introduced a
tournament to the UK where players could
only
use the larger ball as part of the conditions of
entry; the rest as they say is history. The
starting line-up is limited to the top 132
entries
by handicap and attracts players from around
the world.
View Complete Tournament Information