Deloitte Malta v The Rest 2026
The Rest Reclaim the Trophy After Dramatic Final-Day Comeback
The 2026 edition of the Deloitte Malta v The Rest match delivered another unforgettable chapter in one of Royal Malta Golf Club’s most anticipated annual events. After three days of competitive golf, outstanding sportsmanship and tremendous camaraderie, Team The Rest emerged victorious by 13½ points to 10½, reclaiming the trophy from Team Malta, who were victorious in 2025.
Played in true Ryder Cup spirit, the event once again brought together members from across the club for a celebration of competition, friendship and club pride.
Day One – Foursomes
Malta Edge Ahead
Friday’s opening Foursomes session set the tone for a closely fought contest, with Team Malta taking a narrow advantage into the weekend.
Malta Victories
- Ruud Critien & Nicholas Scerri def. Noah Gratil & Anders Bergman 2&1
- Phil Sammut & Franco De Gabrielle def. Andy Featherstone & Victor Henri 3&2
- Nick Laferla & Nick Urpani def. Bryan Peterkin & Steve Paterson 1UP
The Rest Victories
- Steve Dodd & Peter Canaki def. Andrew Naudi & Danijel Bogdanovic 2UP
- Tim Cleasby & Zhetang Zhang def. Peter Naudi & Jay Jay Micallef 4&3
Halved Match
- Mark Ganado & Sam Azzopardi halved with Tony Kjäldström & Pavel Lunev
Malta finished the opening day with a 3½–2½ lead, providing the perfect platform heading into Saturday’s Fourballs.
Day Two – Fourballs
Honours Even as The Rest Stay in Touch
Saturday’s Better Ball matches proved just as competitive, with neither side able to gain an advantage as the session finished level.
Malta Victories
- Andrew Naudi & Peter Naudi def. Tim Cleasby & Anders Bergman 3&1
- Mark Ganado & Nicholas Scerri def. Peter Canaki & Victor Henri 2&1
- Sam Azzopardi & Jay Jay Micallef def. Tony Kjäldström & Noah Gratil 4&3
The Rest Victories
- Pavel Lunev & Zhetang Zhang def. Danijel Bogdanovic & Franco De Gabrielle 2&1
- Andy Featherstone & Steve Paterson def. Ruud Critien & Phil Sammut 3&2
- Steve Dodd & Bryan Peterkin def. Nick Laferla & Nick Urpani 4&3
With the session tied 3–3, Malta retained a slender overall advantage of 6½–5½ heading into the decisive Singles matches.
Day Three – Singles
The Rest Turn the Tide
Trailing by a single point overnight, Team The Rest produced a superb Singles performance on Sunday to overturn the deficit and secure the trophy.
Winning seven of the twelve matches and halving two others, The Rest claimed the session 8–4, completing a remarkable comeback.
The Rest Victories
- Tony Kjäldström def. Peter Naudi 4&2
- Pavel Lunev def. Nicholas Scerri 4&3
- Bryan Peterkin def. Franco De Gabrielle 3&1
- Steve Paterson def. Phil Sammut 2&1
- Victor Henri def. Sam Azzopardi 3&1
- Tim Cleasby def. Nick Laferla 1UP
- Peter Canaki def. Ruud Critien 4&3
Malta Victories
- Andrew Naudi def. Steve Dodd 3&1
- Nick Urpani def. Andy Featherstone 1UP
- Danijel Bogdanovic def. Zhetang Zhang 1UP
Halved Matches
- Mark Ganado halved with Noah Gratil
- Jay Jay Micallef halved with Anders Bergman
The Rest’s strength throughout the Singles line-up proved decisive, allowing them to overturn Malta’s overnight lead and complete a memorable victory.
Final Result
| Session | Malta | The Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Friday Foursomes | 3½ | 2½ |
| Saturday Fourballs | 3 | 3 |
| Sunday Singles | 4 | 8 |
| Total | 10½ | 13½ |
The Rest Win 13½ – 10½
Congratulations to Captain Irwin Gratil and Team The Rest on reclaiming the Deloitte Malta v The Rest trophy, while Captain Matthew Mangion and Team Malta deserve enormous credit for their spirited defence and contribution to a fantastic contest.
Thank You Deloitte
Royal Malta Golf Club extends its sincere thanks to Deloitte, whose continued support as a Premium Partner of RMGC once again helped make this event possible.
Deloitte’s commitment to the club and its members continues to play a vital role in the success of many of our flagship events, and we are proud to have them as a valued partner of Royal Malta Golf Club.
While the trophy may have changed hands, the true winners were the values that define this event—friendship, sportsmanship and excellence. We thank all players, captains, vice-captains, supporters and volunteers who contributed to another outstanding edition of Malta v The Rest and look forward to its return in 2027.
