The story of Richard Teder is like a Disney tale. He is 20 years old, an amateur, and is set to become the first golfer from Estonia to participate in the Open Championship. He qualified in the dramatic final round at West Lancashire. A bogey on his last hole would have secured his ticket to Royal Portrush, but he made a double bogey and had to go into a playoff against Sam Bairstow and Ronan Mullarney. On the third playoff hole, he launched one of his now-famous missiles from the tee, leaving it 80 metres from the hole and holed it. The ball landed short of the green, took five bounces forward, and ended up in the hole. Eagle. The playoff was over. Straight to the Open with the extra ball.
Teder is the Cinderella of this Open. Filip Jakubcik, another amateur, is also the first Czech in history to play the Open this week, but when it comes to competition, it’s undeniable that there is much less golf tradition in Estonia than in the Czech Republic. What Feder has achieved is quite miraculous. He was born in Tallinn on 29 November 2004, ten years and a few days later than Jon Rahm. He started playing golf at the age of seven and it’s worth noting that he put in a lot of effort. A great achievement. He was the odd one out in a country with only ten golf courses. In the Czech Republic, for example, there are over a hundred registered.
Teder began to stand out very early on due to his extraordinary hitting power. No joke. Jordi García del Moral reveals to Ten Golf: “in Sotogrande, in January, he carries 310 metres and his club speed is 131 miles per hour”. Jordi is Richard’s Spanish connection. His family has always been in love with the Costa del Sol. That’s why every year, between November and January, they move to Marbella. At the end of 2022, he contacted Jordi via Instagram. He asked if he could lend a hand while he was in Spain.
“Richard has his coach in Estonia. He is the one who manages him and is with him here at the Open. I only help him during the months he is in Marbella. We have a lesson every 15 days to see how things are going and adjust whatever is necessary. I don’t touch his swing. Once, for example, he asked me if I thought he should correct his posture at the top of the backswing, as he has the club slightly laid off and pointing to the left. I gave him my opinion. I told him I wouldn’t change anything because it works for him. Let’s not change something and disrupt everything else,” says Jordi.
Credit must be given to the man from Castellón for his honesty. He insists, to leave no doubt, that he is not his coach, he just lends a hand when asked, especially with numbers, trackman, etc… One of the things he has worked on with him, for example, is how to be more effective with low shots against the wind. Specific and very punctual adjustments. In any case, he knows him very well and shares some details about a player who wants to make a name for himself.
Teder’s main strength is his hitting power, despite not looking the part physically. He resembles David Puig. Very slim. However, he generates an incredible club speed. “The first time I saw him around the end of 2022 or early 2023, I was impressed by his impact quality. I was amazed. His hitting power is indescribable,” he says. So much so that on Monday, he was competing on the practice range with Bryson DeChambeau to see who could hit it further. They are neck and neck. The American managed a few more yards of carry, but Teder generated more ball speed. It’s crazy. So, 310 metres of carry in Sotogrande, at sea level, and in the cold… His club speed is 131 miles per hour, while DeChambeau has reached 139 on occasion, but his average is 132. They are very close.
Teder has already achieved things in the amateur world. He is currently ranked 80th in the world rankings but has been as high as 63rd, with three victories and some notable results like third in the Copa de Andalucía, third also in the Portuguese Amateur Championship, and this year he reached the quarter-finals of the British Amateur. In that quarter-final match, he was two up with three holes to play and lost the 16th, 17th, and 18th. He was one step away from the semi-finals.
Regarding his character, Jordi assures that he is a bit shy until he feels comfortable. In this, he also resembles David Puig. His weakest point is putting. In fact, recently, he has been putting with a LAB broomstick putter, an instrument that has become very popular among those who struggle on the greens.
His presence at the Open is already a success, but Richard Teder dreams of taking Estonia’s name a bit further. He is very young, likes links courses, and is capable of shooting very low rounds. We’ll see how far he can go. The goal is for midnight never to come. At least, this week…
