While eyes of world will be on The Ryder Cup, future stars of Scottish Golf gather at East Lothian

Thursday, 30 September 2010

While the eyes of the world will be on Celtic Manor for Sunday’s Ryder Cup showdown, the future stars of Scottish Golf will be gathered on the East Lothian coastline when The Renaissance hosts the clubgolf Junior Masters Final (Sunday 3 October).

Run by the SGU and SLGA with support from clubgolf, the Junior Masters has become the country’s biggest participation junior golf event over the last decade, with more than 2,000 youngsters competing in local qualifying this year.

The leading 51 boys and 30 girls from the four regional finals will line up in Sunday’s final, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Carly Booth and Scott Henry, both of whom made announced themselves on the national stage in the event.

With the clubgolf Junior Masters open to all boys and girls aged under 16 with a handicap at an SGU and SLGA affiliated club, the final has produced a diverse field, with handicaps ranging from 3 to 36 and a total of 62 clubs across Scotland represented, from Hawick in the Borders to Kingussie in the Highlands.

Among those looking to etch their name on the trophy are Mouse Valley duo Clare Whitelaw and Andrew Thomson, who were both victorious in the South Regional Qualifier in July. The club’s success comes as no surprise however, with a thriving junior section of more than 100 junior members as part of the clubgolf national programme.

Another strong contender will be Fraserburgh’s Thomas Cameron, who was the leading stableford points scorer in the boys’ qualifying with a superb 46-point haul. At just 11-years-old, Cameron still has several years of Junior Masters ahead but can already call on the support of Scotland internationalists and fellow club members Jordan Findlay and Kris Nicol, who he enjoys occasional bounce games with. Kaylan Grainger (Strathpeffer Spa) was the top points in the girls’ qualifying and will be hoping to repeat her 47 point total in East Lothian on Sunday.

The Renaissance Club, which opened to great acclaim in April 2008, provides a superb venue for the final, giving youngsters the opportunity to experience a world class golf course. Located alongside Muirfield and Archerfield Links, the club hosts an SGU event for the first time.

“The Renaissance Club will provide a fitting venue for the final and having the unique opportunity to play on this superb course has provided a huge incentive for boys and girls from across Scotland.  I am certain they will all enjoy the experience.” said clubgolf Project Manager Torquil McInroy.

“Once again we have seen many talented junior golfers competing in the regional finals of the clubgolf Junior Masters. Over the last six years 180,000 primary school children have been introduced to golf through our introductory game, firstclubgolf, and a significant number of this year’s finalists have come through the clubgolf programme.”

“Events like the Junior Masters encourage these youngsters to stay within the game and will no doubt inspire them to develop their skills in the future.” he added.

The Final gets underway at 9.25am on Sunday with parents, family, friends and spectators encouraged to attend. 

+ SGU Media Release