The Julie Yang Story

Julie Yang ... a potential world-beater at the age of 14, says Kevin Reid

Julie Yang success puts spotlight on Loretto Golf 

Academy programme, Rick Valentine, Kevin Reid


COURTESY OF COLIN FARQUHARSON


http://www.scottishgolfview.com/

The sudden and spectactular success of Julie Yang, a 14-year-old pupil from South Korea via the United States, has focused the spotlight on the Loretto Golf Academy programme.
The head golf coach at the Musselburgh establishment, Rick Valentine, pictured extreme right, is well known, quite apart from the fact that he is a grandson of the late Jessie Valentine, one of the most successful Scottish female amateur golfers of all time.
Not so well known is a young North-east man who is a maths teacher at Loretto School and also Rick Valentine’s right-hand man with the golf programme.
Kevin Reid, pictured above left, now in his mid-20s, played for Scotland at Under-16 and Under-18 level when he was growing up as a Cruden Bay and Newmachar Golf Clubs member.
“Whilst at St Andrews University, I represented Scottish Universities a few times also but probably the highlight was being a member of the Scotland team that won the European boys’ champion in 2000,” recalls Kevin.
“That six-man team contained David Inglis, Martin Laird and Jack Doherty. During my junior years guys like Richie Ramsay (one year younger) and Graham Gordon (two years older) were the main ones on the go. I suppose at Cruden Bay it was the Buchanss (Scott in particular), Stewart McCulloch and Lawrie Phillips that were around.
“I really fell into teaching by chance. I applied for a few places in the United States for a golf scholarship around 2003 and got one or two very good offers. I was playing pretty well at the time and whilst at St Andrews got invited to play in the Dunhill Links Trophy and thought I should see what opportunities were on offer.
“But, by 2004, I took cold feet and decided I really wasn’t good enough to go to America. So I completed a MSc in Mathematics and looked for employment. I pursued the idea of Investment Banking for a career but that was going to be fairly volatile and then dived into teaching instead.
“I did my training at Edinburgh University and took a probation place for one year to get my full registration. The luck of the draw took me to Torry Academy, Aberdeen of all places! Quite incredible really. I then spotted an advert for a teacher at Gordonstoun and out of 40 applicants I got the job.
“As well as my teaching at Gordonstoun, I set up a golf programme there and had about 25 or so players from all over the world. The only downside was that for these three years, I was so busy I was able to play very little golf myself.”
During Kevin Reid’s two-year stay there, Gordonstoun had some success with wins in regional schools golf tournaments as well as making it to the national finals.
With his teaching qualifications and his golfing pedigree, Reid was just the young man Loretto School were looking for and they headhunted him.
“At the moment, I teach Maths, assist Rick with the Loretto Golf Academy and also help run a boarding house – pretty hectic! We have around 45 boys and girls on the golf programme at the moment but only three Scottish youngsters.
“The major bonus in my move from Gordonstoun to Loretto is that my own golf has ramped up a bit and I having been playing some super stuff over the past six months or so. Time will tell as to how competitive I am though!
“We have three or four exceptional players at the moment with the pick of the bunch being Maximilian Walz (German) and, of course, Julie Yang (South Korean). Julie is, without doubt, the best female amateur golfer I have ever seen. At 14 years old, she is not far off the complete package. With a genuine handicap of +3, the most consistent long game and a very, very tidy short game, she should go all the way to the top in ladies’ professional golf after making a considerable mark on the amateur game.
"In her most recent competitions – the Welsh women’s stroke-play, the Independent Schools Golf Association championships and the German women’s championship this past weekend, she has blown away some high quality fields."It is difficult to compare Julie, at 14 years of age, to anyone because I just can’t think of another in the last decade or so who is in that bracket! Her biggest obstacle will be her age (as she has not done her GCSE’s yet) and the attention she is likely to get from sponsors etc. After being pipped for victory in Dusseldorf on Sunday, Julie has qualified for the German Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour this week."