Pollok Golf Club will welcome some of the country’s leading junior golfers when the inaugural Pollok Junior Masters gets underway on Wednesday (23 - 24 June).
The event, run in association with ProDreamUSA and sponsored by the JR Group, has attracted a stellar field with talented boys and girls from Scotland, England, Ireland and Belgium lining up to compete for top prizes and World Amateur Golf Ranking points.
The Glasgow course, which recently hosted Paul Lawrie’s Tartan Pro Tour event, will provide an enjoyable challenge for the players who will compete over 54 holes for the prestigious title. Set in the beautiful parkland surroundings of the Pollok House Estate, the Dr. Alister MacKenzie designed course is in pristine condition and will be a welcome addition to the schedule of top-class junior golf events in Scotland this summer.
Among the contenders is Blairgowrie’s Cormac Sharpe, who was victorious on his last visit to Pollok when he triumphed in the Paul Lawrie Junior Jug, while he also finished runner-up in the ProDreamUSA UK Junior Open at Longniddry back in October. Sharpe’s club-mate Connor Graham is another likely contender, with the in-form youngster winning this year’s Lawrie Jug and Barrie Douglas Junior Masters. Lincoln Memorial University-bound Calum Daun is another Scot aiming for the title, with the Nairn teenager looking to build on his 3rd place finish at the ProDreamUSA UK Junior Open.
North Berwick’s Grace Crawford will start as one of the female favourites, having recently won the Stephen Gallacher Vase at Castle Park and reaching the last-32 of the Women’s Amateur Championship at Barassie. The East Lothian star will face stiff competition however from the likes of Megan Docherty, winner of the Barrie Douglas Foundation Junior Masters in recent weeks, and GB&I Vagliano Trophy player Carmen Griffiths, who made it to the last 16 of the Scottish Women’s Anateur Championship at Gullane. Both players are USA bound, with Docherty heading to DI side University of Tennessee Chattanooga while Griffiths joins DI University of Louisville this Fall.
The overall winner will be crowned the Pollok Junior Masters Champion, based on the lowest total score from the boys and girls category, with the leading boy and girl both winning a £300 voucher. Prizes are also on offer for the Top Under-15 boy and the top nett girl.
Allan Blackley, Club Captain of Pollok, is looking forward to hosting the Junior Masters: “This event will provide a fantastic showcase for some of the best young golfers in Scotland and beyond and highlights the Club’s commitment to growing the game and supporting juniors. We want to establish the Pollok Junior Masters as one of the premier events within the national calendar and we are delighted that The JR Group are partnering with us to achieve this, dovetailing perfectly with their ethos of supporting young people in sport and matching our ambitions as a club.”
John Horne, MD for The JR Group, added, “As a business The JR Group works hard to promote sport for young people across a number of disciplines. We are delighted therefore, to become the main sponsor for the upcoming Junior Masters at Pollok Golf Club. Pollok Golf Club work very hard to support young players to hone their talent in the sport and provide them with opportunities to progress, something we are thrilled to back through this summer’s competition.
“We have some fantastic young players coming through in Scotland who will hopefully go onto achieve great things as future internationalists, or even professionals in the sport. Our sponsorship supports the endeavours of Pollok Golf Club to give those players the best opportunity to fulfil their potential.”