Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick both used the Telegraph BMW Junior Golf Championship as the launch pad for success, and the UK and Ireland’s next generation of stars will be hoping to follow their example when they compete in this year’s competition at Quinta do Lago. Rose and Fitzpatrick are past winners of the event and this year’s line-up of 12 boys and 9 girls hope to emulate the achievements of these Ryder Cup team members. The tournament takes place in the first week of November and is now enjoying fourth decade as a prestigious 54-hole stroke play competition. This year it will be held on Quinta do Lago’s highly-acclaimed North Course and returns to the resort for the fourth successive year and the finalists come from all parts of the British Isles and Ireland.
Heading the field of qualifiers will be English girls’ amateur champion Cloe Frankish, from Kent, Mark Power the Irish boys’ champion and Harrison Linney from West Essex GC who shot an amazing course-record 62 at his home club to qualify. Scotland are represented by Peebles teenage ace Darren Howie while Denbighshire’s John Roberts carries the hopes of Wales and Hugh O’Hare represents Northern Ireland.
This year’s tournament featured a record number of entries with an estimated 25,855 juniors participating, an overall increase of 38 per cent on figures last year. Hailed by 2014 European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley as one of junior golf’s Majors and spectators are in for a golfing treat with a talented line up on show of golfers aiming to be tomorrow’s golfing stars