- Duke of York Young Champions Trophy
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Celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year, the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy is a unique, international 54-hole stroke play golf tournament for boys and girls who are either the current holders of their Under 18 National Championship or have won some other major golfing event in the preceding twelve months.
Contents
History
First played in 2001, the event was created by HRH The Duke of York and John Simpson. This highly rated invitational event, supported by the R & A and now counting towards the World Amateur Golf Rankings, aims to promote the development of junior golf, encourage competitiveness and friendship between individual champions whilst also offering a unique opportunity for boys and girls to compete for the same Trophy on a top quality UK links course. The standard of competition continues to be incredibly high with the average handicap for last year’s event being an impressive +1.5. It is anticipated that a maximum field of 60 junior champions from around 35 countries will compete at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake in 2011.
The tournament has grown from having just 11 competitors from six countries in 2001, to a field of 58 champions from 32 countries in 2010. The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy is organised in many ways like a professional tournament in order to give the potential stars of the future a chance to experience what life as a golf professional might involve; hence the inclusion of sponsors and official functions, including the Official Dinner hosted by HRH The Duke of York, as well as an educational talk. Past players include Rory McIlroy, Anna Nordqvist, Matteo Manessero and Tom Lewis.
Sponsors of the tournament include PGA European Tour, BMW, Ricoh, InterContinental Hotels Group, Man Group, The Fortune, Mizuno, and Callaway Golf Company.
Academic and golf scholarships
The Duke of York Sports Foundation is a registered charity established in 2004 to promote amateur sports. Academic and golf scholarships have been awarded since September 2007 to provide under 18 boys and girls with the opportunity to receive a high standard of education whilst at the same time focusing on their golf and offer an alternative to studying and training in the USA.
Wellington College in Berkshire was chosen as the school that met all the criteria required to support both aspects of the scholarship. As one of the best co-educational independent private schools in Britain, it offers the International Baccalaureate, a good standard 9-hole golf course and practice facilities on site. It is also located near many excellent courses (including Wentworth and Sunningdale), coaches and major airports.
Candidates must meet Wellington College's academic standard, demonstrate a high level of golfing ability with clear signs of potential and are selected on a case by case basis. To date, the Foundation has awarded five academic and golf scholarships. All the scholars are aged between 14 and 17, with handicaps ranging from three to plus-two. The Foundation's aim is to award eight to ten scholarships to individuals by 2011.
The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy
Year Venue Competitors Countries Winner 2001 Royal Liverpool, Hoylake 11 6 Michael Nester (England) 2002 Royal Liverpool, Hoylake 26 13 Carlos del Moral (Spain) 2003 Castletown Golf Links, Isle of Man 31 16 Rikard Karlberg (Sweden) 2004 Kingsbarns, Scotland 36 20 Zac Gould (Wales) 2005 Castletown Golf Links, Isle of Man 39 20 Oliver Fisher (England) 2006 Dundonald Links, Ayrshire 42 22 Sam Hutsby (England) 2007 Dundonald Links, Ayrshire 49 28 Claudio Vigano (Italy) 2008 Dundonald Links, Ayrshire 51 28 Stiggy Hodgson (England) 2009 Dundonald Links, Ayrshire 57 34 Moriya Jutanugarn (Thailand) 2010 Royal St George's, Kent 57 32 Gudmundur Kristjansson (Iceland) 2011 Royal Liverpool, Hoylake 57 31 Harry Casey (England) Notable past players
- Rory McIlroy: Winner of the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic & Winner of the 2011 U.S. Open
- Anna Nordqvist: Winner of the 2009 LPGA Championship
- Pablo Martín: Winner of three European Tour events
- Oliver Fisher: Youngest ever Walker Cup player in 2005
- Matteo Manassero: Winner of the 2009 British Amateur, 2010 Castelló Masters Costa Azahar & 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open
- Sam Hutsby: Runner-up in the 2009 British Amateur & 2009 Walker Cup Team member
- Melissa Reid: 2007 Ricoh Women's British Open Silver Medal
- Stiggy Hodgson: 2009 Walker Cup Team member
- Tom Lewis: Silver Medal winner at The Open Championship, 2011
External links
Categories:- Junior golf tournaments
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