A hundred of Great Britain and Ireland’s most talented young golfers will compete next week in the 2002 Golf Foundation Weetabix Age Group Championships at the Marriott Forest of Arden Golf & Country Club, Warwickshire.
As a winner of the Championships in 1993, Justin Rose is fully aware of its importance, “Winning The Golf Foundation’s Age Group Championships gave me the encouragement required to take the game to the next level. I enjoyed playing in this tournament and remember how much winning it meant to me. The Golf Foundation and Age Group Championships are very important for developing junior golfers. It is at this early age that we really need to nurture young golfers’ talent and enthusiasm for the game in order to maintain their interest in golf and prevent losing talented players to other sports.”
Of the thousands of juniors who entered the 2002 Championships, 105 junior golfers have qualified to compete in the grand final on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 August 2002.
Former winners of the Golf Foundation Weetabix Age Group Championships include European Tour professionals Justin Rose, Lee Westwood and Ian Garbutt as well as leading amateur & Curtis Cup player Rebecca Hudson.
The Golf Foundation, whose objective is to help develop and promote junior golf throughout the British Isles, has been successfully running the championships for 15 years. The championships provide an opportunity for boys and girls from Great Britain and Ireland to play against golfers of their own age. Sponsored by Weetabix since 1992, the competition is played off scratch and is open to boys under 16 and girls under 17.
As Mike Round, Chief Executive of the Golf Foundation commented, “Weetabix continue to demonstrate their commitment to junior golf by offering junior golfers their deserved platform of recognition. We are very proud to be a part of such an influential championship and feel it vital to help secure the future of golf across the British Isles.”