Four of Scotland’s leading amateur golfers – Michael Stewart, James Byrne, David Law and James White – were on hand to help launch the Scottish Golf Union’s new sponsorship with one of the country’s most iconic brands, Highland Spring.
Already a supporter of grass roots sport in Scotland, Highland Spring will become official sponsor of the Junior Masters, the country’s biggest national handicap event for boys and girls and a supporting partner of clubgolf, the national junior golf programme.
Highland Spring will also support all the SGU’s events programme, beginning at this week’s Scottish Amateur Championship at Western Gailes, as official water supplier to the national championships providing water to all competitors in each of the SGU’s 15 events.
The Highland Spring Junior Masters is open to all boys and girls aged under 16 who hold a handicap at an SGU or SLGA affiliated club, with local qualifying events having taken place over the past three months to determine the 300 youngsters who have won a place in the event’s four regional finals, which are taking place this summer.
The Grand Final of the Highland Spring Junior Masters will be held over the Queen’s Course on The Gleneagles Hotel, home of the 2014 Ryder Cup, providing a fantastic incentive for Scotland’s aspiring young golfers to take part.
Michael Stewart, who defends the Scottish Amateur Championship this week having recently broken into the top ten of the World Amateur Golf Rankings, welcomed the new sponsorship: “It’s great to see Highland Spring investing money into grass roots golf and giving youngsters the opportunity to take part in such a high profile event. The Highland Spring Junior Masters will encourage more young golfers to participate at their local club and hopefully progress to the bigger stage, supported also by the clubgolf programme.”
“The Scottish Golf Union has played a big part in my development and the opportunities they give me as a member of the Scotland squad are really helping me towards my goal of competing at the highest level. Sponsorship from companies such as Highland Spring will help continue this support for young golfers.” he added.
The Regional Finals of the Highland Spring Junior Masters continue next week with Turnhouse in Edinburgh hosting the event on 2 August followed by Lowdon Gowf in Ayrshire 9 August. The event is free of charge for competitors, with more than 2,000 young golfers expected to participate in the local qualifying events.
Leah Holmes, Sponsorship Executive at Highland Spring, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Scottish Golf Union and clubgolf and look forward to extending our long tradition of supporting golf in Scotland from a grass roots level.”
“Highland Spring is committed to promoting the benefits of a healthy active lifestyle and forging a strong link between sports performance and good hydration. We hope our new partnership will encourage young Scottish golfers to adopt healthier drinking habits and further increase participation in golf.”