The grand final of the 2024 PING Junior Masters was staged at Close House on October 29, where approximately 70 junior golfers gathered to showcase their skills and talent on the Northumberland club’s Colt Course.
In a thrilling and close contest, the winners of the six categories were separated by just three shots, with 10-year-old Havish Aravind from Brampton Golf Club crowned as the overall champion with a score of 39 points.
Close House’s affiliated professional Lee Westwood, who was instrumental in the early development of the Junior Masters, attended the event, presenting prizes to each category winner and hosting a post-competition Q&A, where the juniors were provided with valuable insights from his illustrious career.
“It is great to see so many junior golfers competing,” commented Westwood. “I’m thrilled to be involved with the series and it’s great to see how it has grown over the past seven years. Thanks to Close House, PING, and of course the parents who have supported their children in their golfing journeys so far.”
Jonathan Lupton, managing director at Close House, added: “We are extremely proud to continue this legacy event which started when we hosted the 2017 British Masters Golf Tournament at the club. I would like to thank PING for their continued support of the event which looks to engage more juniors in the game we love.”
This year’s event once again saw PING provide all the prizes at the grand final, helping to make it a truly memorable experience for the juniors involved.
Dave Fanning, PING’s European Marketing Director, commented: “We’re delighted to support the PING Junior Masters and pleased we can provide support whilst increasing the outreach of junior golf. We applaud the work the team at Close House does on an annual basis to host this fantastic event.”
Qualifiers for the event took place from April to September across eight counties, stretching from Fife to Lincolnshire, offering young golfers a valuable taste of competitive golf. As part of the initiative, Close House also provides free coaching to over 1,200 schoolchildren, dedicated to discovering and inspiring the next generation of golfing talent.
Age group winners:
Boys U12 winner – Havish Aravind (Overall Champion)
Boys U18 winner – Henry Murphy
Girls U18 winner – Kayla Hill
Boys U15 winner – James Henderson
Girls U15 winner – Amelia Hothersall
Girls U12 winner – Lily Jane Morgan