THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Flogas Irish Junior Open Series set to tee off
Legend Gary’s backing a boost for Junior Open. By Brian Keogh
JUNIOR golfers are the sport’s most precious asset so it’s heartening to see the nine-time major winner Gary Player give his full support to the Flogas Junior Open Golf Series.
While junior golfers, especially those under 10, still struggle to become members of clubs, it’s important to remember that without their support, the game will not survive.
It’s little wonder then that there’s huge interest in the 2018 Flogas Junior Open Golf Series, which will see boys and girls aged between five and 18 come from all over Ireland and beyond to compete.
Rory McIlroy’s home club Holywood will host the first event of the 2018 Series on Monday, July 16, beginning the quest for the prestigious Gary Player Trophy,
With international broadcast coverage and an impressive 22 million mentions across all media platforms last year, it’s now one of the biggest events of its type in Europe and attracts the cream of up and coming young golfing talent.
The 2017 champion was Ollie McEvoy from Ballycastle Golf Club, who was presented with the Gary Player Trophy and then went on to compete and win in other world-class competitions that year.
Paul Ruegg, senior marketing executive, Flogas, said, “Last year’s Series was excellent and our congratulations to Ollie McEvoy on his fantastic performance, he’s a real talent in the making.
“With an expected 1,000 entries for 2018 from all around the world, it’s surely shaping up to be even better than last year and we’re delighted to be supporting it.”
Ollie, who is now eight, has fond memories of his victory last year and hopes to complete a successful defence.
“Holing a 30-foot winning putt on the last green in front of the television cameras last year was a dream come true,” he said.
“Taking home the Gary Player Trophy and then getting a message from Gary himself, one of the greatest golfers of all time, is something I will never forget. I can’t wait to defend my title this year.”
This year, competitors from the UK, Spain, Belgium, Dubai and the USA will join Ireland’s young guns at six top class golfing facilities around the country.
Event organiser Michael Gallagher is certainly grateful to Player for his support and frequent tweets.
“The support of Gary Player has allowed me to promote the Flogas Irish Junior Open Golf Series to millions around the globe and this year I plan on making the Series the biggest and best to date,” he said.
“Thanks to the support of Flogas and other generous sponsors, I am in a fortunate position to donate funds and help raise awareness of our chosen charity, Sands NI, which supports parents affected by stillbirth and neonatal death.”
With no prior qualifying required to participate in any of the events, no competitor will go home
empty-handed as there are over €57,000 in goodie bags and prizes will be won.
It’s all about encouraging young golfers to play more golf and Gallagher believes clubs need to be pro-active.
“The most important thing is to make sure the course is set up for them properly,” he said.
“The big mistake I see from clubs that do have kids is that they make them play a course that is far too hard.
“A 10-year-old kid can’t play off the forward men’s tees. They can’t play a 400-yard par four because they will take 20 shots.
“My younger kids – the six and seven-year-olds, play 50-yard par-threes, 100-yard par fours and 150-yard par-fives. They can have fun and go out and shoot five or six under par, which is great.
“They see Rory McIlroy shoot seven and eight under par on TV and they want to do that. If they are taking seven or eight shots to reach the green, they are disheartened before they even start.”