Support for
successful golfers.
Around a quarter of European Tour players are currently English and the vast majority of these have come through the England Golf squads.
Bower, Marsh and Turner are all graduates of the programme and, as elite England amateurs, they captured top titles and played in national teams before turning professional.
Turner first joined squads when he was Under 16 and commented: “England Golf helped me no end with teaching and guidance during the years I was in squads.
“It was invaluable and being able to give back is something I’m definitely looking forward to.”
The 21-year-old, from Kenwick Park in Lincolnshire, has already taken up his first invitation and finished 15th in last weekend’s Turkish Airlines Challenge, scoring nine under par.
“If you don’t get starts through tour school it’s difficult to get going,” said Turner.
“I’ve got a full card on the EuroPro Tour but getting Challenge Tour status would have been extremely difficult so I’m very grateful for this opportunity.
“Potentially these starts could move me on to getting a full card for next season.”
His next outing is likely to be next month’s D&D Czech Challenge where he’ll be joined by Bower, who won the 2016 Brabazon Trophy in his final year as an amateur.
Marsh, a former English amateur champion, is expected to make his 2017 Challenge Tour debut in the Matchplay 9 tournament in Spain in May.
The first income for the Give Back scheme came last year from Ben Stow, a past winner of the Brabazon Trophy, whose invitations also helped him to secure a full Challenge Tour card for this season.
Ashley Chesters, who was a double European champion as an amateur, was also supported and went on to secure his European Tour playing rights for 2017. The players’ provisional schedules are:
25-28 May, D+D Czech Challenge; 1-4 June, Swiss Challenge; 22-25 June, Made in Denmark Challenge; 27-30 July, Swedish Challenge; 3-6 August, Finnish Challenge; 7-10 September, Bridgestone Challenge, Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire; 14-17 September, Irish Challenge.
18-21 May, Match Play 9, Spain; 1-4 June, Swiss Challenge; 22-25 June, Made in Denmark Challenge; 17-20 August, Viking (Norway) Challenge; 31 Aug – 3 Sep, Cordon Open; 7-10 Sep, Bridgestone Challenge, Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire; 14-17 Sep, Irish Challenge.
20-23 April, Turkish Challenge; 25-28 May, D+D Czech Challenge; 8-11 June, KPMG Trophy, Belgium; 6-9 July, Prague Golf Challenge; 3-6 August, Finnish Challenge; 7-10 September, Bridgestone Challenge, Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire; 28 Sep – 1 Oct, Challenge de Espana.