Young golfers shine on the county stage
Under-18 team show their talent in annual event
Young golfers from Perth and Kinross proved that the region’s future in the sport is a bright one after retaining a share of the Garry Harvey Trophy.
The under-18 event welcomed talented junior players to Forfar Golf Club with three teams bidding to secure the top prize following two days of quality action.
Held annually, the popular fixture in the calendar sees Perth and Kinross, Angus, Fife and, absent this year, Clackmannan face off against each other.
With scores added up at the end of Sunday play, Perth and Kinross - sponsored by Blue Group - and Angus were tied at the top of the standings.
Andrew Scott, Jamie Roberts, Andrew Thornton, Alex Simpson, Fraser Matthews and Harry Clark played in Sunday’s final round for the P&K team.
But Cormac Sharpe, Gregor Graham and Connor Graham also showed off their talent to pave the way to success for the team.
Perth and Kinross under-18 team manager Rodney Neil, father of European Tour player Bradley Neil, was delighted with how his players performed.
“The good thing about the event being at Forfar was that there were a lot of fantastic areas to watch the action,” Rodney said.
“If the guys were holing putts for birdies and celebrating, then you see it, which is great.
“We’ll keep the trophy for six months and then it goes on to Angus for six months.
“Gregor Graham and Cormac Sharpe went off to another event on the Sunday but we had players to come in.
“Overall there was a good response from the team. Connor Graham was playing at 11 years of age and that is pretty special.
“We have a nucleus of players and for the next three or four years I think Perth and Kinross is going to be strong.
“And I think a lot of teams realised that after we won the Scottish Area Team Championships.
“It was the first time in our history and it was with a young team.
“We always just missed out by a handful of points so it was really good for us.
“So, from that point of view, Perth and Kinross is quietly confident that we’ve got good players who will continue to get better.”
Perth and Kinross County Golf Union is on the lookout for sponsorship in order to keep the success rolling.
Secretary of the county, Alan Cargill, explained: “Golfers throughout Perth and Kinross help fund our young
U18 team manager Rodney Neil (left) and P&K golf secretary Alan Cargill (right) with the team on Sunday players’ development with the annual £3 county levy on their subscriptions.
“However, to remain competitive, we must continue to invest for the future and are always looking for sponsorship from local companies.
“That is to ensure we can continue with our coaching and development programmes.”
Anyone interested in offering support can email secretarypandk@gmail.com