Gregor plays British Amateur at just 16 Former winner says it will be great learning curve
He is only 16 years of age but Perthshire golfer Gregor Graham this week teed-up at the prestigious British Amateur Championship.
The Blairgowrie member secured a late entry to the Royal Birkdale showpiece and played in the one-round strokeplay qualifier on Wednesday.
He narrowly missed out on advancing to the matchplay stage but picked up valuable experience among some of the world’s best amateur players.
Former winner of the British Amateur and Blairgowrie club-mate Bradley Neil was delighted when news filtered through that Gregor had made the startlist down south.
And he believes playing in the event at such a young age will only prove beneficial moving forward.
“To see Gregor playing in the British Amateur is incredible,” said Bradley, who won the 2014 British Amateur at Royal Portrush.
“He played The Brabazon last week and made the cut - a good showing.
“He has been working incredibly hard and I’ve been working incredibly hard beside him.
“It would have been a massive learning experience for him.
“Royal Birkdale hosted the Open only three years ago.
“It will have been great for him to stack up against an elite field and challenge himself. The R&A usually set up British Amateur courses really tough.
“But it won’t be the last British Amateur Gregor plays in. He’ll play in many more and hopefully he can repeat what I did.
“I believe he can win it because I know how talented he is. Gregor is a gritty opponent and has proved that both in strokeplay and matchplay.
“This week has been a bit of a free shot. He didn’t expect to get in and was already down that way for another event.”
Bradley added: “Gregor completely transformed his body in the winter so he could hit the ball further. You need to do that.
“For 16, he is a great ball striker and his short game is electric. He has improved many parts of his game and we’ve worked hard on his putting.
“At that age you are not the all round package yet, but generally he is very solid.”
Bradley’s own schedule has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and he has used his time to help the next generation at Blairgowrie.
Along with Gregor, he has provided tips and played alongside Connor Graham and Cormac Sharpe.
“I still support Scottish Golf and that is why I put so much time into Gregor,
Cormac and Connor,” said Bradley.
“All three of the young guys at Blairgowrie, their work ethic is incredibly good.
“This year has not been great from a competitive standpoint.
“But it has given me a chance to be based at home for a lot longer.
“That has allowed me to spend a lot longer with these kids.
“I’ve known Gregor since he was born and his dad helped me when I started the game. It’s great I’ve been able to do the same and help.
“I’d like to think my knowledge of playing golf is helping them. I hope they are alongside me one day.”