American toursetto stopoffat Blairgowrie

Blairgowrie Golf Club juniors will be facing international opposition tomorrow.

The Perthshire club is hosting a visit from high school players drawn from Phoenix, Arizona, who are also playing matches against Crail, Gullane, The Glen and Loretto on a Scottish tour.

Junior convenor Neil Wilkie explained: “The Americans are looking forward to playing the venue which hosted the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup during their visit to Scotland.

“They are playing at various courses but one of the key aims of their trip is to learn about the game’s history and heritage – and what better place than Blairgowrie to increase the depth of their knowledge of golf?”

Phoenix school golf coach Brian Volmer noted: “I have structured this trip as a series of competitive but friendly matches between American and Scottish Junior golfers.

“I want our team to learn the history of golf while meeting and competing against players from Scotland.”

The 10-strong US team have handicaps ranging from scratch to seven.

Brian said: “The players are nominated by their high school coach during the fall season. The most important thing is to have a good positive experience and meet some nice athletes from another country, all while playing on some of the best and most historic courses in the world.

“Scotland is where I fell in love with the game of golf and it is my hope that by introducing these young men to the wonders of Scottish golf, they will become lifelong golfers and ambassadors.

“Playing at Blairgowrie is going to be a wonderful opportunity for our team.”