RACE FOR 2009 JUNIOR MASTERS TITLE STARTS THIS WEEK

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
The race for the 2009 Dunfermline Building Society Junior Masters title, Scotland’s biggest participation junior golf event, gets underway with the first two of this summer’s four regional finals taking place this week.
Sixty four juniors will go west to Glasgow’s Bishopbriggs Golf Club which will tee off this year’s title race, the event then heads north to Boat of Garten with 69 young aspiring golfers hoping to be among those to secure a place in the prestigious grand final, which takes place on the Queen’s Course, Gleneagles, in October.
Qualifying competitions have been taking place up and down the country over the last three months, with the leading two boys and girls from each club making their way through to the regional finals. Following this week’s events, the Junior Masters regional finals moves to Alyth in Perthshire next week (21 July) and the following month to Lothianburn Golf Club, who will host the last qualifier on Wednesday 5 August.
Around 300 youngsters from clubs across the country will be participating in the four events, with the leading 80 players heading for Gleneagles, home of the 2014 Ryder Cup. Among the juniors taking part this year, over 50 competitors are girls, boosted by clubgolf’s ‘Girls in Golf’ programme.
SGU Marketing & Sponsorship Manager Ross Duncan said, “The Dunfermline Building Society Junior Masters has been a huge success and we are very grateful to the sponsor’s contribution over the last three years.
“Their support of this event has boosted the grass roots game by promoting and supporting junior golf in communities across Scotland, as well as giving young players the chance to play in a national event at Gleneagles, the Ryder Cup venue for 2014. The calibre of the field at each event has improved year on year and demonstrates much of the hard work going into junior golf and our SGU Academys right now.”
The winner of last year’s Junior Masters girls section was Kirkintilloch’s Jorden Ferrie, whilst Renfrewshire’s Rory McKinnon from Ranfurly Castle won the boys section. Ferrie will be among the field teeing up tomorrow, however McKinnon is unable to take part and is replaced by Scott McAllister, son of two times European Tour winner Stephen McAllister.
This year’s players will need to be on the top of their game to top the Gleneagles leaderboard and take the respective titles at this year’s Grand Final which takes place on 11 October.
Please visit the website for tee times www.scottishgolf.org