FITZPATRICK MARK II AIMING TO FOLLOW BIG BROTHER

Having seen his elder brother Matthew become the leading amateur in the Open Championship at Muirfield, Alex Fitzpatrick is hoping to follow in his footsteps in the English Boys under 14 Stroke Play Championship for the Reid Trophy at North Hants Golf Club on 6th – 8th August. The younger Fitzpatrick, aged 14 and off two handicap, finished equal 26th last year at Blackwell, while he also won the 2012 Yorkshire under 16 Championship. Having made the cut in both the under 16 and under 18 championships, Herman Loubser, from the Mount Murray club on the Isle of Man, now takes on those of his own age group. The scratch player has a South African background and will be in the first game out on day one. The field of 144 contains a number of county’s under 14 team members, not least Surrey with Sam Bartham, William Hobbs, Aadam Syed and Zac Jenkins on parade. Benjamin Rendell from Clacton-on-Sea Golf Club, off four, the Essex under 14 captain, is also competing as is Max Conway, off five from Formby, a Lancashire under 14 team player. Also in the field is Hugo Kedzlie, a five handicapper from Spalding Golf Club, who won the 9-11 age group England Golf Skills Challenge at Woodhall Spa in 2011. Another to watch could be Toby Briggs, the one-handicap son of the professional, Peter Briggs, at Dunston Hall Golf club in Norfolk. There is again a good entry from the other Home countries while there is a sizeable overseas challenge with 54 players representing Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. Among them are 11 young players from Spain, eager to emulate the victory of Inigo Lopez-Pizarro last year at Blackwell. The Reid Trophy is always keenly contested over 54 holes and that will be the case again this year while the event also encompasses an under 13 championship. It also represents the first step on the ladder for these talented youngsters, some of which will develop into the internationals of tomorrow and future stars of the fairways. The leading six players in the Championship will gain automatic exemption to next year’s McGregor Trophy (under 16 championship) at Radcliffe on Trent, its original home. Image caption: North Hants Golf Club, the venue of the English Boys under 14 Stroke Play Championship for the Reid Trophy. Image copyright Tom Ward Photography.
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