Youngsters set to shine at Junior European Open in Spain
Tuesday 20 November 2018 16:23, UK
A young American golfer who now lives in Scotland is the first to fly the Stars and Stripes in the finals of the Junior European Open.
John Vogelpohl, who is 15 years old, is one of the 138 finalists who will tee up from Saturday at Alcaidesa Links on Spain's Costa del Sol.
Vogelpohl has an American passport but he will have broad international support, having been born in the Netherlands and now living in Dunfermline, Scotland, where he is a member of Pitreavie Golf Club.
He is one of 102 boys who qualified for this year's finals, trying to follow in the footsteps of last year's winner Jack Finch, a member at Walton Heath in Surrey, which staged the Sky Sports British Masters in October.
Of the 36 girls trying to emulate 2017 champion Sophie Johnson from Shropshire, 10-year-old Northern Ireland prospect Ella Proctor is the youngest ever to reach the final stages in Spain.
Proctor, who lives near Royal Portrush, posted an eye-catching net score of 59 in the qualifiers to gain entry as the lowest net total. Unsurprisingly, a 10-year-old playing off a handicap of 29 starts as a rank outsider in the scratch competition of the finals but Ella is game to give it a try.
She is showing the same kind of spirit as that of five-year-old Anthony Finnie who entered one of the Scottish qualifiers in September and received a standing ovation from his fellow competitors despite struggling to complete the course.
For the more senior players who have made it through to the finals, the incentives are clear from the history of the tournament.
Current world No 1 Justin Rose and former world No 1 Luke Donald, 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, and our own European tournament champion Nick Dougherty, have all been finalists in the Junior European Open in the past.
These great champions will be keeping an eye on the scores over the five days of competition, starting on Saturday, November 24.
The finalists alternate over Alcaidesa's Links and Heathland courses before playing the final 18 holes over the Links.
The cut in the Girls tournament will be made on Tuesday before their final round on Wednesday. For the Boys, the final day is Thursday after a cut is made on Wednesday evening.
Daily scores will be available on the Junior European Open website and highlights will be shown on Sky Sports Golf in the weeks ahead.
