THE Irish Junior Open Series continues this autumn with Flogas as the title sponsor for 2017 and 2018 helping to develop young golfing talent.
Since its inception in 2015 by PGA Professional Michael Gallagher of Clandeboye Golf Club in Newtownards, Co. Down, the Series has grown to become the second largest of its kind in Europe, with 1,500 competitors between the ages of eight and 18 taking part this year.
Thanks to the support of the legendary golf champion, the winner of the Junior Golfer of the Year title is now presented with the Gary Player Trophy.
Paul Ruegg, senior marketing executive for Flogas, said: “We’ve been involved in the Series from the start and are delighted to be the title sponsor for the next two years.
"It’s really growing in popularity and Michael Gallagher has certainly discovered a gap in the market for a nationwide event like this.
"Aside from its important role in developing young golfing talent, we particularly enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm shown by all the young competitors.”
Over £50,000 in goodie bags and prizes are on offer this year and Irish hopefuls have already been teeing off against competitors from across the world.
“I am delighted to welcome Flogas as our title sponsor and I am so pleased and gratified at how the Series has captivated the attention of our young golfing talent," Michael Gallagher said.
"We’ve been fortunate enough to receive great support from many well-known sports starts like Gary Player, Darren Clarke, Justin Rose, Sir Nick Faldo, Alan Shearer, Shane Warne, Ronan Keating, Paul O’Connell and Annika Sorenstam."
The Series kicked off in July, with four provincial events followed by a finale and Masters tournament last month.
The Spanish Championship now takes place at the end of October, with an Adult/Junior event in November.
Each year the Series is open to male and female competitors aged between six and 18 years competing in different age categories.
The Series is structured so as to allow younger entrants to compete successfully against older ones, as demonstrated by the success of nine-year-old Sean Ryan from Warrenpoint Golf Club, who was crowned Irish Junior Open Series Champion Golfer of the Year in 2016.
Early booking is advisable as numbers are limited, and as ever there is no prior qualifying to participate in any of the events.
