The 2023 Junior Masters is set to return to Close House, with nine qualifying events across eight UK regions.
The Junior Masters began in 2017 in conjunction with the British Masters hosted at Close House. Since then Close House, with the support of their attached professional Lee Westwood and PING Europe, has developed the event to make it as accessible and exciting as possible for more junior golfers across the UK.
Lee played a big part in the development of the Junior Masters, with the vision to create more competitive opportunities for keen young golfers. Successful events have since taken place in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
“The Junior Masters continues to be one of the best junior series in the country, and I am very proud to be one of the many supporters of this programme,” said Lee. “A competitive opportunity like this is invaluable and the experience young golfers gain from the series is fantastic.”
Continuing on from last year, the nine qualifying events will take place across the UK with Ladybank in Fyfe, Scotland and Worksop in Nottinghamshire once again featuring on the schedule. Meanwhile, Hillside Golf Club – a fellow past host of the British Masters and the DP World Tour’s 2022 Cazoo Classic – has been added to the line-up.
Each qualifying event will be run off nett scores, giving a broader range of junior golfers the opportunity to reach the grand final at Close House. At each qualifying location there are three age categories – 12 and under, 15 and under, and 18 and under. One girl and two boys from each age group will qualify for the final at Close House on October 24, 2023.
The 2023 events see PING Europe continue their support, providing all the prizes at the grand final. Dave Fanning, European marketing director at PING Europe, said: “The Junior Masters is one of our favourite series to support, and it is brilliant to have such an inclusive opportunity for juniors to develop their game.”
In addition to hosting a qualifying event and the final, Close House is also offering free school coaching to local schools to further develop the younger generation of golfers.
