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Junior Open

Junior Open set to welcome talented field to Ayrshire

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The R&A
14 Jul 24
3 mins
The R&A Junior Open will be played at Kilmarnock (Barassie) from 15-17 July, only a few miles down the coast from Royal Troon where The 152nd Open will be contested.  The R&A will crown separate boys and girls Junior Open Champions for the first time since the Championship’s inauguration in 2000. Previously the biennial championship has been a combined event.

Notable winners

Patrick Reed (2006), Moriya Jutanugarn (2008) and Connor Graham (2022) are among the notable winners of a Championship open to the world’s best juniors between the ages of 12 and 16. This year’s field features 120 players from 70 countries as the Championship returns to Kilmarnock (Barassie) for a third time after it previously hosted in 2004 and 2016. Jordan Cox of the United States of America won the 2004 title, while Portugal’s Pedro Lencart was Champion in 2016. Graham set the Championship scoring record two years ago when he posted a 13-under-par total at Monifieth Golf Links with rounds of 69, 67 and 67. He won by five shots over Thailand’s Ratchanon Chantananuwat, playing the final round bogey free in front of mentor and the winner of The Open in 1999, Paul Lawrie.  Graham used the victory as a stepping stone to make his Walker Cup debut last year, featuring in the Great Britain and Ireland team that narrowly lost to the United States of America at St Andrews.
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Patrick Reed went from Junior Open winner in 2006 to play in and win the Ryder Cup, as well as winning the 2018 Masters Tournament and another eight PGA Tour events.

Springboard to success

“It’s a great feeling to come out on top in such a big event,” said Graham at the time, who will represent GB&I against the best amateurs from the Continent of Europe at Royal Porthcawl in the St Andrews Trophy later this month. “This win ranks very high just because of the way I performed here. I didn’t drop a shot today (the final round) under the pressure.” Reed has gone on to play in and win the Ryder Cup, as well as winning the 2018 Masters Tournament and another eight PGA Tour events. Jordan Spieth is another who has used the Junior Open to hone the skills that have helped him win the Masters Tournament and US Open in 2015, The Open in 2017 and a further ten PGA Tour victories. He was runner-up to Jutanugarn in 2008. Dutch golfer Tycho Kuiper takes his place in this year’s field. Kuiper was diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease at the age of six, a hip ailment that occurs in children between the ages of 3 and 13. Tycho ended up in a wheelchair as a result.  Two years later he started walking again, and was encouraged to take up golf by his father. In May, he won the National Championship for Golfers with Disabilities at Golf Club Amelisweerd in his homeland. He is currently ranked 67th on the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD). View more information on the R&A Junior Open here.
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Junior Open