The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy was an international golf tournament for boys and girls who were either the current holders of their under-18 National Championship or had won another major golfing event in the preceding twelve months. First played in 2001, the event was supported by The R&A and their affiliated national governing bodies and counts towards the World Amateur Golf Rankings and the American Junior Golf Association's performance based entry system. It had a 54-hole stroke play format.
History
The event was created by The Duke of York and John Simpson. The event, invite-only and supported by The R&A, aimed to "promote the development of junior golf, encourage competitiveness and friendship between individual champions whilst also offering a unique opportunity for boys and girls to compete for the same Trophy on a top quality UK links course".
The tournament has grown from having just 11 competitors from six countries in 2001, to a field of 55 champions from 32 countries in 2013. The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy is organised in many ways like a professional tournament in order to give the potential stars of the future a chance to experience what life as a golf professional might involve; hence the inclusion of sponsors and official functions, including the Official Dinner hosted by the Duke of York, as well as an educational talk. Past players include Rory McIlroy, Anna Nordqvist, Matteo Manassero, and Tom Lewis.
The tournament was wound up in 2020 when the Prince Andrew Charitable Trust ceased operations following the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Academic and golf scholarships
The Duke of York Sports Foundation is a registered charity established in 2004 to promote amateur sports. Academic and golf scholarships have been awarded since September 2007 to provide under 18 boys and girls with the opportunity to receive a high standard of education whilst at the same time focusing on their golf and offer an alternative to studying and training in the USA.
Wellington College in Berkshire was chosen as the school that met all the criteria required to support both aspects of the scholarship. It offers the International Baccalaureate, a standard 9-hole golf course, and practice facilities on site. It is also located near many different courses (including Wentworth and Sunningdale), coaches, and major airports.
Candidates must meet Wellington College's academic standard, demonstrate a high level of golfing ability with clear signs of potential and are selected on a case-by-case basis. To date, the Foundation has awarded five academic and golf scholarships. All the scholars are aged between 14 and 17, with handicaps ranging from three to plus-two. The Foundation's aim is to award eight to ten scholarships to individuals by 2011.
Champions Year Venue Champion Winning score Winning margin Runner(s)-up Leading boy/girl Number of competitors Countries represented 2001 Royal Liverpool Michael Nester 210 (−6) 7 strokes Grigory Bondarenko Clare Queen 11 6 2002 Royal Liverpool Carlos del Moral 219 (+3) 5 strokes Cian MacNamara Azahara Muñoz 26 13 2003 Castletown Rikard Karlberg 219 (+3) 6 strokes Pablo Martín Justine Barbier 31 16 2004 Kingsbarns Zac Gould 212 (−4) 3 strokes Rory McIlroy Anna Nordqvist 36 20 2005 Castletown Oliver Fisher 212 (−4) 1 stroke Andrea Pavan Anna Nordqvist 39 20 2006 Dundonald Sam Hutsby 216 (E) 2 strokes Marc Dobias Robin Wingårdh Carly Booth 42 22 2007 Dundonald Claudio Vigano 220 (+4) 2 strokes Giulia Molinaro Isabelle Boineau Joachim B. Hansen Giulia Molinaro 49 28 2008 Dundonald Stiggy Hodgson 212 (−4) 11 strokes Arnaud Abbas Marieke Nivard 51 28 2009 Dundonald Moriya Jutanugarn 218 (+2) 1 stroke Laetitia Beck Richard Jung 57 34 2010 Royal St George's Guðmundur Kristjánsson 218 (+5) 1 stroke Dermot McElroy Leona Maguire 57 32 2011 Royal Liverpool Harry Casey 226 (+13) Playoff Harang Lee Harang Lee 57 31 2012http://www.doy-champions.com/files/13/2012finalreport.pdf Royal Troon Ragnar Garðarsson 225 (+12) Playoff Max Orrin Katja Pogačar Katja Pogačar 53 31 2013 Royal St George's Guido Migliozzi 215 (+2) 1 stroke Jack Singh Brar Nicole Morales 55 32 2014 Royal Aberdeen Gisli Sveinbergsson 137 (−5)* 4 strokes Ren Okazaki Carlotta Ricolfi 57 30 2015 Prince's Oliver Lindell 207 (−9) 1 stroke Felix Pålson Carlotta Ricolfi 56 292016 Royal Birkdale Chloe Currie 214 (−2) 1 stroke Markus Braadlie Markus Braadlie 49 282017 Royal Liverpool Ben Jones 218 (+2) 8 strokes Oscar Teiffel Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen Keita Nakajima Franziska Sliper 54 302018 Castle Stuart Christopher Vandette 226 (+10) Playoff Joseph Byrne Heejong Lim 54 302019 Royal Portrush Conor Gaugh 222 (+6) 6 strokes Callum Macfie Ina Yoon 62 37 * Due to fog and poor visibility, the 2014 competition was reduced to 36 holes.
Courses
The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy used to be held at links courses across the UK. Dundonald Links and Royal Liverpool played host to the tournament four times.
Participating countries As of 2014, 50 countries have participated in the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy.
Notable past players Rory McIlroy: winner of the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship and the 2014 Open Championship Ariya Jutanugarn: winner of the 2016 Women's British Open and the 2018 U.S. Women's Open Anna Nordqvist: winner of the 2009 LPGA Championship Matteo Manassero: winner of the 2009 British Amateur and the 2013 BMW PGA Championship Melissa Reid: winner of six Ladies European Tour events Pablo Martín: winner of three European Tour events, first amateur ever to win a European Tour event. Carly Booth: winner of two Ladies European Tour events Oliver Fisher: youngest ever Walker Cup player in 2005 Tom Lewis: Silver Medal winner at the 2011 Open Championship Laetitia Beck: Israeli champion, and gold medal winner in the 2009 and 2013 Maccabiah Games.
References
External links