History of the event

First played in 2001, the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy is a unique, international 54 hole stroke play golf tournament for boys and girls who are either the current holders of their Under 18 National Championship or have won some other major golfing event in the preceding year.

This highly rated invitational event, created by HRH The Duke of York and John Simpson, aims to promote the development of junior golf, encourage competitiveness and friendship between individual champions whilst providing them with an opportunity to play one of the finest UK links course against a field of top quality players. Indeed the average handicap for the 2009 event was an impressive +1.

Sanctioned by the R & A and now counting towards the World Amateur Golf Rankings, this event in many ways is organised like a professional tournament so as to give the potential golfing stars of the future a chance to experience what life as a professional might involve; hence the involvement of sponsors, official functions, demonstration of equipment by a major golf manufacturer and a programme of educational events.

As a result of this educational focus and player development, the tournament acquired the status of a charitable foundation. The Duke of York Sports Foundation was established in 2004 to promote amateur sport for the benefit of young people, secure the longevity of the tournament and to offer academic and golf scholarships to 13 - 18 year old players from around Europe. The first UK based academic and golf scholarship started in September 2007 at Wellington College, Berkshire where four scholarships have so far been awarded to three boys and one girl aged between 14 and 16 with handicaps ranging from 4 to +2.

The ninth Duke of York Young Champions Trophy was held in September at Dundonald Links, Loch Lomond’s superb links course in Ayrshire, Scotland and a field of 57 champions from 34 countries competed including for the first time China and Korea. The opening round should have taken place on the Tuesday but, with the rain horizontal and wind gusting up to 40 mph, the day’s play had to be cancelled.

However, two sunny days followed so the 54 holes were completed and for the first time in its nine year history, the girls had the upper hand. Moriya Jutanugarn from Thailand, 15 years of age, just over five feet tall and playing to a handicap of +3, finished on a two-over-par tally of 218 to win by a shot from Israel’s Laetitia Beck. Richard Jung from Canada finished a leading boy and shared third place with Spain’s Camilla Hedberg.

Now widely regarded as one of the best events on the worldwide junior calendar, the tournament moves to Royal St. George’s, Sandwich, Kent (venue for The Open Championship in 2011) next September and then on to Royal Liverpool, Hoylake in 2011.