Rachel blossoms in Florida event

LEFT to right, back: Sam Polling, Oliver Bradley, Matty Schofield, Andy Hirst, Jordan Abbott, Grant Hirst, Martin Beaty (assistant professional. Front: Ryan O’Leary, Matthew Haines, Matthew Barlow, Liam Marshall, Jack Bottomley-Clift, Rob Calow (junior captain).

Amateur golf round-up

RACHEL CONNOR celebrated her elevation into the England women’s elite squad by finishing a highly creditable 12th in the Orange Blossom Tour’s South Atlantic Amateur Championship in Florida.

The 18-year-old from Royton had been in sixth spot at the mid-way point in the event, which is known as The Sally and is one of the oldest surviving amateur golf classics in America.

Rachel, who was competing in a 67-strong international field, shot rounds of 75, 77, 87 and 80 in blustery conditions at the venue near Daytona for a total of 319 after four rounds.

The winner with a score of 283 was Alexis Thompson, from Coral Springs, Florida, who triumphed by a massive 13 shots. The 14-year-old is being tipped to be the next sensation of the women’s game.

Rachel is spending three weeks in Florida working on her game in readiness for the 2009 season and is this week competing in the Doherty Jones Championship at Coral Ridge, Fort Lauderdale, where in the same event last year she won the Flight One Championship.

It promises to be another exciting year for Rachel, who has been promoted to the 10-strong England women’s elite squad having made her full international debut last autumn in the Home Internationals.

Rachel has turned down the offer of a four-year scholarship at Purdue University in Indiana which is one of America’s top golfing colleges.


AS THE credit crunch continues to bite, Saddleworth has become the last of the local golf clubs to abolish its entrance fee.

Any male member joining won’t have to pay out an initial £488 on top of the annual subscription of £675 for an adult member.

And it will also apply for women who will make an initial saving of £324, the cost of their entrance fee.

Saddleworth secretary Paul Green admitted the decision was forced on them due to the economic climate.

Mr Green says Saddleworth have lost a significant number of their membership due to the current economic climate which is affecting most clubs.

He added that when potential new members had enquired about joining in recent months, the big deterrent had been the entrance fee.

“You were talking about having to find over £1,150 in the first year and that was putting people off,” explained Mr Green.


KATIE-JANE Stanley may only be nine years of age, but she is already setting her sights set on competing in America.

The youngster from Failsworth, who is a member at Brookdale and Manchester Hopwood, will this summer bid to win a place in the United States Kids Golf Championship.

St Mary’s RC Primary pupil Katie-Jane will tee up for the European qualifying round at Gullane.

And if she achieves a top-five finish at the event in Scotland she will be invited to play in the tournament at Pinehurst in America in August.

Katie-Jane, who took up golf at the age of five, recently wowed the judges to finish joint winner of an X-Factor style golf talent competition at Playgolf Manchester which attracted an entry of over 600 youngsters.

And her exploits in that event won praise from former Walker Cup player Peter McEvoy who described her as a great prospect.

Katie-Jane is coached by Royton’s Scott Connor who is assistant professional at Hopwood.

And despite her tender years, Katie-Jane already has a sponsor as Middleton-based JLG Industries, who manufacture cherry picker aerial platforms, are providing financial backing.

They are paying for lessons as she bids to secure her first handicap.


A TEXAS scramble at Crompton and Royton, the third event of the Winter League, was won by Alan Scoltock, Paul Ireson, Ray Anchor and Gary Melling with a score of 46.7.

Second were Jordan and Mick Flint, Paul Finigan and Chris Clarke (48) while third place went to Lee and Derek Conway, Alan Moran and Doug Kenyon (48.9).

Joint leaders of the Order of Merit are Tim O’Brien, Ian Heggie, Robert Calow and Steve Ashurst who all have 12 points.


STAMFORD’S three-man ‘all fours’ team Stableford was won by Glyn Andrew, Dave Briddon and Paul Sandiford with 54 points. Runners-up with 53 were Tony and Kevin Brown and Bob Irving.


Driving ambition
YOUNGSTERS at Crompton and Royton are benefiting from a drive to encourage a new generation of players (see picture).

A group has completed a 10-week coaching course which was aimed at honing their skills.

Assistant professional Martin Beaty provided the tuition with the lessons free of charge as they were funded by the English Golf Union and Crompton and Royton as part of their new junior development plan.

Beaty is to continue to offer free coaching sessions throughout the year during the schools holidays.

There will also be an increased number of junior events held throughout the year as well as the weekly Sunday competitions.

Crompton and Royton is in the final stages of being awarded the prestigious Clubmark award which is Sport England accreditation for clubs with junior sections.

Anybody interested in junior membership can contact the club on 0161 624 0986.