5th June, 2024
The Faldo Futures Regional Finals have come and gone in the blink of an eye, with approximately 365 players competing for a place in the prestigious Futures Final, hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry. With limited spots up for grabs, the week saw fierce competition, sportsmanship, and camaraderie, making it a wonderful experience for all involved.
The week began at Matfen Hall on Saturday, 25th May, with 77 players competing for just 18 spots under looming clouds. The low round of the day belonged to Dexter Blackwood in the boys’ 11-12 division, who shot an impressive even par (27) in tricky conditions, edging out Jack Howlett and Jimmy Middleton by one shot. For the girls, Stella Walters produced a round of +2 (29), winning her 11-12 division by three shots. Tilly Bordman was the next best in the girls’ 9-10 division with a score of +4 (31).
At The Warwickshire, players experienced all four seasons throughout their round in pursuit of an invitation to The Belfry. The long and heavily bunkered course, paired with windy conditions challenged the players, but Isaac Cawrey and Teddy Bailey-Jenkins both stepped up to the task and won their divisions with a score of +1 (37). Hannah Katz won the girls’ 11-12 by three shots with a score of +7 (43), while Mia Robinson and Rachel Katz shared first place in the girls’ 9-10 division with scores of +12 (48).
Wednesday, 28th May, saw two events take place, Cumberwell Park in Wiltshire and Worsley Park in Manchester. At Cumberwell Park, Archie Griffiths continued his great form, producing a round of -1 (35), winning his age category by three shots. Ollie Roach won the boys’ 9-10 category with a score of +2 (38), while Louis Edwards and Freddie Williams shared the win in the boys’ 7-8 with a score of +12 (48). In the girls’ categories, Amelia Leigh Slavin took honours with her +6 (42), while Theia Tomescu and Phoebe Stiles won the girls’ 7-8 and 9-10 categories respectively.
At Worsley Park, the forecast looked ominous for most of the day, but fortunately, everyone managed to escape unscathed. The round of the day belonged to Jeremy Ju, who posted a -1 (38) in the boys’ 11-12 division, while Lachlan Tod and James Prest both won their divisions with scores of +3 (42). In the girls’ divisions, Madison Tierney, Florence Martindale, and Lily Morgan all topped their age categories with impressive scores to show.
Sunningdale Heath was next on Friday, 31st May, and to everyone’s surprise, a special guest was due to make an appearance later in the day. The boys’ and girls’ 7-8 divisions led the field off, with Sidney Scerri and Leo Ellis sharing first place in the boys’ division with a score of +2 (34), and Amelia Sandhu winning the girls’ division with a round of +11 (43). Following them was the 9-10 divisions; Georgie Powell won the girls’ division with a score of +9 (41), and Charlie Aldridge won the boys’ division with a score of -1 (31), just ahead of second-place Jacob Taylor, who shot level par. Finally, the 11-12 category teed off, producing some great scores; Selina Bartarya won the girls’ division with an even-par (32) by one shot over Lauren Cowley. Jake Jeff-Johnston won his division by one shot, posting the round of the day -3 (29), beating Lucas Taylor’s -2 (30).
As anticipated, our special guest and host, Sir Nick Faldo, made a stop at the event to sign plenty of autographs, take pictures with the parents and kids, and present awards to all the winners. In his speech, Sir Nick commented on The Faldo Futures, stating he “wanted to give a pathway for everybody starting golf to make it to the Challenge Tour and DP World Tour.” He thanked everyone for their support, encouraged the kids to practice, and hoped everyone “enjoyed themselves as that’s the most important thing.”
Brocket Hall hosted the final event of the Regional Finals, where blue skies and warm, calm conditions covered the estate. It was a fantastic day out for all, particularly our winners, including Mihir Pasura, who shot the low round of the day with a score of even par (36). Florrie Collins was the best of the girls, shooting an impressive +7 (43) on her way to winning the girls’ 7-8 division. Matthew Russell and Darcy Eaton shared first place in the boys’ 11-12 category, while Beau Newberry and Myka Adoh also shared the win in the girls’ 11-12 division.
From the Regional Finals, 112 players earned an invitation to play at the Faldo Futures Final at The Belfry on the Wednesday Pro-Am of the British Masters, where they will experience the thrill of competing for the coveted title of Futures Champion. The winner of each age category will also receive an invitation to the IMG Junior World Finals held at Torrey Pines (South) in California, USA. The IMG Junior Worlds, founded in 1968, is the largest Junior Golf competition in the world, with over 1,250 participants each year from more than 50 countries.
