Frank Kennedy is looking to continue his meteoric rise in 2022 as he makes his European Challenge Tour debut in this week’s Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A.
The 16-year-old Englishman can become the youngest winner in Challenge Tour history with victory at Newmachar Golf Club, a record which is currently held by South Korean Kim Min-kyu after he won the 2018 D+D Real Czech Challenge at the age of 17.
Kennedy first hit the headlines when he made the cut on his DP World Tour debut at the 2021 Hero Open last year at the age of 15. The amateur was on the cut line at Fairmont St Andrews but rolled in a birdie at the last to make the weekend field and eventually finished in a tie for 63rd.
“Playing on the DP World Tour last year was a great experience for me,” he said. “I played fairly well on the first couple of days in Scotland, but the putts didn’t drop. I birdied the final hole in round two to just make the cut on the number. It’s given me great confidence that I can perform at this level.
“I now spend most of my time in Florida but come back during the English summer to play in the amateur events. I’ve got a busy schedule this year and I’m hoping to take advantage of some playing opportunities on the Challenge Tour.”
The Englishman arrives in Scotland full of confidence having secured a sensational wire-to-wire victory at the Portuguese Amateur Championship earlier this year and he believes his putter could be key to success this week.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself this week,” he said. “I’m just going to play my golf game, stick to my strategy and see where that leads me. My strength is in my iron play and I’m pretty dialled in with my numbers. If I can get my putts rolling in then it should be a good week.”
Kennedy will be joined in Scotland by 2018 Silver Medal winner Sam Locke. Locke recently became the first three-time winner on the Tartan Pro Tour, a Scottish based Tour which was created by 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie to provide a stepping-stone for aspiring tournament professionals to reach the highest levels of competition.
