Eleven years ago Phillip Price enjoyed his finest moment in golf when he defeated then world No 2 and now the new Open Champion, Phil Mickelson, to clinch a crucial point as Europe regained the Ryder Cup from the Americans.
His son Edward was aged just one back in 2002. Still only 12, the youngster is already showing signs of following in his father’s footsteps after winning his way to the final of the Principality Junior Wales Open.
The Celtic Manor and Newport Golf Club junior member has already been crowned South Wales Under-13 Boys Champion this season and will tee up on Celtic Manor’s celebrated Twenty Ten Course on Monday 29th July as one of 56 young hopefuls hoping to win age group titles at Wales’ premier junior golf tournament.
Price junior shot 40 stableford points over Celtic Manor’s original Roman Road course to win a qualifying event for the final back in March. While dad Phillip was out competing on the European Tour, where he has won three tournaments, the young chip off the old block was chipping, putting and driving his way to first place in the Under-13 age group.
Other qualifying events were held in chilly conditions during the Easter holidays at Cardiff’s Radyr Golf Club, Langland Bay, Builth Wells and Harlech’s Royal St David’s links. All finalists win an overnight stay at the five-star Celtic Manor Resort as part of their reward for reaching the final and they will bid to win further prizes in Under-18, Under-15 and Under-13 age groups for both boys and girls.
Other finalists include the defending champion, Josh Davies, who fired a hole-in-one in qualifying for last year’s final where he won the overall crown with a round of 76.
Title sponsor Principality Building Society and The Celtic Manor Resort are proud to be building on the legacy of Wales’ first Ryder Cup with a competition which hopes to foster future champions to follow in the footsteps of Welsh Ryder Cup heroes like Price and Ian Woosnam, and Solheim Cup star Becky Brewerton.
Last year’s victorious Ryder Cup Captain José Maria Olazábal also gave his backing to Wales’ premier junior tournament when he made his debut in the 2012 ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor.
Olazábal said: “The Principality Junior Wales Open aims to build on Celtic Manor’s Ryder Cup legacy and produce the next generation of Ryder and Solheim Cup stars – and you have to say it looks like it’s working already.
“Amy Boulden, winner of the girls’ competition last year, made the Great Britain and Ireland team for the Curtis Cup at Nairn and, not only that, won her singles match on a thrilling final afternoon that saw GB&I beat the United States for the first time since 1996. It’s great to now see The Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup reside on this side of the Atlantic.”
Other former winners include Rhys Pugh, who teed up in the Open Championship last week as the reigning European Amateur Champion and was one of the stars of the 2011 Walker Cup.
Spectator admission for the final on Monday 29th July is free.
