By Gareth James
The PING Welsh Junior Tour will return in 2021, looking to build on the growth of 2019 before the event was understandably interrupted last year.
With the Coronavirus pandemic forcing cancellation in 2020, it will also return to the same format as 2019 which saw increased entries across the board.
There will be a new venue at Milford Haven Golf Club for players in West Wales, though entries for events come from all over Wales. Nearly 200 juniors associated with 66 clubs across Wales took part in the Ping Welsh Junior Tour in 2019.
Marketing Director for PING Europe, Dave Fanning, said, “Ping are an active supporter of junior golf development and are proud to continue to sponsor and support the Welsh Junior Tour.”
The schedule of events for the 2021 Ping Welsh Junior Tour will once again offer six regional events prior to a grand final for golfers under the age of 14, which will be held in Mold in September as part of the new Wales Golf Finals Week.
The June event at Parc Golf Club between Cardiff and Newport will be part of the first ever Wales Golf Festival.
The Tour will begin slightly later than previously in June to allow maximum time for regulations to return towards normal, with events running through to mid-August before culminating with the Grand Final on September 11.
“Of course 2020 was a difficult year all round and the PING Welsh Junior Tour was one of many events we were obviously unable to hold,” said Wales Golf Championships Manager David Wilson.
“We were looking forward to building on the previous successes of the event which had grown year on year and become a firm favourite in the Wales Golf calendar.
“The Ping Welsh Junior Tour has been such a positive initiative and we were thrilled to see the interest in the tour continue to increase.
“We have added a great new venue on the tour rota in Milford Haven as well as returning to some well-established and popular courses. PING are once again providing their support for the Tour and it continues a great partnership over many years.”
The launch of the Wales Golf Finals Week in Mold is an initiative designed to offer competitive golf, bringing together a wide range of golfers across Wales.
2021 Schedule:
Event 1 – Lakeside Golf Club, 5th June
Event 2 – Parc Golf Club, 20th June (As part of the South Wales Golf Festival)
Event 3 – Builth Wells Golf Club, 3rd July
Event 4 – Caernarfon Golf Club, 11th July
Event 5 – Milford Haven Golf Club, 11th August
Event 6 – Llantrisant & Pontyclun Golf Club, 13th August
Junior Tour Final – Mold Golf Club, 11th September (As part of the Finals Week)