Bridlington golfer George
Rowell has proved himself to be a
Wee Wonder after impressing in a
prestigious tournament.
Six-year-old George, who lives on
the town’s south side, took part in
the Wee Wonders GB & Northern
Ireland Grand Final at North
Berwick Golf Club near Edinburgh,
and emerged triumphant in a
weekend that saw the weather test
him to his limits.
That installed George, who has
been playing since he was three, as
England’s top under-six golfer
“He started by hitting water bombs
at the Bridlington driving range,”
said his proud dad Craig.
Having come through regional
qualifying rounds at Bridlington,
Huddersfield and Leeds, George
shot 34 over nine holes, at North
of England final at Leeds Golf
Centre to qualify in first place for the
grand final.
As part of his preparation, George
headed to Scotland a few days early
for some practice rounds, when he
met a few locals and chatted to the
greenkeepers, picking up tips.
One of the strict rules of the
Wee Wonders competition is
that parental on-course advice is
forbidden, so it all had to be his own
golfing decisions.
The final was played over two
days with two rounds of the same
nine holes.
The weather was the worst
experienced at a Wee Wonders
Final in 30 years, with strong winds
gusting at 60mph and rain that felt
like hail.
However, George was unfazed,
thanks to playing regularly at
Bridlington Golf Club and said
that meant the wind and rain was
no pain.
George, who attends Scarborough
College, was paired with a boy from
Carnoustie for the first round and
shot rounds of 36 and 33 to earn an
opening day total of 69. He managed
to avoided the bunkers and only
three-putted twice to gain an
11-shot lead.
Sunday saw the leaders last on the
course and George was paired with
Northern Irish lad Louis Gervin,
from Dungannon.
Louis made up four shots in the
opening five holes and George was
feeling the pressure but a great three
at the tough sixth and a steady last
three holes of the front nine kept him
10 clear after shooting 36.
George played flawlessly over the
remaining nine holes to score 35
to win by 10, finishing in style in
front of a large gallery with a great
put on the final hole for a three.
He then ran to hug his mum.
His rounds of 69 and 71 are
the lowest on record for the
six-and-under category.
An ecstatic George said: “I’m
very happy and excited to win. The
last nine holes were very hard to keep
my concentration so I was relieved
when the put on the last hole went in.
“I felt very proud of myself and
excited that I have qualified to go
to America”
Dad Craig added: “I was so happy
he made the put to finish in style. I
was a little relieved it was over as it
was very nerve racking as a parent to
watch, and I was pleased to see how
happy he was. It was also pleasing to
see how all the boys got on and had
fun afterwards.
Mum Elena was very proud of
her son and said: “I had to calm
him down as he was getting a bit
over excited.”
Former Wee Wonders winners
include Tommy Fleetwood,
Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre,
Charley Hull, Leona Maguire,
Eddie Pepperell, Aaron Rai and
Matthew Fitzpatrick, so George is in
exalted company.
As winner, George will represent
his country at the European Junior
Finals next May. He will also be
playing for Great Britain at the
US Kids World Junior Finals at
Pinehurst, California in August.
