The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy

The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy, founded in 2001, is a highly rated international event. This unique tournament sees some of the world's most talented male and female golfers battle it out in a 54 hole stroke play tournament. All of the competitors are either the current holders of their Under 18 National Championship or have won another major golfing event in the previous year. The event aims to promote the development of junior golf and provides young people with the opportunity to play against their peers on Open venue courses. Over the last 15 years, the competition has developed and is now widely regarded as one of the top events on the worldwide junior calendar. It also boasts a hugely impressive array of former competitors, including four time major champion and current world number one; Rory Mcllroy. Mcllroy was runner-up at the 2004 tournament at Kingsbarns and since then, his career has gone from strength to strength with him collecting his first major win at the 2011 U.S. Open. He has since won the PGA Championships twice and became Open Champion in 2014 at Royal Liverpool. Joining Mcllroy in the list of notable former competitors at The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy is Italian star, Matteo Manassero. He competed in 2007 at Dundonald Links and has since recorded four wins on the European Tour, including success at the 2013 BMW PGA Championship. He also secured the Silver Medal for being the best amateur at the 2009 Open Championship. Other notable competitors include Pablo Martin, Oliver Fisher and Rashid Khan. Several women's players have also graced the leader board at The Duke of York's Young Champions Trophy. Sweden's Anna Nordqvist has competed in two tournaments and has gone on to win five LPGA Tour events. England's Melissa Reid has also risen through the professional game after competing at the The Duke of York Young Champions Trophy in 2004. She claimed victory at the 2012 Prague Golf Masters and was the Leading Amateur in the 2007 Women's British Open. The tournament has expanded geographically and includes competitors from across the world, with previous winners from Iceland, Thailand and Italy.