2 days ago
Teesside Rockliffe Hall golfer is number one in Europe in Under-16 rankings
TEESSIDE'S rising golfing star Tom Hartshorne has soared to the top of the European Under-16 rankings - and he is not in the mood to stop there.
The remarkable achievement for the 15-year-old talent means his status within the junior game has grown even further ahead of the English Amateur Under-18 Closed Championship later this month, when he hopes to make another significant impact on the national stage.
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Tom's journey - which will now receive valuable support from Location 68, an associate partnership and business relationship management company - in becoming Europe's top-ranked Under-16 golfer has been the result of dedication and undoubted ability.
His recent joint first-place finish at Fairhaven, where he narrowly lost in a four-hole play-off to Edwin Sjodin, combined with a third-place at the McEvoy Trophy and a fourth-place at the prestigious Carris Trophy, propelled him to the leading position in the European golf rankings.
'It feels good to know that I am the best at the level I am at,' said Tom, a Year ten student at Egglescliffe School, who will be studying his GCSEs next year.
"It is nice to be recognised as the best Under-16s golfer in Europe and I want to be the best in the world at Under-18s level, hopefully playing on Tour.'
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Tom, who boasts an impressive handicap of plus four, represents England and is on track to represent his country at the Under-18s level too.
He is attached to Rockliffe Hall and a member at Teesside Golf Club, while playing for the Yorkshire Under-18s team which won the county finals last year.
In the last 12 months he also secured the Hazards Salver at the Carris Trophy as the best GB&I Under-16 player in his first national trophy competition. He co-holds the Rockliffe Hall men's course record of 64.
He has had incredible success since finding one of his dad Ally's clubs at an early age.
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'I was 18 months old,' Tom said. 'It all started by finding a nine-iron in the front room and I started swinging, most likely smashing anything in my way!'
By the age of four, Tom had joined Rockliffe as their first academy junior. He was relentlessly on the range before his first event aged seven - a Northern Junior Tour event at Seaton Carew.
Tom said: 'I made an eagle at 16, holed out from 150 yards with a hybrid, it hit the flag and top-spinned in the hole.'
A significant milestone came at the Wee Wonders British Championships for Under-10s at Gullane, which he won, earning him a coveted spot at the World Championships in Pinehurst, USA, in 2019.
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He said: 'That was an unbelievable experience and left me wanting more, I think I was leading after the first round.'
Tom knows there is close competition from France's Paul Martin in the European rankings this month for him to stay at number one, but regardless of that he remains focused on the upcoming English Amateur U18s on June 23 at Farnham Golf Club.
He said: "With any event like that, making the cut first is my priority. I don't want to be too ahead of myself, then if I make the cut, if I can get a good finish, a top ten finish, if I find myself playing well then I will see if I can get up the leaderboard.'
North-East based business Location 68's support will be invaluable, helping Tom with travel and accommodation for upcoming events, as well as other support to allow him to concentrate on his game.
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Tom said: 'I am thankful to so many and this sponsorship with Location 68 enables me to play in the right events and focus on my game with the rest of my team.'
After the English Amateur U18s appearance at Farnham this month, Tom has a busy schedule planned, including the Carris Trophy in July, the McGregor Trophy, Scottish Under-16s and the English Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool in August.
At this stage he is considering turning professional at 18, but he also has a backup plan of attending college in America after some form of sixth form education on Teesside.
With his dedicated support team around him, including coaches, a psychologist, local members and the assistance from Location 68, Tom is determined to remain grounded while focusing on fulfilling his own sporting dreams.
