AMONG a highly impressive field of promising international names at South Moor Golf Club in four weeks time will be a young man from Darlington intent on taking his profile to a new level.
Joe Cowper is already well known in golfing circles in the North-East. As the junior and club champion at Darlington Golf Club before he has even left school, his performances have led to his first call-up for the men’s county team.
Cowper is set to make his debut for Durham against Cheshire in a fortnight’s time, which will provide the perfect preparation for his biggest day since starting to play golf in 2004 – and the countdown has started.
The 16-year-old is gearing up to play in one of the world’s most prestigious junior events and he is not planning on heading into the English Boys Under-16 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, known as the McGregor Trophy, just to make up the numbers.
Cowper has been paired with Formby’s Joe Shelley and Langley Park’s (Kent) George Mullins for the opening two rounds of the championship, which starts on Tuesday, July 12, and finishes on the Thursday.
Over the Trophy’s 29-year existence there have been plenty of golfers who have gone on to play on the main European Tour, with the likes of Graeme Storm, Justin Rose, Edoardo Molinari and Oliver Wilson among the names to have stepped up.
“If you can finish in the top ten, top five or even better then it makes people stand up and take notice of you,” said Cowper, who plays off a handicap of one. “It gets the bigger names looking at you. People will be there watching who can take you to the next level.”
Cowper was unable to play 12 months ago because of a clash with the Junior Big Six, but despite a similar problem in the golfing calendar this time, he has opted to play in the McGregor Trophy.
This will be the last year he is eligible to qualify, knowing that after sitting his GCSEs at the Education Village in Darlington he will then be heading to the town’s Queen Elizabeth College to study A-levels in geography, sports and leisure and physical education and coaching.
His choices are all aimed at working his way into a golf career, but while he would be satisfied to be a golf club professional, he has designs on following in the footsteps of someone he knows who has spent the last week in the United States at the US Open.
“My dad, Graeme, got me into golf and I used to go with him to Barnard Castle to caddie for him quite a lot when I was younger,” said Cowper, a huge fan of Tiger Woods. “Because of that I have know Rob Dinwiddie and I have chatted to him about things.
“He went to the United States to do a golfing scholarship when he was younger and that is definitely something I am considering. At the moment, though, it is all about this year. I am playing in the McGregor Trophy and I just want to do well in that first. If I can, it could take me to bigger tournaments, playing for the England men’s team and things like that.”
Having been encouraged to take part in the McGregor Trophy by Durham after following back-to-back triumphs in the Under-14s Boys Championship with last year’s Under-16s success, he knows things are heading in the right direction.
“I just have to keep going as I am,” he said. “This is a great competition to be heading into and I would like to think I am in with a decent chance of a good finish.
“It’s the biggest golf tournament the North-East has had since the Seve Trophy was at Wynyard. We’ve not had many golfing tournaments.
It’s a real coup and because it is up here I hope there will be plenty of support for the four of us.”
Shortly after Cowper has teed off in his first round, City of Newcastle’s Jack Hermeston will head out in the next group. In the final group of the day will be Hartlepool’s Jamie Austwicke, while Jake Storey, of Alnmouth, is Northumberland’s representative.
After helping Darlington to the Inter-Club Team Championship at Castle Eden recently, Cowper further enhanced his rising reputation by finishing second in Durham County Under-16s Championship on Saturday, shooting four over to finish one behind Chris Handy.
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