YIGS are boys and girls who either don’t have a handicap or have a “club” handicap of 37 to
54. YIGS competitions are played over 9 hole par 3 courses. Regards handicaps the players
are given a YIGS RookieTour playing handicap that is managed by the tour and only valid in a
RookieTour YIGS event.
On the main RookieTour the Birdie Trophy, the innovation of Junior committee member Peter
Barratt who kindly donated the trophy, is awarded to the player who scores the highest number
of gross birdies in RookieTour events throughout the season. The 2018 winner was Kris Kim
with 17 gross birdies
In 2018 the Sinclair Salver, introduced in memory of long time RookieTour supporter Mike
Sinclair, is awarded by the RookieTour Committee to the player who they believe has best
demonstrated good etiquette and upheld the traditions of golf throughout the year. The 2018
winner was Alexandra Phelps, who demonstrated these qualities in abundance during the
course of the season.
Without doubt the NikeGolf RookieTour is now regarded as a major series of events on the
calendar of every Surrey U14 golfer.
In the U14 boys and U14 girls sections the events are generally 18 hole qualifiers, something
that has proved to be very popular with all the competitors.
The number of regular season RookieTour events was twelve for 2018, plus the “Race to the
Stars” finale for the leading players in each Order of Merit, making a total of thirteen events
throughout the year. For the YIGS there were four events to take part in.
The Race to the Stars, the finale of the 2018 RookieTour, took place at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf
Club. Fifty-four junior golfers gathered to take part in this invitation only event. The Royal Mid-
Surrey clubhouse and course were fantastic, with the sun shining and the stiff breeze weakening
as the day progressed to make for a great day of golf.
In part the Tour is a victim of its own success with most of the events being sold out very
quickly, meaning that some youngsters didn’t get to play in all the events that they wanted to,
which was disappointing but unavoidable.
In total 229 players from 48 Surrey golf clubs registered for the 2018 tour. As stated above
the average entry was 92 players per event. This maintained the entry level seen in 2017 and
compares favourably with previous years. The highest entry was at Cranleigh with 117.
Overall there is no doubt that the 2018 RookieTour has yet again been a fantastic success for
Surrey golf and all the juniors involved. And with the continued support of the Surrey Golf
Clubs who host our events it will continue to be so for many years to come.
Our special thanks go to these courses and venues without whose help in hosting these events
the RookieTour simply wouldn’t be able to take place, so a big thank you all!!
West Byfleet, Merrist Wood, Puttenham, Addington Court, Shirley Park, Reigate Hill, Bramley,
Hoebridge, Cuddington, Reigate Heath, Windlesham, Farnham, Cranleigh, Sutton Green and
Royal Mid-Surrey.
As it is every year the quality of the competition in 2018 was exceptionally high. The number of
times countback had to be used to separate the players was absolutely incredible.
As with the individual events, the race for the various Order of Merit titles was intense with
many players still in with a chance to claim a title right up to the last event, the “Race to the
Stars”, which for 2018 was held at Royal Wimbledon.
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