A TEN-year old boy from Frome has been crowned the champion of a national golf competition – despite him breaking his arm earlier in the year!
Ollie Roach, a pupil at St Louis School, has made his parents proud after he was crowned the winner of his age group in the Wee Wonders Championship in August – a competition that has previously been won by professional golfers including Tommy Fleetwood and Charley Hull.
As a reward for winning the competition in his age group, Ollie will travel to the USA next year to compete in the US Kids’ Golf World Championships and he will also be invited back to Wee Wonders next year to defend his title.
“What makes this win even more special is that Ollie broke his arm in an accident at school and it was quite a serious break that saw him in a cast for six weeks,” Ollie’s dad, Chris, explained.
“Just three weeks after his cast came off, I took him to Ireland to compete in the Champion of Champions event which saw 1,200 kids from around the world qualify and he managed to finish fifth in his age category. This served as a warm-up clearly, as he then smashed it in the Wee Wonders!
“A great final round of 72 (+1 gross) got the win against some great competitors on a tough course. I was so proud of him when he came off the golf course – he walked off with a big smile and the first thing on his mind was food! It takes a lot of dedication to get to where he is so really, he only has himself to thank.
“Both Ollie and his older brother Owen are really talented and gifted golfers – playing golf runs in the family! I’ve been a golfer for years and I introduced Owen to it about seven years ago and Ollie after this, and they’ve taken to it like ducks to water.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to companies who have helped Owen and Ollie on their journey through sponsorship, including Mindset Training, Chris O’Brien Chartered Surveyors and Trojan Construction & Maintenance.”
To stay up to date with the boys, you can follow their collective Instagram page by searching ‘2 Brothers Golf Journey’.
