A young golfer from Derry could make history in Portugal as she prepares to tee off in the 2024 Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship at Quinta do Lago.
16-year-old Kayleigh Mulholland, who is a member at Moyola Park Golf Club, is one of 24 up-and-coming players aged 12-18 who will compete over three rounds on the resort’s world-renowned South Course from December 9-11.
Mulholland, who cites Lydia Ko as her golfing hero, has enjoyed a hugely successful season and will be rewarded with a spot in one of the most prestigious fields available to young golfers.
The ‘unofficial Major of junior golf’ will be held at Quinta do Lago – named ‘Europe’s Best Golf Venue’ at the 2024 World Golf Awards – for the eighth time in ten years.
The par-72 South Course has been one of the jewels in European golf’s crown for more than 50 years, recently winning the title of ‘Europe’s Best Golf Course’ for the fourth successive year following a €7m upgrade in 2021.
Any golfer aged 18 or under on January 1, 2024, is eligible to fight for a place at the tournament via a series of qualifying events held at golf clubs across the UK. Reigning girls’ champion Annabel Peaford will return to defend her title 12 months after she made history when she won the event aged just 14, the youngest girl ever to lift the trophy.
Rose, who has been the event’s headline sponsor since 2019, is just one of many notable former winners who went on to make a name for themselves in golf. His Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick – as well as Ladies European Tour stars Carly Booth, Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Melissa Reid – also kickstarted their careers with success at the Telegraph Junior Golf Championship.
An eight-time host of the Portuguese Open, the South Course is one of three championship 18-hole layouts at Quinta do Lago alongside the North Course and younger Laranjal. The resort attracts athletes of all levels – including first-team squads from PSG, Bayern Munich and Portugal – to train at The Campus, a dedicated state-of-the-art development facility designed for both golf and a wide range of other sports.
With a choice of 14 first-class bars and restaurants, as well as accommodation at the boutique Magnolia hotel, Quinta do Lago has stood as one of the most popular destinations in the Algarve for over five decades. Portugal’s southernmost region has long been a go-to getaway for tourists thanks to its warm climate, lush nature and sweeping views.
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