TEN-YEAR-OLD Jonathan Bell outplayed the most talented young golfers throughout Great Britain and Ireland to win this year's PGA Wee Wonders Open Golf Championship.

Jonathan, from Eltham, played against 70 potential golfing stars in the 9-10 age group at the regional

finals earlier this year. and his victory enabled him to compete in the National final held at the Foxhills course, in Surrey.

There was no stopping Jonathan, who played a inspired round to set a new championship record after completing 12 holes in just 36 shots.

The finals for boys and girls in ranging age categories from 5-12, used a format where each player is allocated 36 shots on a nine-hole

par-three course.

Competitors plant a flag wherever the last shot finishes with the winner being whoever gets the furthest within each separate age group.

On a difficult course Jonathan, a pupil at Benedict House, in Sidcup, took 28 shots to get to the ninth hole. With eight shots still to play, he managed to reach the 12th green and broke the course record of all the age groups since the competition's inception three years ago.

He qualified for the finals by winning a regional qualifier in Essex.

Jonathan's dad, John, said: "We couldn't make the southern qualifiers, so we went to the eastern one at Benson Hall, in Whitham."

"There, Jonathan finished in the 12th hole and parred each hole on the way. He did nine holes in 29 shots, which still left him with seven shots and he won easily."

John used to play socially with his mates but has never been a member of a club and when Jonathan was aged four, he decided to take him to the driving range at Ruxley.

John said: "Some of the pros there noticed Jonathan was hitting the ball really well and pretty straight, so I tried to get him to join Eltham Warren and Sundridge Park Golf Clubs. However, both said the would not take him until he was 12.

"But by then it's too late for the youngsters to develop. When he was nine, Royal Blackheath let him play with the other juniors at the club, all of whom were over 15, and we've been there ever since."

John first got Jonathan involved in competitions last year after seeing an article about the Wee Wonders' Championships in a golf magazine.

He entered him in the southern qualifiers and he reached the finals.

John said: "Last year, I was reading the National Club Golfer magazine and saw an article about young boys who have won the competition at various ages.

"I thought Jonathan was a good enough, so I entered him in the Southern England qualifiers, in Hastings, and he played a 36-shot flag competition over nine qualifying holes. There were around 70 children involved and he won it.

"In the final at Foxhills, Jonathan finished second in his age group. Last year he also won two Kent Championships, the East Kent Cup and Kent under-10s."

John believes England is finally producing a good crop of young golfers, thanks to the influence of Tiger Woods, but still feels we are lagging behind other nations in the sport.

He added: "The future's bright for young golfers, as the ten-year-olds are a lot better than those who are 12.

"They see Tiger Woods on television and it encourages the children to go to the courses.

"Golf is a lot more fashionable than it used to be. The trouble is, when they talk about junior golf in the UK, they think of 17-year-olds, but by then it's too late.

"In Sweden, children get free lessons from professionals, while here it costs anything up to £75 an hour."

John then recalled an amusing moments when playing with youngsters. He said: "You need referees to oversee the scorecards because the youngsters don't like to add their bad scores.

"They are crafty and there was one time when they came in and their scores made them look like professional!"

Jonathan has a handicap of 13.5 and can knock a golf ball up on a club 347 times, another example of .... if Tiger Woods can do it on television, so can I.

He has also got a hole-in-one over 132 yards, while playing at the Birchwood course, in Swanley,

earlier this year.

Jonathan is being coached by the Kent Academy and he plans to get his handicap down to around eight by the time he is 11.

But golf is not his only sport as he plays pool and football for his local side Samuel Montague.

Jonathan said: "I found it hard to win the championships as there are some very good players, but I was overjoyed when I won.

"Eventually, I would like to become a professional golfer and my favourite player is Sergio Garcia, because he's small, like me!"

December 4, 2001 12:49

Gordon Law