Waterton Park's Tai Naylor finishes in top 10 in 'unofficial Major of junior golf'

Eighteen-year-old Tai Naylor, who is a member at Waterton Park Golf Club, was one of 24 up-and-coming players aged from 12 to 18 to compete over three rounds on the resort’s world-renowned South Course.

Naylor, who cites Tiger Woods as his golfing hero, has enjoyed a hugely successful season and was rewarded with a spot in one of the most prestigious fields available to young golfers.

He was unable to bring back the trophy, finishing in tenth place with an 11-over-par 227 total, but can count it as a great learning experience to have played in the ‘unofficial Major of junior golf’.

The event was held at Quinta do Lago – named ‘Europe’s Best Golf Venue’ at the 2024 World Golf Awards – for the eighth time in 10 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.

Ryder Cup star and Major winner Justin 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.