ORDINARILY it would sound fanciful to hear a young sporting talent, who only left school a few months ago, claim they intend to be a future world number one.

Taken in the right context and listening to what Jack Ainscough has to say, however, and you quickly gain an understanding of his approach to trying to achieve his ambitious goal.

At the age of just 16 he is already an extremely dedicated young golfer with a desire to do everything he can in his bid to fulfil his bulging potential.

Ainscough, a member of Hartlepool Golf Club, where he became the youngest champion in the club’s 109-year history in June, has had an incredible year of progress – and intends to build on that in the new year.

The Shotton-born teenager has turned out for England schoolboys and England boys over the last six months and seems destined to eventually climb on to the senior international stage under the watchful eye of coach Andrew Nicholson and mentor Graeme Storm.

Nothing fazes Ainscough. He said: “If you want to be the best you have to beat the best. That’s sport. I’m told I have a good temperament to start with, so nobody needs to tell me to do something.

“I am the one doing it because to be the best you have to sacrifice things. I want to look back at the age of 25-30 and think I could not have done anything more to be world number one.

“You don’t play to be second. You can take that two ways, you can take it that you are cocky but you can also take it that I have big ambitions, but I am also realistic – and that’s what I want.”

Ainscough, who is on a golf scholarship at Dyke House Sixth Form College where he has European Tour pro Storm guiding him, has been a regular on the Durham County coaching circuit since an early age where Wynyard’s Nicholson has worked on his game.

“Stormy has taught me some valuable course management and how to play the game,” said Ainscough. “Nico has worked more on my swing and has done a great job. I have a few swing changes to make over the winter and 90 per cent of my game is down to him. I have to put the graft in after that.”

After winning the North of England Schools’ Championship early in the summer, Ainscough’s year was up and running. He won both matches as England schoolboy No 1 against Scotland, including beating Scottish Schoolboys’ champion Darren Howie 3&1.

After that he was part of the England Boys squad which travelled to compete at the Italian Under-16s Championship where they “finished second against teams from Australia, Finland, South African and Italy – with my two scores counting,” he said.

Ainscough was called up for his first two Under-16s internationals when he helped lead England to victory over Scotland and Ireland and Delmahoy and Templepatick, respectively.

“My goal was probably to get in the England Schoolboys team at the start of the year and it has all grown from there,” said Ainscough. “To get in the England internationals I had good finishes in the McGregor Trophy (ninth), Scottish under-16s (seventh), and I won the club championship at Hartlepool as the youngest champion.

“I had a good finish in the Boys’ Amateur Championship too, where I got into the last 32 of the match-play out of a 274-worldwide field. I was tenth in the qualifier shooting one under and four over at Royal Birkdale. I am happy with how things have gone, but I want more.”

Ainscough, studying A-levels in sport, business and politics, has got his handicap down to plus 1.2 and is keeping his options open for the future. He is not putting any pressure on his next move when he leaves College in 20-month time; although turning professional or heading to America to take the university scholarship route is in his thinking.

“It hasn’t surprised me what’s happened this year really,” said Ainscough. “I have been going to the gym for two years and if you put the hard work in it will pay off and you will get good results out of it. I still practice every day at Hartlepool – and I will keep doing that.

“In the next two years I want to win a national competition and I want to get picked for the Great Britain and Ireland team to face Europe in the Under-18s.

“I will also play in the English Amateur, the Brabazon Trophy and the British Amateur Championship, or that’s the aim anyway. It is also a goal to play in the Walker Cup in the future.”