AT around the same time as Danny Willett teed up for his first drive at the Masters a week ago, the trophies were being handed out to some of the game’s rising stars of the future at Hartlepool Golf Club.

While everyone taking part in the inaugural The Graeme Storm Junior Open in association with Dyke House College will have darted home to take in some of the opening day’s play at the Augusta National, they will have left impressed by a new competition much closer to home.

The Hartlepool course was graced with some of the region’s most promising golfers when a field of 132 boys and girls aged 7-18 turned out to compete for the prizes on offer and the eldest teenager to triumph is already planning to defend his crown.

The Northern Echo: Winners: The winners line up with Graeme Storm
Rio Jones, right, lines up with Graeme Storm and the rest of the winners

Houghton-le-Spring’s Rio Jones claimed 39 points in the stableford competition and won on countback after finishing level with Adam Stokle. Jacob Brown was a point further back.

Jones said: “It was the biggest thing I have won so far. It was an absolute pleasure to play in The Graeme Storm Junior Open and I am already planning on coming back next year to try to defend it.

“When I got a letter off Graeme inviting me to play, like the majority of the field did, I knew I definitely wanted to play in that. I am so glad I did. I wondered who else would be playing in it, so I travelled down and it was a cracking day.

“It was quite windy on the morning, I put one down the right on the first, made bogey. I made a few pars to get myself back into it a bit. I got to the turn in a few over, but was quite happy and I started to make a few pars.

“I did miss a few putts and I had to grind it out. But the weather got a bit better, and overall I thought I was quite steady even though I did miss a lot of fairways, didn’t hit one until the 16th. I missed them in the right places and things went my way.”

Jones is looking forward to heading over to Rockliffe Hall with Storm for a round of golf, which was one of the prizes on offer along with others provided by Druh Belts & Buckles and Taylormade.

Stockton’s Ben Brown (aged 7-10) and Matfen Hall’s Angus Buchanan (11-14) joined Jones (15-18) in the winners’ circle with Storm at the end to celebrate their success.

All three are seemingly destined for more success on the greens in the years to come and for Jones it marks an impressive start to an important season.

“I am still at school, going to sixth form next year and I played two county games last year up in Scotland as well as played in the Mail on Sunday,” the 16-year-old said. “The county are quite keen to get me involved more this year and I am looking forward to it.

“I was ten when I started to play and now I have got my handicap down to nine. It was hard work but I have a lot more to do before I am where I want to be.

“I had a good winter and played at South Shields on the Monday before the Graeme Storm Open, shooting five over par. I was content with that and I then I went to Hartlepool and won, when I wasn’t really expecting it. It’s the perfect start.”

It was the first golf event Graeme Storm has hosted and he raised £2,500 for the Finlay Cooper Fund throughout the day, with former Middlesbrough defender Colin Cooper in attendance throughout to watch the action unfold.

Storm, back on European Tour duty today in Spain, was impressed with the standard of golf played, when there were changing conditions for the juniors to contend with.

He said: “The weather could have ruined it, but I could not have asked for anything more. Some of the golf that I witnessed when I was walking around the course was brilliant, I’ve seen a really high standard of golf and the scoring proved it. I just want to do it all again now and hopefully the event will grow from strength to strength.”

Winners at The Graeme Storm Junior Open

Age: 7-10s

Ben Brown (handicap 54) 33pts (wins on countback)

Oliver Butts (54) 33pts

Adam Dews (41) 30pts

Age: 11-14s

Angus Buchanan (handicap 20) 50pts

Ben Robinson (33) 46pts (wins on countback)

Gabrielle Somerville-Smith (18) 46pts

Age: 15-18s

Rio Jones (9) 39pts (wins on countback)

Adam Stokle (21) 39pts

Jacob Brown (10) 38pts