BACK: L-R Tom Matthews (Capt), Cameron Probert, Owen Reynolds, Dani Hoof, FRONT: Euan Muttit-Jones, Dan Haycocks, Rory McDonald O’Brien, Morgan Radziejowski
A Year 11 pupil at Oswestry School has had a phenomenal 2018 golfing season, ranking 5th in the county by order of merit ending the year with a closing handicap of 3.
Dan Haycocks began his journey by being selected to play for the Shropshire & Herefordshire Union Golf Club (SHUGC) U18 county squad and took part in his first competition, the Four Counties at Sherwood Forest Golf Club in Nottinghamshire. Playing against juniors from Lancashire, Nottinghamshire and Cheshire, he and his teammates secured second place in the tournament.
Representing Oswestry Golf Club, Dan then travelled to St Andrews in Scotland to take part in the 2018 Boys’ Open, competing for the David Ayton Cup. Pitted against golfers from a strong international field, Dan finished 4th.
Returning to Llanymynech Golf Club, he played in the SHUGC 2018 Youth Championship and finished second, just 3 strokes adrift of his county teammate Euan Muttitt-Jones.
The Woburn Junior Open in Buckinghamshire followed and Dan entered the Prince of Wales Amateur Challenge for U21 players. Against stiff competition, he finished 21st out of 64 competitors.
Back at Mile End Golf Club in Oswestry, Dan entered the Shropshire & Herefordshire Union of Golf Clubs Open Championship at the end of September – the first pro-amateur competition he had played in, finishing 13th ahead of pro-golfers from other clubs.
He ended the season back with his SHUGC county squad at the Midland U16 Boys County Cup at Radcliffe-on-Trent Golf Club, Nottinghamshire, where the team finished second.