9 April 2025
The Faldo Junior Tour continued its mission of developing tomorrow’s golf stars with a thrilling event at the beautifully presented Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Course in Northumbria. Against the dramatic backdrop of the North Sea and ancient castle ruins, junior golfers braved challenging links conditions in the first Faldo Junior Tour event of the season within Great Britain & Ireland.
Despite strong winds and shifting coastal weather, the field produced some exceptional scoring over three days, proving just how deep the talent pool runs in junior golf today. Leading the field with an exceptional display of consistency over the three rounds was local favourite, Callum Moncur. Having led from Round 1, Callum, from Darlington Golf Club, was able to keep in the lead throughout the three days to fend off strong finishes of 68 & 69 respectively from Mark Hewlett Junior and Scott Frisby in the Final Round for a 2-stroke victory.
Having played in the 28th Faldo Junior Tour European Grand Final back in November, finishing a creditable 10th, Callum is now looking to improve upon this finish as he booked his place at the 29th Faldo Junior Tour European Grand Final as the Overall Winner and Boys 21 & Under Winner.
Within the Boys 16 & Under Category, Retford Golf Club’s Owen Rafferty came out on top and booked his place in Al Ain with a 222 total to pip West Lancashire Golf Club’s Thomas Prescott by a shot.
Within the Girls 21 & Under Category, Oakmere Admiral Golf Club member, Jorja Newbold also rebooked her place in Al Ain for the 29th European Grand Final following rounds of 77, 73 and 80. Jorja is also looking to improve upon her 5th place finish in the Girls 21 & Under Category back in November. South Moor Golf Club’s Morgan Bailey finished second following rounds of 84, 81 and 81.
Finally, the Girls 16 & Under Category saw Wentworth’s Jess Stofberg take first place in the category with rounds of 76, 78 & 81. Jess juggled playing with also assisting with Faldo Series Media duties supporting with content creation throughout the event alongside Tesni Burrows. Finishing second within the Girls 16 & Under category was local player, JinHan Wang from the City of Newcastle Golf Club.
Each of the 48 players faced the unique test of coastal golf—firm fairways, penal rough, and gusting breezes—but the course’s stunning condition was praised by players and spectators alike. Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Course once again proved to be an ideal venue to showcase the resilience and talent of the next generation of junior golfers. The turnaround within the Faldo Junior Tour calendar in England is very quick with the next event starting on Monday at Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire.
Pictured below (left to right): Owen Rafferty, Callum Moncur, Jess Stofberg, Jorja Newbold
