MOUL, OSBORNE AND SELL JOIN ELITE SQUAD
The English Golf Union has promoted three players into its
Elite Squad following agreement for a further year of funding
through the Sport England Lottery Fund.
Jamie Moul, the promising teenager from Suffolk, Wentworth’s
Sam Osborne and Martin Sell from Wiltshire, runner-up in last
year’s Amateur Championship, join seven established
Elite Squad members.
The trio move up following decisions by Richard Finch, Jonathan
Lupton and Daniel Wardrop to turn professional, while Graeme
Clark and Farren Keenan have been left out.
It has also been decided to reduce the Elite Squad from 12
to 10 players, the total it stood at a year ago, which will
allow each member to receive more individual support through
the programme.
Moul, 19, came close to winning a full international cap
this year having been named as reserve for the recent Home
Internationals in Ireland. The former Suffolk Open Champion
has been part of the England set-up since 2000 and has enjoyed
a string of successes in the past two years.
In 2002 he won the Hampshire Salver, while also finishing
runner-up in the Hampshire Hog, Selborne Salver and the Carris
Trophy. Moul was also capped for the European Boys Team Championships
and the Boys Home Internationals.
This year the Colchester-based youngster has finished third
in the Irish Open Amateur and joint fourth in the Welsh Amateur
Stroke play. He lost a play-off for the Suffolk Amateur Championship
but came out on top in the South East Qualifying at Ealing
after a second round 62.
Osborne was also named as reserve for the Home Internationals,
having reached the quarter finals of the Amateur Championship
and finishing third in both the St Andrews Links Trophy and
the Lagonda Trophy.
The 22 year old from the Wentworth club reached the semi-finals
of the English Amateur last year at Walton Heath and, together
with Moul, represented England in the Chiberta Grand Prix
in France in July.
Since he reached the final of the Amateur Championship last
year, only to lose to Spain’s Alejandro Larrazabal,
Sell has been producing quality golf. He represented England
in the Chiberta Grand Prix in 2002 and that year was named
in the Potential A Squad.
This year he reached the semi-finals of the Spanish Amateur
only to go out to another Spaniard, then represented England
in the Copa Monterrey in Mexico and was a member of the victorious
England team that convincingly defeated Spain at Lindrick.
He also won the Hampshire Hog and finished second to former
Elite Squad member Zane Scotland in the Selborne Salver.
Corfield, 20, has been a member of the Elite Squad for 15
months, while 22 year old Fisher was promoted last June to
replace Scotland when he turned professional.
Fisher’s elevation followed solid performances during
the first half of the year which saw him produce top ten finishes
in the Lytham Trophy and the Brabazon Trophy. He was also
joint winner of the Berkshire Trophy with Andrew Blyth from
Australia and made his full England debut in the European
Men's Team Championship in The Hague in July.
English Champion Lockerbie, 20, Richardson, 18, and Skelton,
19, joined the Elite Squad at the start of this year, while
Walker, 32, and 43 year old Wolstenholme have been members
since it was established in 2001. Both Skelton and Wolstenholme
were members of the victorious Walker Cup team at Ganton earlier
this month.
The Elite Squad, which is constantly reviewed, forms the
centrepiece of the World Class Performance Programme, which
has been established following agreement between the English
Golf Union and Sport England, who fund the programme through
the National Lottery.
The long-term aim of the programme is to systematically produce
a regular stream of English players with the ability to perform
successfully on the world stage. Signs of the success of the
programme to date were highlighted during 2003 with Jonathan
Lupton winning the Brabazon Trophy, Richard Finch winning
the Links Trophy, Gary Wolstenholme the Amateur Championship
and Scottish Stroke play, Richard Walker the Portuguese Amateur
Championship and Michael Skelton the Welsh Stroke play championship.
EGU Performance Director, Nigel Furniss, commented "We
are delighted to welcome Jamie, Sam and Martin into the squad.
All three are exciting young players with a great desire to
learn and determination to succeed. We are confident they
will make a large contribution to the future success of the
programme."
The ten Elite Squad players are:
Lee Corfield (Burnham & Berrow)
Ross Fisher (Wentworth)
Gary Lockerbie (Penrith)
Jamie Moul (Stoke-by-Nayland)
Sam Osborne (Wentworth)
Matthew Richardson (Pinner Hill)
Martin Sell (Wrag Barn)
Michael Skelton (Middlesbrough)
Richard Walker (Frodsham)
Gary Wolstenholme (Kilworth Springs)
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