Tom sets his sights on world rankings

TEESSIDE'S rising golfing star Tom Hartshorne has soared to the top of the European Under-16 rankings and he is not in the mood to stop there.

- By PAUL FRASER

The remarkable achievement for the 15-year-old talent will mean his status within the junior game has grown even further ahead of the English Amateur Under-18 Closed Championship later this month, when he aims to make another significant impact on the national stage.

Tom’s journey - which will now receive valuable support from Location 68, an associate partnership and business relationship management company - in becoming Europe's top-ranked Under-16 golfer has been the result of dedication and undoubted ability.

His recent joint first-place finish at Fairhaven, where he narrowly lost in a four-hole play-off to Edwin Sjodin, combined with a third-place at the McEvoy Trophy and a fourth-place at the prestigious Carris Trophy, propelled him to the leading position in the European golf rankings.

"It feels good to know that I am the best at the level I am at," said Tom, a Year 10 student at Egglescliffe School, who will be studying his GCSEs next year. "It is nice to be recognised as the best Under-16s golfer in Europe and I want to be the best in the world at Under-18s level, hopefully playing on Tour."