TALENTED teen junior golfer Fraser Russell tasted victory in a national event.

He won his way to the national final of the American Golf Junior Championships, taking the title in the Boys Gross score category with a fantastic round of eight-over par.

Fraser played a fantastic round of golf to take the title by one shots from Chester’s Aaron Mohun at Gainsborough Golf Club, home to tournament sponsor PING.

The 14-year-old was delighted with his round after a lay-off from competitive golf although feels he could have played better.

He said: “I didn’t play my best. I had a rough start but then pulled it back to play solid golf. I putted OK and then had a few birdies down the last few holes which helped. But overall I’m really happy with my performance. I played quite a few tournaments a couple of seasons ago but played a bit too much so had a break. This is my second big tournament back and the cameras being here add a bit more pressure."

After seeing the championship draw to a close, Matt Bacon, Head of Events at American Golf said: "This year’s championship has been an amazing event and the golf on display has been of the highest quality. It’s so satisfying to see new faces alongside young golfers who have returned to qualifiers year after year. For American Golf and PING to have been such an important part in the progression of so many young golfers makes me incredibly proud. To make it through to the final from hundreds of entrants from all over the UK and Ireland is a fantastic achievement."

John Clark, Managing Director of tournament sponsor PING Europe, added: “It’s always a highlight of the year to welcome the finalists of the American Golf Junior Championship to our home at Gainsborough Golf Club and this year has provided us with the best Championship golfing quality we’ve seen to date.

The Junior Championship, which will be shown on Sky Sports in October, is a vital part of American Golf’s drive to get more people out playing golf more often. In its fourth year, the Championship goes from strength to strength and with the quality of golf and personality on show through this year’s qualifiers and final, golf with American Golf has a very bright future.