The dream of becoming a professional golfer is that little bit closer for Gold Coast Griffith University student Blaze Chapman who has won a Mayor’s Junior Golf Development Scholarship.
Blaze, 17 and two other young golfers, Conrad Rafferty and Peter Lyon, will undertake six weeks of private mentoring sessions with PGA Professional and Chairman Mark Gibson,
The trio will also travel to the UK in July, courtesy of Emirates, where they will watch the Open Championship at St Andrews in Scotland, as well as a two-night stopover in Dubai.
Blaze, who has deferred his journalism and criminology degree to concentrate on his burgeoning golfing career, has played golf since he was a pre-schooler and says the sport comes naturally to him.
“I have always dreamed of going professional. This is a great stepping stone,’’ he said.
“But working as a sports journalist is another passion of mine.”
In 2013/14, he captained the Surfers Paradise junior Team to victory in the Gold Coast Districts Interclub Championship and is a member of the Surfers Paradise Men’s Pennant Team.
Griffith Sports College Manager Duncan Free said it was great to see young Gold Coast athletes excel in the junior ranks.
“It’s fantastic to watch them develop over the years into senior competitions and subsequent improvement and success.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the scholarship was one of the ways they were developing sporting talent in the long term.
“It’s talent like this that will help to grow our reputation as a sporting capital.”
The scholarship aims to nurse local sporting excellence and create positive ambassadors for the Gold Coast.
