Junior Spotlight

From our very first Junior AGM in 1974, the Junior Section has been a successful and cherished part of John O'Gaunt Golf Club. Since then, many juniors have represented John O'Gaunt at club, county, and national levels, and have gone on to achieve successful golf careers either as players or in the industry. The club's ongoing support of the Junior Section is financed through the Andy Finnigan Fund and is used to support juniors looking to develop and achieve success in their golfing careers. Any donations to the Andy Finnigan Fund are greatly appreciated, please contact Wendy Ashcroft at admin@joggc.co.uk

Rising Stars

Ixie Akpan Ixie is our current Junior Captain and represents both the John O'Gaunt Junior Section and Ladies' Section in matches. She is also a part of both the County Girls' team and the County Ladies' team, where she went undefeated competing at Felixstowe Ferry this year. Ixie was the Ladies' Club Champion in 2023, as well as the Girls' County Champion. She also competes in many national tournaments, such as the England Girls' Open, where she placed 36th this year in a field of 140 of the best girl golfers in Europe. Ixie has her sights set on a golf scholarship to a Division I college in the United States in 2026.

Nathan Church Nathan was Junior Captain in 2023. He represents the club and the Boys' Junior County team on a regular basis. Nathan went undefeated this season in the East Region qualifying matches and is now progressing with the county team to the South East Final.

Albert Watts Albert is a promising young junior at just 10 years old and already down to a handicap of 15. This summer, Albert won on the Robert Rocks Golf Tour, taking the gross winner title at the London Golf Club. Albert also qualified for the Callaway World Championship and spent July traveling to California to play on the Future World Champions Golf Tour. Albert recorded an impressive 28 over par for three rounds and finished in 33rd place in the tournament.

Georgia Gordon Still just 15 years old, Georgia has set early sights and ambitions on becoming a great golfer. She is a part of the Girls' County Squad and represents John O'Gaunt at many major events. Most recently, Georgia competed in the Junior Champion of Champions in Northern Ireland.

Harry Burgess For the second year in a row, Harry qualified for and competed in the Champions of Champions World Championships in Northern Ireland, where three rounds in the seventies, including a final-day 75, placed him among the top 25 age-related juniors in the world. Harry has also won multiple National Tour events this year and, at the age of just 12, shot his first under-par gross round to win at Rotherham. Additionally, Harry was fortunate to be invited to the Belfry, where he had the opportunity to work on his short game with US Masters Champion Danny Willett and European Tour pro Robert Rock.

Bedfordshire County Players

Boys - Nathan Church, William Mowe, James Stocks, Harry Smead, Jack Skelton, Jago Skerratt, Harry Lake

Girls - Ixie Akpan, Georgia Gordon, Lucy Edwards, Chloe Church, Amanda Ellis

John O'Gaunt is also proud to host the Bedford School Boys' Golf Team, which is comprised of promising young golfers looking to develop their game and go on to achieve success in their golf careers.

Past JOG Junior Success Stories

Michael Round

Michael was junior captain at JOG in 2003. He had a very successful junior golf career, playing in national tournaments. He has been crowned county champion multiple times and is a four-time club champion. Michael has built an impressive career in the golf industry and is currently a club fitter/scout at Acushnet. In his role, he works with some of the world's top players, helping them optimize their equipment for peak performance.

Laura Collin

Laura was Junior Captain in 2005 and has remained an incredibly successful golfer. While continuing as a member at John O'Gaunt, Laura has represented Bedfordshire County and has been a three-time Ladies' County Champion, as well as a multiple-time JOG Ladies' Champion. She now shares her love of the game through her own Pilates business, helping people of all ages, including some members of the club, achieve their full fitness potential.

Katie Burman

Katie was Junior Captain in 2009 and has since gone on to have a successful career in the golf industry. After starting her golfing journey at JOG, she completed a degree in Applied Golf Management at Birmingham University and travelled the world working for Golf Breaks. As Head of Tournaments, Katie worked on events such as the Masters, The Open, and the Ryder Cup. Katie continues to work in the golf industry as a FootJoy Marketing Executive for Acushnet.

Sophie Hillier

Sophie was Junior Captain in 2012. As a junior, she became Bedfordshire Girls Champion, Bedfordshire County Champion, and qualified for the English Schools South East Region Girls Championships. Sophie went on to develop her golf at Murray State University, a Division I college in Kentucky. After a successful four years of college golf, Sophie graduated in 2016.

Jack Slater

Jack was Junior Captain in 2014 and turned professional in 2019. He had a lot of success in junior golf and impressively won the Men's Club Championship whilst still a junior at John O'Gaunt. Since then, he has made a promising start to his golf career on the EuroPro Tour and Clutch Tour, achieving numerous made cuts and, most recently, a Clutch Pro Tour win at South Staffordshire in 2023.

Caitlin Thomas

Caitlin was Junior Captain in 2020 and represented both the Girls' and Ladies' County teams. She was also a member of the U18s East England Squad and represented John O'Gaunt in numerous national tournaments before starting her college golf career. Caitlin attended Lincoln Memorial University, a Division II school in Tennessee. After four years of tournament golf, she graduated in 2024 and has started her career in the golf industry at John O'Gaunt.

Jessica Sporle

Jess was a prominent member of the Junior section and represented both the Girls' and Ladies' County teams throughout her junior career. She also represented the club at a national level before obtaining a golf scholarship to Ottawa University in Arizona. Jess is set to graduate in 2025, having been a part of a conference champion and NAIA National Tournament team.

Ethan Akpan

Ethan was a prominent member of the Junior Section at John O'Gaunt and quickly stood out as a great player at a young age. He represented JOG in Tavistock matches as well as at the county level. After leaving the Junior Section, Ethan joined the Tournament Golf College, spending his summers golfing in Cornwall and his winters in Portugal while studying for his degree.