24/06/2014
JIGS members sponsored towards Tawriq Abrahams' costs and provided some gear when he went on tour, his dad sent us a letter with the following;
JIGS
To all Members
It is with the greatest of pleasures to report that we arrived back in South Africa on the 30th of May 2014 after a fantastic European Junior US Kids Tournament.
First and foremost I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the members of JIGS for your contribution towards Tawriq’s Trip to Scotland which was most memorable. He enjoyed every minute of his trip since we set foot on foreign soil.
The European Junior Golf Championship was held in Scotland from the 26th May to the 29th May 2014. There was a record field of 570 players from around the world, consisting of 35 nations, with age groups ranging from under 7 to 18 year old. The tournament was played over 5 Famous East Lothian Courses, which is Gallane No. 2, Gallane No.3, Craigielaw, Luffness New Golf Club and Longniddry.
This prestigious competition was organised by the US Kids Golf Foundation, whose aim is to give children the opportunity to learn and play golf.
On arrival in Edinburgh Saturday the 24th May we went sight-seeing to see its famous heritage sites, such as the castles. Sunday we spent the day at the well renowned Golf Course, St Andrews where Jack Nicklaus won the 2005 British Open. Past winners at St. Andrews include players like Tiger Woods, John Daly, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and many more. Tawriq was privileged to walk the course and even got to strike a pose on the famous Swilcan Bridge.
Faced with mixed emotions ranging from nervous to excited and everything in between, Tawriq did not know what to expect. This was a new experience for him, but he remained motivated and determined to play to the best of his ability.
The tournament for Tawriq commenced on Monday the 26th May, with a practice round at the Longniddry Golf Course. He played in the same three ball with other South Africans got a feel of the course and to his own amazement, he scored 45. After completing the practice round the South Africans went to prepare for the opening ceremony. The opening which was held at Gosford House where all South African Players were dressed in their green South African Blazers. The European Junior Golf Champion was officially opened at this auspicious occasion. Tuesday the 27th Day 1 was the first official day of the competition. Tawriq teed off with Jaka Babnik from Slovakia and Adam Buchanan from the UK. Tawriq was extremely nervous and was very disappointed in his first round score of 62, which was his worst score ever since he has been playing golf. The experience may have been too overwhelming for him, but it also motivated him to do better the following day. He had a remarkable comeback on Wednesday the 28th the 2nd round with a score of 45 playing against Kristian Behenski of the Czech Republic, which were 17 shots better than the first day. On Thursday the 3rd and final round Tawriq shot a 49 playing against Kesir Sangha of the UK and Kristian Bavir form Czech Republic. Tawriq ended of the competition with a total score was 156, which placed him 39th on the log.
Tawriq may not have achieved the results that he had expected, but it was a good learning experience and he now knows what is expected of him when playing International Competitions.
Tawriq worked hard in the competition, but still managed to enjoy the trip and have something to add to his book of achievements. We are hopeful that this is only the beginning of many more international tournaments to come.
Once again thank you very much your contribution and making his dream a reality.
Regards
Ismail Abrahams
On behalf of Tawriq.
