Canterbury golfer to tee off in US Junior Amateur
Cooper Moore is set to walk in the footsteps of some of the sport's biggest names when he tees off at the US Junior Amateur in Dallas next month.
The 16-year-old Clearwater club man qualified for the tournament by ranking among the top 40 under-19 players in the world.
He will be hoping to join big names such as world No 1 Scottie Scheffler (2013), who won the Memorial Tournament at the weekend, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth (2009, 2011) and five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods (1991-93) in winning the amateur.
His father Jayden Moore was confident he could make an impression.
The field of 244 players will be reduced to 64 after two rounds, followed by up to six knockout matchplay rounds.
'It's golf so anything can happen,' he said.
'Obviously the first goal is to try and make that top 64 and see how he goes from there.'
Before heading to the US, Moore will represent New Zealand in the Junior Golf World Cup at Chukyo, Japan, from June 24-27.
Moore will be joined on the under-19 boys team by Robby Turnbull (Remuera) and Ricky Kang (Millbrook).
The girls' team features Emma Zheng (Royal Auckland and Grange), Chloe So (Pakuranga), and Teresa Wang (Pupuke).
Moore said his son was excited for what was to come.
'It's been a pretty good few months. He's just in a really good space at the moment,' he said.
'But at the same time, never lose sight of where he is in his development cycle – whatever happens, happens. Win we'll learn, lose we'll learn as well.'
Moore is heading into the international tournaments on the back of a big win – he claimed the Asia-Pacific Junior Championship title in Hong Kong last week.
He overcame torrential rain and a five-shot deficit with nine holes to play, finishing two shots ahead.
The tournaments in Japan and the US will be his first after turning 17 on June 14. The following day also marks the first time US colleges can officially offer him scholarships.
Moore said while they have had informal conversations with 'quite a number' of schools, no decision has been made yet about his next step.
The tournament in Dallas will serve as a chance to continue those discussions, while having the option to pursue the 'elite amateur' route.
'The problem is, we've always wanted options and now we've got them,' Moore said.
'We've got to start thinking about which way he would like his career to go. He loves playing golf, so we've just got to work with what is best for him.'
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