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Ripon golf prodigy represents Yorkshire at championship finals

Monday, 17 June 2024 07:10

Ripon golfer William Hixon alongside Coach Berry.

Promising young golfer William Hixon said he was "delighted" to represent Yorkshire at the Northern Region Boys Championship finals.

The honour comes as the Ripon Grammar School sixth former prepares to head to the United States in August for the next stage of his career.

The 18-year-old has been awarded a $100,000 athletic scholarship at Bluefield State University in West Virginia.

William, who captains Harrogate and District Union of Golf Clubs and has a handicap of 0.8, was pursued by several American universities.

The teenager, who has been selected for Yorkshire U16s three times and won the Harrogate and District junior championships two years' running, came 12th out of 37 entrants at the Northern regional finals, despite missing out on the practice round as he was competing in the Yorkshire Boys Championships the day before.

His US coach, Samuel Berry, came to meet him at Pannal Golf Club in June, where he explained in-depth his plans for the golf programme he’s developing at the university.

Coach Berry said:

“William is not only an exceptional student, but also an outstanding golfer. He has raw talent and the sky is the limit for this young man.

“My goal with William is to prepare him for a career in professional golf after his four years with me. William has all the attributes to play golf at the highest of levels.”

William chose to attend Bluefield State University, where annual fees are nearly $30,000, after beating off stiff competition from more than 1,000 applicants to win one of just ten coveted scholarships on a prestigious golfing programme headed up by British coach Berry.

In addition to the outstanding training and practice facilities, William was attracted by the exciting sporting schedule, which includes regional and national championships and tournaments in Hawaii, Florida and San Francisco.

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