Harry Thomas is set to carry home hopes next week when Hunstanton Golf Club hosts the McGregor Trophy – the English Boys Under-16 Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship.

Eaton golfer Thomas, 15, is Norfolk’s only representative in the 72-hole tournament, which will be played on July 18-20.

The prestigious event has been won by a series of stars, including Justin Rose, Edoardo Molinari and Rasmus Højgaard.

This year’s 144-strong field is comprised of emerging talent from all over Europe, as well as one golfer from USA and another from the Bahamas.

Thomas, whose family is steeped in Norfolk cricket rather than golf, can’t wait to line up on home soil after already journeying to Holland, Finland and Scotland this season.

Thomas, whose handicap index is 0.9, said: “I wouldn’t enter the event if I didn’t think I could win. But to put four good rounds together, make myself proud and make Norfolk proud is really what I want to do.

“There’s some great players coming from all over Europe – it’s going to be tough. But I’ve just got to back myself to do the right things, do the simple things well and hopefully it will all click together.

“I’ve played Hunstanton a few times, including the Norfolk Elite Amateur Championship last year. If the wind blows, you’ve got to stick in there on the in-to-wind holes and make the most when it’s downwind. But I think it’s a great golf course and a great test.

“I feel like I can compete, almost definitely. My game is becoming more consistent. I feel I hit it a pretty good distance, I’m pretty straight off the tee generally and my iron game is improving a lot. I’ve just got to get nice and sharp around the greens and hole some putts.”

Thomas only began to play golf four years ago but made his mark on the international scene last summer when he shot 65 to finish second in the Scottish Boys Under-14 Open.

That performance helped draw the attention of Wales for whom Harry qualifies through his grandparents.

Thomas’ fast-track progress in golf has been underlined in 2023 by his selection for Wales Under-16s and Norfolk’s first team.

He was also part of the Culford trio that won the Independent Schools Golf Championship in May and last month secured a top-10 finish at the Finnish International Junior Championship.

Thomas added: “Being in the mix at times is really good. It’s just so much fun to know you’ve got a chance of winning and being pretty competitive.”

His busy summer continues with a trip to Cardigan Golf Course for the Welsh Boys Championship, which immediately follows the McGregor Trophy.

In the diary he also has the Irish Under-16s Open Championship in early August and then a crucial Anglian League match for Norfolk away in Lincolnshire.