St Leonards Proud to Sponsor Scottish Golf U14 Open Championship

11 August 2026

First held in 2024, the championship has quickly established itself as an exciting addition to the Scottish Golf calendar. Open to golfers of all nationalities aged 9-14, this year’s event welcomed 144 players for two days of 36-hole stroke play competition, with boys and girls competing together for a single championship title. Competing this year were players from the four home nations and a further 11 countries, including the USA, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy.

After two fantastic days of golf under mostly blue skies, a birdie on the 18th hole of Round 2 led to 14-year-old Rubén Rivas McHugh from Ireland claiming victory, with a -4 finish over 36 holes. Fresh from lifting the Irish Boys U14 title only two weeks prior, it was a dramatic victory for Rubén. France’s Emma De Los Rios claimed the Gibson Trophy for the leading player under the age of 12, with an adjusted score of 150 (+2).

Claiming the place of top Scottish player was St Leonards pupil Annie Pennycook, representing both the School and the St Leonards Golf Academy. Annie finished with an adjusted score of 149 (+1), earning her a T7 result. Having also competed in last year’s championship at Crieff Golf Club, Annie’s return marked another important step in her golfing development as she continues to gain experience competing at the highest level of junior golf.

Reflecting on the championship, Annie said: “It’s been really good. I didn’t play my best golf, but it was still a great experience and really good fun. It was very cool having the boys and girls playing together. 

“I’d never played at Edzell before. It was a really nice course, in great condition, and we had great weather as well. I’ve got a couple more competitions coming up in England, including the English U14 in Birmingham next week, so I’m looking forward to those.”

St Leonards was delighted to support a championship that welcomed so many promising young golfers to compete in Scotland. The School looks forward to continuing its partnership with Scottish Golf and supporting opportunities for young golfers to develop and thrive in the game.

Read more from Scottish Golf on the leading performances at Edzell.