EAST Lancashire juniors are being given the chance to prove they are the cream of the crop in a new order of merit-style summer event.

The ELGA Junior Challenge Tour has been created to increase enthusiasm for young golfers in the region and promote junior participation.

A total of 11 individual events make up the inaugural tour, of which 10 are the open competitions from ELGA member clubs, and conclude with the ELGA Junior Open at Accrington on August 28.

The opening match – the Darwen Open – is on Sunday, June 3, followed by the Nelson and Wilpshire Opens on June 6 and 8 respectively. Like the European Tour order of merit, points are accrued over the course of the campaign, with each event handing out points to the top 10 juniors in both the net and gross categories – with 40 given for the winners, 30 to the runner-up and 25 to those finishing third.

The Challenge Tour is a combined effort between ELGA and member clubs’ own junior organisers.

“We’ve created this to try and help promote junior golf in East Lancashire,” said ELGA junior organiser Mike Taylor.

“We wanted to make something a little bit exciting for juniors to take part in and make it very professional.

“We invited all 23 ELGA clubs to get involved and we’ve got 10 of them being part of it for the first year.

“Individual clubs will stage their open competition and we will go along to these events and make it a points system for the challenge tour.”

Taylor added: “We’re looking to set up ELGA banners and flags on the first tee, to give it a professional touch and to make it exciting for juniors.”

ELGA are hoping to attract sponsors for the Challenge Tour, which is open to players under the age of 18 years on January 1, 2012.

Anybody wanting to help can contact Mike Taylor on 01282 777226 or e-mail elgamail@elga-golf.com