AN ASPIRING, young golfer from Ilkley has been invited to North Carolina to compete in a prestigious golf tournament.

Seven-year-old Gabriel Ridgeway has been offered the chance to compete in the US Kids World Championships in August and is asking for sponsorship to help get him there.

Gabriel, who is a member of Leeds Golf Centre, began golfing two and a half years ago and has competed in multiple national and international tournaments since discovering his talent for the sport. Gabriel was even named European Junior Golf Tour Finals Champion for his age group in 2016 and 2017 and has won several competitions locally and nationally.

The Ghyll Royd School pupil is hoping to make his American dream a reality through fundraising for the trip. His supportive parents, James and Mareli, regularly travel and pay for these opportunities but this latest invitation is an unexpected cost that the family have not been able to factor in to their budget. A GoFundMe page has been set up by the family which gives more details on Gabriel’s young career and allows people the chance to donate towards the cost of the trip.

Gabriel’s mum Mareli said: “Gabriel has been working very hard this year training three to four times a week and competing or playing most weekends. His goal all along has been to make it to the World Championships, but as only the top 80-100 kids per age category compete, we always knew it would be quite an ask, so could not be prouder when he received his invitation!”

Gabriel and his family are hoping to raise £2,500 to cover travel and accommodation for the tournament. To find out more about Gabriel and to donate towards his place in the tournament, visit https://www.gofundme.com/travel-to-the-world-championships