Broken collarbone can't stop golfer James
A young golfer who was back playing just four weeks after breaking his collarbone has won back-to-back junior titles.
Ten-year-old James Ilsley, from Sedgley, has scooped junior golfer of the year at Dudley Golf Club two years in a row,
Ilsley, who attends Cotwall End Primary School, first picked up a club aged four and now plays off a 23 handicap – the lowest in Dudley's junior section – picking up six major trophies this year alone.
Proud mother Samantha Russell, who runs the club's junior section, told of her son was now practicing six times a week.
She said: "He broke his collarbone in April and the doctors said he might be back playing in 12 to 15 weeks. In just four weeks he was out on the course again and came second in his first tournament back.
"It's all about practice, practice, practice and he's already quite well known on the circuit despite being just 10."
Ilsley has just been selected for Worcestershire Under-12s and will train with Graham Farr, whose son Oliver is currently competing on the European Tour.
He is coached regularly by his father, Austin, who played to county standard as a youngster, as well as Darren Prosser, a former Walker Cup player who runs the Darren Prosser Golf Academy at Kingswinford Golf Centre.
The youngster, whose heroes include Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, regularly achieves par scores on holes between 400 and 500 yards in length and has no trouble completing an 18 hole round.
Mrs Russell said: "He also competed in the Euro Junior Golf tour and did quite well. He's currently got the lowest handicap out of all the juniors, which goes right up to 18-year-olds."
Ilsley was awarded the order of merit elite junior programme by the Prosser Golf Academy in last month. Awards were presented to around 50 youngsters aged seven to 15 at Dudley Golf Club.
