Wee Wonders finalists inspired by Aaron Rai's Wanamaker Trophy treat

The magnificent trophy had been brought along to Gullane by Rai’s dad Amrik and dwarfed the Wee Wonders Trophy won by Aaron 20 years ago.

It was a striking illustration for the 89 young competitors of where their own golfing journeys might one day lead as a full field of boys and girls aged from five to 12 travelled from across Great Britain and Ireland for the Grand Final.

Gullane No 3 was at full capacity with 70 competitors, while 19 of the youngest players competed over the North Berwick Wee Course in the Boys 5-6 and Girls 5-8 categories. event brought to a close an encouraging season for Wee Wonders, with participation doubling in 2026.

“When you see Aaron’s little Wee Wonders trophy from 2006 sitting alongside the Wanamaker Trophy 20 years later, it sends a pretty powerful message to every child here about where their own journey could take them,” said Gullane head pro Alasdair Good, who founded Wee Wonders at Foxhills in 1995 to give young children the opportunity to experience competitive golf.

“One of the wonderful things about Wee Wonders is that you never know where that journey will lead. Our belief from the beginning has always been that talent is nothing without opportunity. We want children to experience competition, make friends, learn how to deal with the good shots and the bad ones and, above all, leave wanting to play golf again.”

One of the performances in this year’s finale came from Girls 9-10 winner Willow Hixon, who made three eagles during her nine-hole second round. Hamish Shorrock, meanwhile, led the entire field with seven birdies, while his opening 69, two under par, was the lowest 18 hole round of the weekend.

Rory McDonald produced another impressive feat, playing the opening 14 holes of his second round without making a bogey - the longest sequence of par or better golf in the championship.

“The standard of golf was extraordinary,” added Good, who was delighted that American businessman and long- time Wee Wonders supporter Eric Gleacher was in attendance for this year’s final.

“When you look at some of those statistics and the consistency of some of the scoring, you have to remind yourself that these are children aged 12 and under. But what impressed me every bit as much was their behaviour and the obvious enjoyment they got from being here.”