FOUR young Bermudian golfers compete this weekend at the X-Factor Junior Tournament at Hammock Creek Golf Course in Palm City, Florida.Brian Morris Jr. and Jordan Lamb left Bermuda yesterday with pro Eardley Jones to join up with Nick Jones and Joshua Cabrera who both are at school in the US.

Pro Jones, who overseas the junior golf in Bermuda, said this week: “The four secured their places at this X-Factor tournament by playing in the Ross Blackie Talbot Summer Youth Golf Tour over the 12 weeks in Bermuda.”

Jones organised the Talbot summer tour for the past three years and Bill Thomson, the deputy chairman of the Ross Blackie Talbot charities committee, said: “What Eardley has been doing with these kids is fantastic. We couldn’t do it without him.”

Thomson added that Blackie Talbot was very eager to put money into junior golf and that the funds to help send the youngsters to the X-Factor tournament came from Talbot’s charity tournament held annually at Riddell’s Bay Golf Club.

The tournament will be held on Saturday and Sunday at Hammock Creek which was the first course in Florida co-designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son Jack Nicklaus II. It opened in 1996 and is also home to the Golden Bear Tour. “The course and the greens are in great shape,” said Jones. The course measures over 7,000 yards from the back tees and is a par 72.

Jones’ son Nick is at Grandview Prep School in Boca Raton, Florida and has been playing regularly on the X-Factor tour this year as has Cabrera who is at the Leadbetter Academy in Florida.

Morris, Jones and Lamb are 16 years old while Cabrera is 15. He has already won a tournament in Florida this year and Jones has had several top five finishes in the US since leaving Bermuda at the end of the summer for Grandview Prep.

Cabrera’s victory was last month at the International Junior Golf Tour’s stop at Bent Tree Country Club in Sarasota, Florida.

Cabrera, playing in the Boys 13-15 division, was in a sudden-death playoff contest after 36 holes with Cyril Suk from Bradenton, Florida.

The Bermudian youngster beat Suk on the first playoff hole with a 12-foot birdie putt. Cabrera shot 75 and 73 for a two-day total of 148 while Suk had rounds of 72 and 76.