Bradford Laing has an extra pep in his step and for good reason.

The promising golfer is thrilled to have been granted the opportunity to compete on the international stage for the first time as part of a Bermuda Golf Association team to represent the island at the prestigious Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships in Dominican Republic next week.

“I feel really grateful and excited for this opportunity,” Laing told The Royal Gazette.

“It will be my first overseas tournament and I’m excited to play in a new country and learn from the older players.”

Aged 10, the Saltus Grammar School student is the youngest member of the squad and has played competitive golf for just over a year after swapping his football gear for a set of clubs.

“I was playing football as my main sport, but when I started doing camps and classes like OP36 and Leadbetter at Ocean View, Tucker’s [Point] and Five Forts, I started to have more fun playing golf,” Laing said.

“I like the way it feels to hit the ball and to see my score at the end of the round. I took my first lesson when I was 3 at Tucker’s Point Golf Club, then had lessons on and off sporadically over the years in between other sports and activities. But I got my first full set of clubs and played my first full round a little over a year ago when I was nine.

“All the Bermuda courses are fun because they’re all so different, but I play at Port Royal, Ocean View and Tucker’s the most.

“Right now I just want to have fun and be the best golfer I can be.”

The BGA select squad also includes Lewis MacFarlane, Sa-Qui Robinson, Grayson Tavares and Darina Betschart, and they will be accompanied by team managers Jo MacFarlane and Tamara Betschart.

Robinson, who also plays Premier Division cricket for St George’s, is competing in the boys under-18 division, Tavares in the boys under-15 division, MacFarlane and Laing in the boys under-13 division and Betschart in the girls under-15 division.

“This group of junior golfers represents a blend of athletes with previous overseas tournament experience and those being provided with new development opportunities through meaningful international competition,” BGA president Craig Brown said.

“The event marks the beginning of a busy summer schedule for Bermuda’s junior golfers, with several overseas competitions planned throughout the summer season as part of the BGA’s ongoing junior development and tournament players pathways.”

Betschart has already savoured success at the event having claimed girls 11-13 honours at last year’s Caribbean Amateur Junior Championships and warmed up for the upcoming tournament by competing at the North & South Junior Amateur Championship along with sibling Oliver at the world-famous Pinehurst in North Carolina.

The Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships are being held at the Playa Dorada Golf Club from June 28 to July 3.