Unlike most parents around now, Stuart and June Graham don’t have to be concerned at a lack of summer holiday activities for their sons.
They’re much more occupied with flight delays, cancellations and the potential for missing luggage.
And all because dad Stuart let their boys tag along when he went to Rosemount “to basically get them out of the house”.
“With three boys, you’ve got a ready-made four-ball,” he joked.
The result, a decade later, is two Scotland international golfers, Gregor and Connor, who play in this week’s Scottish Amateur at Glasgow Gailes – just part of their packed schedule.
Big wins in the same week
Gregor, now 18, is recently back from college in Texas and has been ploughing the summer circuit.
After finally getting the better of an Achilles injury, he won an international event in the Netherlands from a quality field two weeks ago.
At the same time Connor, 15, was claiming his biggest win yet, the R&A’s Junior Open at Monifieth, by a whopping five shots over a top quality field from all parts of the globe.
Later that week, the teenager was feted at St Andrews and toured the playing facilities as The 150th Open was played. But it was a brief interlude.
He flew to Finland at the European Young Masters last week, where he finished fifth.
Then it was back to Gailes for the Scottish, the Home Internationals follow next week and then the British Boys’ at Carnoustie.
He hasn’t yet been picked for the GB&I Boys team to play the Continent of Europe in the Jacques Leglise Trophy at his home club of Blairgowrie next month, but it’s surely a formality.
Last year Gregor was already a junior international pushing for the senior team when Connor, at just 14 years old, became the youngest player in history to reach the last four of the historic championship at Murcar Links.
Lawrie comes in as mentor
It made the Scottish golf world sit up sharply and take notice.
Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion and mentor to thousands of young Scots players through his long-standing Foundation, was one.
“We’d had mostly professional players as ambassadors for the Foundation but wanted to get back to supporting amateurs,” explains Lawrie.
“We saw Connor and he was perfect for what we want to do.
“There’s a long way to go and he’s still growing, he’s just 15. But man, what a player he is already, he hits the ball so well.
“We’ll do everything we can to help him reach his potential.”
Connor himself really got serious about his golf when his form at boys’ level for Blairgowrie and Perth and Kinross County got him spotted for Scottish Golf’s Academy system.
“Before that I was between golf and football,” adds Connor, whose cousin Ross plays for Dundee United.
“But I was always a little better at golf and enjoyed it more. So I decided to just focus on that after a while.
“I was about 11 or 12 when I realised I could be pretty good. It’s just been a steady growth from there.”
‘I knew I’d be more comfortable’
Connor won five times in 2021 as competitive golf started again after Covid.
In May of this year, he was second in his debut at the Lytham Trophy – notoriously the toughest amateur tournament on the circuit.
He followed that with a top ten finish at the St Andrews Links Trophy, which has the best international field in Europe every year.
A disappointing first round means he missed out of qualifying at the Amateur at Lytham, but the Junior Open at Monifieth followed on quickly.
“I definitely knew that I could win if I played well,” he said.
“I thought I could perform, especially on links. I’ve grown up playing that kind of golf, and I knew that I would be more comfortable than the other competitors.”
The overwhelming favourite for the title was Thailand’s Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat, who became the youngest winner of a world-ranked event when he won on the Asian Tour earlier in the year.
TK has been courted by the rebel tour LIV Golf, played their money-spinning opening event in Centurion and is set to play the third one in New Jersey this week.
But when he got to two shots back of Connor going into the final round, that was as close as he got.
“I played very well in that final round and just pulled away,” he said. “It’s definitely my biggest win so far, but I’ve been good for most of this season.
“I’ve picked up a bit of distance, I’m hitting more wedges now so I’ve been working hard on them. Getting the wedges dialled in was a big key to winning at Monifieth.”
Longer and leaner – and no more curls
Connor’s blonde curls that had many likening him to a young Rory McIlroy last year have gone, and he’s bulking up.
“I got on the Sportscotland programme and go to the gym at the RPC in Dundee three or four times a week now,” he said.
“That’s helped me get a bit longer – part of it’s just growing but part of it is the gym work I’ve done, especially over the winter.”
His dad Stuart, still off a plus two handicap, initially took all three of his sons – middle son Archie plays off 13 – to Blairgowrie basically to give June a break.
He said: “It was really just as soon as they could walk.
“Plastic clubs to start with, and the Wee Course at Blair, you really couldn’t have a better place to learn the game.
“Gregor’s been in the system since he was 12 and Connor’s followed him, so we’ve been at this for six years now.”
The future is bright
All three scratch Grahams played in the pre-Covid Scottish Men’s Amateur at Crail in 2019 – Connor was just 12 – but Stuart and Archie will be spectators this week at Gailes.
Gregor spent last year at Midland College in Texas – where Andrew Coltart and Dean Robertson went – but struggled with injury.
But he’s back to his best form now and will probably stay in Scotland to complete his development.
Connor, meanwhile, sees that route in his future.
“I’ll finish school, and then look for a good university in the US, see what’s available to me,” he said.
“Eventually I’ll hopefully turn pro after that, but there’s a lot to do first.”
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