Europe to USA, an International junior golf friendship is formed, with a sprinkling of Disney magic thrown in!
They say that Disney is where the magic happens and on this day they were right! What a truly magical day for us, and for one of our aspiring young lady golfers, as we were finally able to arrange a round of golf that would see two talented young ladies from opposite sides of the globe meet, play and bond together, in golf, here at Disney Magnolia, the place that Disney, in their own words calls, The Happiest Place on Turf! Both girls share a passion for our great sport of golf so for us it was fitting to make their introduction at a great golf course where they could meet, chat, play some golf and become friends as each follows their own path, A path that just may see them BOTH carve a career in the game in the years to come?
The two young ladies pictured standing side by side, with drivers in true “St Andrews Cross” golf friendship style are, on the right, our very own Claret Junior Tour top performing Scholarship award player and two-time Lake Mary High School (FHSAA) Team State Champion Delaney Sillaway (16) from Longwood, Florida. If you know anything about our junior tour Delaney may already be a familiar face having won numerous times this year with us, and indeed on other Florida junior tours too!
The young lady on the left may not be as familiar to you however we suggest you take notice as she too is a very special teenager, and an incredible young player, who’s already making big waves in golf worldwide, Ladies and Gentlemen please remember her name…this is Belgium’s 
Savannah De Bock
Savannah De BockSavannah is an international success already at just 16. Her accomplishments in golf are way too numerous to list so let’s just give you a few from this last year alone!
Savannah is the current European Ladies Amateur Champion having secured the title in France earlier this year after a thrilling final round play-off victory in Paris, France.As part of the prize for this incredible win Savannah also received an invitation to join the field of the best professionals in the World and compete in The AIG Ladies British Open Championship at Muirfield in Scotland, Following this series of hugely impressive events Savannah is now ranked in the top 50 in The World in the WAGR Rankings!
It really was an unbelievable thrill to watch on as these two young girls played…and it was made even more special to watch as they hugged each other like old friends on the green when their final putts had dropped and it became clear that an International friendship between two teenage golfers had been made too!
Savannah De Bock is the real deal in ladies golf..check her out on social media if you follow those who are up and coming. For one so young she has a confidence and belief in her game that you can’t help but admire..and when you are lucky enough to be able to chat with her it’s clear just how much she loves the game AND just how incredibly hard she works to achieve her goals….I don’t believe I know of any other young player who works as hard as she does on all aspects of her fitness and her game and that right there is why she looks to be following a well-lit path to a very bright future in our game.
As if that’s not enough Savannah is one of the warmest, funniest and kindest young ladies I have ever met! She is thoughtful and caring of others and genuinely wanted to help us make this day happen as soon as we asked if it may be possible!
Ask any top golfer in the world how they challenge themselves to be better and they will tell you to try to play with the best, play with players who are better than YOU and then work to emulate them. Our very own hugely talented Delaney Sillaway got the opportunity to do exactly that with Savannah and we could not be any prouder of how she grasped that opportunity with both hands, and incidentally, our girl Delaney played some exceptional golf of her own alongside THE European Ladies Champion!!!
Savannah has recently made a golf commitment to join University of Georgia and will become one of the “Lady Bulldogs” in 2024. Until then we wish her continued success as she begins another year of challenging international competitions, including of course, the defence of her coveted European Championship Title.
Thank you again Savannah! Your caring nature and willingness to give your time to help us make this meeting happen says everything about you! You are indeed a very special young lady and we very much look forward to seeing you and your family again soon…. we will be watching your career closely as we have all become huge “SDB” fans!
Thank you also to the management and staff at Disney Magnolia..a beautiful venue in great shape and you made us, and our girls, feel very welcome indeed. It seems Disney IS a place where extraordinary magic happens, even on their golf courses!
This article was written by Keith McColl , Owner and Tour Director of The Claret Junior Tour in Central Florida. www.claretjuniortour.com email enquiries to; keith@claretjuniortour.com
