A TEAM of East Lothian Junior League golfers head to the USA next week as they get set for an international competition.

The 10-strong team will compete in the Winternational Junior Series at Pinehurst, North Carolina.

The East Lothian team will be based at Mid Pines and Pine Needles golf courses in Southern Pines, and will play nine rounds of golf in as many days.

Two of these rounds will be over Pinehurst No. 2, which has hosted three US Opens and a Ryder Cup. Pine Needles has hosted three US Women’s Opens.

The Winternational Series has been running for 24 years and Peter De Young, the series founder and chairman, has facilitated the participation of the East Lothian team, who will face many golfers from US schools.

East Lothian Junior League thanked sponsors, including Dan Van Horn of US Kids Golf, Bob Gunning of Scotland’s Golf Coast, and Eamonn John of East Lothian Council, for their financial support. David Warren, secretary, also passed on his thanks to Russell Shepherd of HotDocs, who funded golf bags, and Jim Wilson of CableCom, who funded the team’s clothes.

Warren added: “Thanks are also due to Tim Anderson, a resident of Pinehurst and member of North Berwick Golf Club, for a donation to buy a dozen golf balls for each player.

“The players have also been invited to attend an ice hockey game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Los Angeles Kings, courtesy of JJ Jackson, part-owner of the Hurricanes and also a member of North Berwick Golf Club.”

A lunch was held at North Berwick Golf Club on Sunday for the team, and Warren said the trip was a “fantastic opportunity” for the youngsters to “experience different types of golf”.

Updates from the trip can be found at eastlothianjuniorgolf.org.uk