12-year-old golfing sensation is progressing at ‘astonishing rate’ and will represent England this summer

Josh Bland, from Bugbrooke, first hit a golf ball aged four and began taking it more seriously two years later.

He has amassed more than 20,000 Instagram followers as a result of his talent and has an impressive adult’s handicap of seven.

The last time Josh’s father Dan Bland spoke to the Chronicle & Echo back in October 2022, Josh had an adult’s handicap of 14 and had attracted the attention of Sky Sports Soccer AM, ladbible, sportbible and Gaz Beadle from Geordie Shore.

A year and seven months on, Josh has a number of exciting competitions coming up and has established a sponsorship with Michael Jones Jewellers.

Dan described his son’s golfing career as having “really taken off”, with more ambassadorships agreed with large golfing brands like Puma and Cobra Golf.

The 12-year-old qualified for the IMG Junior World Championships in San Diego this July, and Josh will represent England at the five-day event.

This is a “huge achievement” for Josh, particularly as the prestigious event has seen past winners like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els.

Josh also won the UK Kids Grand Final by six shots and will represent England in the World Champion of Champions in Ireland this summer, with more than 50 countries set to take part.

When asked to describe his son’s progression, Dan said: “It’s at an astonishing rate and he’s doing exceptionally well. He has a handicap of seven and for his age that is remarkable. He has worked so hard to get there and his achievements last year sum that up.

“I’m incredibly proud. No words can describe how proud I am of him. His dedication sees him play every single day in the garage or on the golf course. He deserves everything he gets.”

The San Diego competition will be “huge” for the 12-year-old and Dan described it as the “pinnacle that every junior wants to qualify for”.

Josh and his family will be staying in America for a week, with two days of practice before he takes on 150 children in his age group across five days.

“If we could aim for top 30 that would be unbelievable,” said Dan, who also proudly shared that Josh is now sponsored by Michael Jones Jewellers.

Having followed Josh and his journey on Instagram, the business was really interested in getting behind his progress. It has been agreed that they will pay Josh’s entry fees and travel costs for events over the next 12 months.

Dan says he was “blown away” by the “amazing” sponsorship package, which shows Michael Jones Jewellers want to embrace a young and local talent as he continues to go far in his career.