Dylan's on song...

HUDDERSFIELD'S Dylan Shaw-Radford completed a hat-trick of junior county titles when he won both the Yorkshire Boys' Under-18s and Under-16s events with victory at The Bradford. Shaw-Radford, who only recently turned 16, shot 69 70 for a three-shot triumph overall, his success coming two years after he was crowned the White Rose's Under-14s' championship winner. There was also the welcome surprise for the Fixby player that his name will be engraved underneath that of 2016 Masters winner Danny Willett as well as other European Tour victors such as Ryder Cup duo Howard Clark and Matt Fitzpatrick plus Simon Dyson and John Parry. He also noted the 2012 success of Huddersfield clubmate Nick Marsh, who went on to become English men's amateur champion in 2014. Shaw-Radford will seek national glory of his own with both the Carris Trophy and McGregor Trophy events (English Boys' Under-18s' and Under-16s' championships respectively) on the plus-one handicapper's summer itinerary. Birdies on three of his last eight holes at The Bradford saw him overhaul first-round leader Thomas Pyman (The Oaks), who had led by three shots at that stage. Michael Robson from Oakdale came through to take second place, with Pyman fading to third. Shaw-Radford revealed he had been ignorant of how he stood having chosen not to make use of the available live scores system, a protocol he is likely to continue in future competitions. “I will try to not look at the live scores because it might distract me,” he reasoned. “If I know that someone is doing something it might make me choose a different decision than I would ordinarily. I think it’s better that I just try to do what I had already planned to do.” He began playing golf at the age of 10, his first handicap being 24 at Crow Nest, with the last couple of years seeing an acceleration in progress from playing off four to his current plus one standing, an improvement he acknowledges has been greatly facilitated by being part of the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs' hugely successful coaching programme. Shaw-Radford, who is coached by twice England Golf Coach of the Year Graham Walker, of The Oaks, is a prodigious practiser and says his time on the range has proved so beneficial because of how he has been taught to structure it. “My practice definitely got better (after joining the YUGC coaching programme),” he said. “I learned how to do it more productively. I try to have a plan of what I’m going to do in each session. It is kind of dictated a little bit by my previous round and my upcoming event.” Frank Greaves, team manager of Halifax, Huddersfield and District Union of Golf Clubs' senior and junior sides – both of which feature Shaw-Radford after his debut in May in the former – is a huge admirer and commented: “Seven of Dylan's last eight rounds (before his county win) have counted towards his WHS handicap index. Now that is consistency, isn’t it?”