AMATEUR champion Scott Gregory has begun the first leg of the biggest six months of his burgeoning golf career that will hopefully see him in the professional ranks by the end of the autumn.

The Corhampton ace - the No 7 amateur in the world - has flown to the United States for two weeks’ intensive preparation before his debut in the Masters at Augusta.

There he will compete alongside world No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Australia’s Jason Day, 2015 Masters winner Jordan Speith, UK No 1 Rory McIlroy, defending champion Danny Willett and north Hampshire star Justin Rose.

There is still hope that the legendary Tiger Woods could still be in the starting line-up, despite having been out of action since the Dubai Desert Classic in February.

One of the men tasked with leading the junior programme that has produced Hampshire’s own Major winner in the shape of Rose, and now the UK’s No. 1 golfer in 2016, believes Gregory's success over the past two years is already leaving a large legacy in the county.

Wayne Matthews has been part of the Hampshire junior management over the past two seasons and his son Nick, who is a member at Meon Valley G&CC, is already one of the county’s up-and-coming prospects in the U14 squad.

Wayne watched Justin Rose claim Gold at the Olympics in Rio last summer and then saw Gregory claim Silver at the World Amateur Team Championships in Mexico in September.

He is convinced both successes will spur his players on to greater heights.

Wayne, who is managing the U16s in 2017, said: “Scott’s success has already had a real impact on the junior squads - many of them know Scott and have a real connection with him.

“This is either through him attending training sessions with his dad Mike, who was the U14 manager for some time, or just bumping into him at courses around Hampshire.

“Scott is very accessible and is always willing to talk about his game, and importantly for the boys he takes a keen interest in how they are progressing.

“He is held in high regard for his strong work ethic and meticulous planning before a game, something all the Hampshire juniors will do well to follow.

“Scott’s dad Mike is now the U18s manager and plays a significant role in the development of the county’s junior golfers.

“What a story that his own son has made it to the Masters, everyone is not only proud of Scott, but also of Mike. All the dads of the juniors in the county squads would love to be in Mike’s shoes right now.

“With the Masters just a couple of weeks away, all of the boys are excited to not only see the first Major of the season, but one featuring one of their friends – as they see Scott – playing alongside another of their heroes, Justin Rose.

“They are all hoping Scott makes the cut and puts in a good result, and there will be lots of tired Hampshire juniors on Monday morning who will have stayed up late.

“And when he gets back I am sure they will all be keen to meet up with Scott and hear stories of what it was like to play in the Masters.

“The boys are competing for the same trophies that Scott and Justin competed for when they were boys representing Hampshire both locally and nationally – and they can see that dreams can come true by following in their footsteps.”