Corhampton ace Scott Gregory heads to the Lytham Trophy this week, as he looks to continue his meteoric rise in the amateur game.

The 20-year-old Hampshire star, who plays at the same club as Walker Cup player Neil Raymond, marked himself out last year as one of the finest emerging stars in the country, and is looking to build on that reputation in 2015.

Gregory has enjoyed phenomenal success in the last two years, coming within a whisker of qualifying for the Open Championship in 2013, establishing himself in the county first-team last season, producing a stunning week in the 2014 English Amateur Championship to finish as runner-up, before winning the prestigious Waterford Trophy.

It is little surprise, therefore, that he is raring to go, ahead of this week’s 72-hole tournament, which begins on Friday, at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

“I’m very excited, because it’s the first time I’m going to be playing in that event,” said Gregory, who is part of the England ‘A’ squad this season and has spent some time training at Lytham with them earlier this month.

Coached by Portsmouth Golf Centre’s Simon Andrews, who he holds in the highest regard and has been with for about four years, Gregory believes his game is in good shape for the months ahead.

“I’m fairly happy,” he said. “My putting is not as good as it could be, so I’m doing some work on that.

“I’m just not holing out well enough at the moment, but everything else in my game is in good shape.”

After his breakout campaign in 2014, Gregory is hoping he can contend for more significant titles this year.

“It would be nice to go one better in the English this year, and to have a consistent season in the big events,” he said.

Gregory, who started in golf when his dad began taking him to the driving range at the age of five, believes last year’s English Amateur, when he was edged out 2&1 by Huddersfield’s Nick Marsh in the 36-hole final after an incredible week at Saunton, was a key moment for him.

“It was big in terms of my confidence, because I’d come close to winning a few times last year,” he said.

“In my head, I knew I was good enough, but I hadn’t really proved it to myself.

“That did prove it to me, though, and it was probably no coincidence that I then won twice in my last four events.”