‘Winning was one of the best days of my life'

Telegraph

17-04-2025

Even 40 years on, Terry Berry can recall 'every minute and every shot' from the time he became this prestigious event's first-ever champion.
'It was one of the best days of my life,' says Berry, pictured left, who prevailed by one shot in 1985 in the inaugural year of the competition, now billed as the 'junior major'.
Berry had qualified as one of the top 15 finalists after winning the Liphook Junior Open with a 72. He was invited to an 18-hole competition final which took place at The Belfry, one month after Europe's historic Ryder Cup victory on the same course.
Terry Berry (centre) with fellow 1985 finalists David Hickman, right, and Richard Harris
Aged 15, Berry was also the youngest competitor in the field of 14 boys and one girl, which included boys' amateur champion James Cook.
Berry remembers going to the range at 10pm the night before the finals and 'striking the ball well'. The next day he holed a 35ft putt for par on the first and 'everything fell into place after that'.
On the 18th, he drove into the bunker and was urged by his father, his caddie on the day, to lay up. 'The flag was on the top tier so we chose a five iron. It finished 6ft past and I knocked it in for a four,' he says. 'I shot a five over par 78, which sounds like a lot but it was a foggy and miserable day, and I won by one shot.'
In the Telegraph offices on Fleet Street, four lifesize pictures of Berry were put on display in the windows for weeks afterwards.
'Everyone in the golfing world knew what a big deal this was,' says Berry. 'It showed great vision from The Telegraph to start the competition. Golf was on the up in the mid-1980s and for the newspaper to put on an event for youngsters enhanced junior golf and gave it a real boost.'
Following his win, Berry turned professional in 1989 and played for 11 years on the European Challenge Tour
Berry forged a fine amateur career, which included winning the Waterford Trophy, before turning professional in 1989 and playing for 11 years on the European Challenge Tour. He now owns his own property management firm and is a passionate military historian, taking tours to the Somme.
Berry plays off plus four today and remains a staunch advocate of the junior game, saying that Justin Rose's title sponsorship of the event is 'magnificent for the sport'.
'There's a great junior golfer in every club,' Berry says. 'You have to give yourself the best opportunity, work hard, stay focused, have a decent goal to aim for and have the encouragement of the club where you play.'
Sign up your club to host a qualifier for the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship at telegraph.co.uk/junior-golf