Oliver Betschart Set For Jnr Orange Bowl
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Teenage golfer Oliver Betschart is gearing up for the Junior Orange Bowl International Championship at Biltmore Golf Course in Miami, Florida.
The championship runs from Friday [January 3] to Monday [January 6].
Betschart’s participation in the annual event marks the 50th anniversary of the first meeting between Kim Swan, the island’s most decorated golfer, and Betschart’s American coach, David Ogrin.
Swan, who introduced Betschart to the sport as a five-year-old at Port Royal Golf Course, played against Ogrin, the former LaCantera Texas Open champion on the PGA Tour, at the Junior Orange Bowl in 1974.
He recommended Ogrin as a potential coach for 16-year-old Betschart, who won the Fecchio Cup for the first time at Turtle Hill Golf Course this month.
“I’ve always wanted Oliver to compete in this event – the stars have aligned on the 50th anniversary of me competing there – my first trip overseas at age 17,” Swan told Bernews.
“I played the first two rounds with David Ogrin and remember his ball-striking ability and dislike for grainy Bermudian greens.
“I followed David’s career through Golf World Weekly magazine, and our paths crossed from time to time.
“Facebook reunited us as coaches. When the time came, I recommended him to the Betschart family.”
“Ironically, I have known the Betschart family for 50 years. Oliver’s grandfather, Leo Betschart, [former Swiss Honorary Consul], was head chef at Belmont Hills, where I worked as a waiter when I first represented Bermuda in 1974.
“He approached me to tell me I was teaching his grandson golf, and I assured him I would teach him as if they were my own.”
Regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious junior golf tournaments, Tiger Woods won the title in 1991.
