Scottish golf yesterday welcomed a new and bold initiative that may ultimately produce a new generation of European Tour players a decade or so from now.

Scottish golf yesterday welcomed a new and bold initiative that may ultimately produce a new generation of European Tour players a decade or so from now.

The launch of the country's first under-14 junior golf tour at St Andrews heralded further progress at grass roots level in the quest to produce players to follow in the footsteps of such as Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie.

The junior tour is the brainchild of Dean Robertson, the former European Tour player and winner of the 1999 Italian Open, and is aimed at nurturing young Scottish talent and providing nine to 14-year-olds with a platform to develop their talents.

Robertson and his assistants, Kendal McWade and Steven Orr, will travel round the country offering coaching sessions and fun skill development days alongside strokeplay competitions.

Significantly, several leading Scottish professionals have endorsed the venture, in the belief that such an initiative is long overdue. The Scottish Golf Union has also expressed its support, as have several leading clubs, including Carnoustie, Turnberry and Dalmahoy.

Having secured a three-year, five-figure sponsorship deal with Mathon, a leading asset-based lender in the commercial property sector, Robertson oversaw play at the start of a two-day strokeplay competition involving 30 youngsters aged nine to 14.

He said: "Our vision is for Scotland to once again be the No.1 golfing nation in the world and we believe this tour is an essential part of the jigsaw to make that happen.

"Golf seemed to be the only sport that did not have competitions for different age groups and there were no opportunities outside of summer for boys under 14 years of age. The Mathon Scottish Junior Golf Tour addresses these issues and provides an effective stepping stone on to the next level.

"We are looking forward to working with the SGU, local clubs, coaches and other tournaments across Scotland to identify young golfers whom we believe will benefit most from being part of the tour."

The initiative has the backing of Scots currently on the European Tour, including Gary Orr, Alastair Forsyth, Marc Warren and Stephen Gallacher.

Orr said: "There was nothing like this when I was that age and I think it's great that these kids are being given the opportunity. This could be a very important step in the future development of Scottish golf. The fact that Dean has a reputation as a good player on the European Tour is also important in terms of these kids having someone to look up to and take encouragement from."