Young golfer living out dream on USA scholarship

A young Guernsey golfer says “finding the balance in life between school work and golf took a bit of time” after getting a scholarship to an American school.

Conor McKenna, 19, was one of the youngest winners of the Channel Island Championships when he lifted the trophy in 2024. He earnt a place at St Thomas Aquinas College in New York.

He said studying 3,405 miles away from home was “completely different to what I had imagined, I thought I was going over there for just golf but learnt pretty quickly that studies over there are still taken really seriously.”

His average day consists of six hours of academic classes and more than three hours of golf practice alongside gym and homework.

McKenna explained coming back to Guernsey to play for the summer was nice to catch up with friends he used to play with regularly.

However, he said he was pleased to be in America playing golf as it is “what I have always wanted to do” and for now he was taking his future one step at a time.

On the 22 June, he and six other Guernsey players are due to compete in the open qualifier for the British Open.

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