A RISING star of the golfing world, 11-year-old 'Stiggy' Hodgson, will open Stonyhurst College's annual Preparatory and Junior School Golf Championships tomorrow.

Stiggy, real name Eamonn, has already played for Wales at county and national level and is preparing for the World Junior Championships in America in December. He tees off at 8.30am tomorrow.

Stiggy, who has a handicap of 6.8 off a men's tee, has been taking part in the Stonyhurst Championships since the age of six. He has won his age group every year, and last year was overall winner. He says he aims to be the next Tiger Woods.

He started playing golf at three years of age, after finding a wooden golf club when he visited a local tip with his father, Eamonn. His family nicknamed him Stiggy after the children's book character, Stig-of-the-Dump.

Stiggy lives in Saltney, Cheshire and practices for four hours every day. He has had 11 holes-in-one in competitions. His dream is to be the youngest ever winner of the Masters.

A total of 14 preparatory and junior schools from all over the UK will compete in the Stonyhurst Championships. There will be a competition for teams of three and individual competitions in all age groups.

The competition will be 18 holes Stableford, played as one round in the morning and one round in the afternoon, with an age limit of 14 years.

The schools taking part include Bablake (Coventry), Cranmore (Surrey), Cranleigh (Surrey), King Henry VIII (Coventry), King's College (Wimbledon), Malsis (N. Yorks), Millfield (Somerset), St Ambrose (Cheshire), St Bede's Preparatory (Manchester), St Bede's College, Manchester, St David's (Chester), St Mary's Hall (Stonyhurst) and Wolstan Preparatory (Nuneaton, Warwickshire).

The event is supported by Stonyhurst Park Golf Club and sponsored by the College insurers Marsh (UK) Ltd.