Justin Rose believes Quinta do Lago can play a leading role in helping to develop golf’s new generation of stars following a visit to the top Algarve resort.

The former world number one was on hand to give a personal welcome to the finalists at the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship – the first year that he has sponsored the tournament regarded as junior golf’s unofficial Major.

Quinta do Lago has hosted the event five times in the last six years and Rose was impressed by the resort’s combination of world-class golf and lifestyle facilities that have made it a firm favourite with golfers and families across Europe.

As well as three 18-hole championship golf courses – the North, South and Laranjal – and outstanding practice facilities, guests can stay in shape at the state-of-the-art performance centre The Campus, a world-class sports hub designed for professionals and amateurs alike to keep fit.

“I think Quinta do Lago hosting this championship is the perfect venue, the whole resort is very family-focused and family-friendly,” said Rose, the 2013 US Open champion.

“I think it’s also a real destination to come and do activities whether it’ll be golf, fitness, tennis, padel tennis or many other things. No matter what your interests are, there is something for everybody here, so with the resort hosting this championship, many people will identify this as a real destination to come and enjoy time as a family.”

Quinta do Lago’s acclaimed North Course once again provided the setting for the tournament, with Brabazon Trophy champion Ben Schmidt winning the boys’ event and fellow England international Mimi Rhodes lifting the girls’ title, and Rose reckons that the designed layout is the ideal test for golf’s stars of the future.

He said: “Quinta do Lago and certainly the North Course is such a great venue for these kids.

“It’s generally always beautiful weather here, you can see the golf courses in perfect conditions, with lovely tree lines, you know, and the North Course has nice bunkering. (It’s) just a really pleasant golf course to play and a lot of fun.”

Rose used victory at the tournament in 1997 as the platform to go on and enjoy worldwide golfing success, and he revealed that this was the primary motivating factor in his decision to take on headline sponsorship of the event this year.

He added: “I just wanted to get involved with the championship because I have wonderful memories and I think it was a very formative part of my career. Winning the Daily Telegraph Junior Championship gave me a lot of confidence but also gave me the ability to play in front of TV cameras.

“By sponsoring it myself, for it to be the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Championship I feel that hopefully, it resonates with kids. If there was a corporate sponsor, kids don’t really resonate with corporate sponsors, they resonate with a tour player or a professional golfer.

“Hopefully, it will entice more children to enter the competition. We want to inspire them to follow their dreams if they do want to go on and become a professional golfer.”

The Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship, which is supported by the R&A, European Tour Foundation and England Golf, is open to any juniors aged under-18, with this year's finals being televised by Sky Sports.

Located just 15 minutes away from Faro airport, Quinta do Lago is renowned among Europe’s elite golf, sports and family destinations and, with a combination of world-class golf and lifestyle facilities, is the perfect choice for a sporting break.

Complementing Quinta do Lago’s golf facilities is a choice of 13 first-class bars and restaurants that deliver a range of delicious world cuisines – including the acclaimed Bovino Steakhouse and recently-opened Dano’s Sports Bar & Restaurant – with accommodation on offer at the resort’s recently-acquired boutique The Magnolia Hotel.

For more details on the Justin Rose Telegraph Junior Golf Championship, go to www.telegraph.co.uk/juniorgolf

ENDS

About Quinta do Lago
Since its inception in 1972, Quinta do Lago has been at the forefront of international golf, hosting eight Portuguese Opens as well as numerous other international tournaments. Home to three world-class golf courses, the resort also boasts a wealth of cutting-edge practice facilities.

• Quinta do Lago North Course – Opening in October 2014, the totally revamped North Course has been redeveloped by renowned American golf architect Beau Welling in close collaboration with 2014 European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley and is set to become one of the new stars of European golf. The new layout has been built to the highest specifications with a €9.6m investment programme and has been redeveloped with the emphasis firmly on precision and strategy. While many modern-day developments tend to focus on length, Welling and McGinley have been keen to design a golfing experience where accuracy and course management are the key factors, and a course that is playable and fun for golfers of all abilities.
• Quinta do Lago South Course – A favourite among European Tour professionals, the South Course calls for accurate drives and precise shots, but rewards players for their efforts with the stunning backdrop of the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Regularly included in Golf World magazine’s ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in Europe’, the par-72 layout has received widespread praise for its strategically-placed hazards and varying difficulty across the 18 holes. Having hosted the Portuguese Open on no fewer than eight occasions, the South Course is regarded as one of Portugal’s premier golfing venues.
• Laranjal – Designed by Jorge Santana da Silva in the grounds of an orange grove, the par-72 course was named as Portugal’s Best Golf Course 2011 at the Portuguese Travel Awards, and poses serious tests for players of all abilities. Opened in 2008, Laranjal offers a pure golfing experience right next to the Quinta do Lago estate and features fairways sown with Bermuda grass, providing a challenging playing environment in a picture-perfect setting.
• Paul McGinley Academy – Quinta do Lago is home to the only Paul McGinley Academy in the world, founded in October 2011 by Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup captain. With a strong involvement from McGinley himself, who is a regular visitor to the resort, the academy aims to cultivate and improve golfers’ play by providing them with the tools and techniques used on the professional Tours. The academy focuses especially on younger players, working in collaboration with local schools and is the perfect way to follow in the footsteps of the pros.
• TaylorMade Performance Center – Quinta do Lago’s TaylorMade Performance Centre is the only facility of its kind in Portugal and is located on the resort’s expansive driving range. Opened in May 2013, the centre is operated by trained TaylorMade technicians, offering golfers a custom-fitting experience testing hundreds of club and iron options, ensuring the best combination for every player’s swing. It also has a fully-equipped Tour standard workshop and utilises FlightScope X2 radar technology to measure the entire flight of the ball from impact to landing whilst displaying its 3D trajectory in real time.

Set amongst 2,000 acres of the picturesque Ria Formosa Natural Park and located just 15 minutes from Faro airport, Quinta do Lago offers residents and guests an unparalleled location benefiting from a year-round temperate climate, a variety of lifestyle pursuits and a strong sense of community.

For more information on Quinta do Lago and its facilities, call + 351 289 390 700 or visit www.quintadolago.com