by Scott Mitchell

sittingbourne@thekmgroup.co.uk

A promising teenage golfer is heading to America after a whirlwind 2011.

Jessica Gregory will move to the States in August after accepting a 75 per cent scholarship to study at the University of Maryland.

The 17-year-old, of Burntwick Drive, Lower Halstow, received the offer just before Christmas after a conference call interview with the university's director of golf, their women's coach, and the head of Jessica's scholarship agency Prodream USA's Lorne Kelly.

It capped a remarkable year in which she became the joint-youngest winner of the Kent Ladies' Championship, won the Kent Schools' Golf championship, and was named Kent Junior Girls' captain.

She said: "With every offer I received from different universities I became more and more excited, then Maryland came in and it was really overwhelming.

"I thought the interview went really well and then I received an email confirming the placement and it finally hit me."

The Highsted Grammar pupil, who has been playing the sport for seven years, received scholarship offers from 14 universities.

"My agency said it's one of the highest-profile universities they deal with, so the decision to accept their offer was never doubted."

Jessica will spend four years in America and is aiming to study business or history. The scholarship, which covers payment for food, tuition and board, will ease the financial pressures of studying Stateside and is likely to increase for the second, third and fourth years.

Her mother Maureen said: "We were absolutely ecstatic when Jessica got the offer from Maryland.

"It is a reflection of what she has achieved through her golf victories over the last year, and her academic achievements."

The family will visit Maryland for a few days in February and Jessica, who will move there in August, wants to return home at the end of her studies with the hope of turning professional.

Chris Daniels, Kent Ladies' county captain, believes Jessica can go on to have a successful career.

"Jessica's work ethic for golf and her studies will definitely stand her in good stead for whatever she wants," she said.