Hectic schedule for golf ace Dermot

The 17-year-old Ballymena golfer has picked up in 2011 where he left off after a hugely successful 2010.

McElroy has already forced his way onto the Irish senior amateur panel, where he is the youngest member of the squad.

Last month he was selected on a six man Irish team - selected by the Golfing Union of Ireland - to compete in the Spanish Amateur Open Championship.

Later in the month he was back in Spain where he helped Ireland finish in fifth place in the European Nations Cup.

Dermot was the best of the four Irish players, finishing tied for third with a total of 285 shots.

And he carried on that good form last week as he competed in the Peter McEvoy Trophy at Copt Heath Golf Club in Solihull, England.

A final round of 61 (10 under par) saw him smash both the amateur and course record as he shot up the leaderboard.

He finished in fourth position with a total of 280.

It’s sometimes hard to believe that the former St Patrick’s College pupil is still eligible to compete at boys’ level and this week he is representing Ireland boys against their Welsh counterparts at Rosslare Golf Club.

He will be back down south this weekend for the traditional Easter West of Ireland Open Championship in Sligo.

Later this month he is one of six players selected by the GUI to compete in the Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club.

Further down the line, Dermot is preparing for a crack at the Irish Amateur Open Championship at Royal Dublin Golf Club from May 6-8 - a competition whose past winners included future Open champions Padraig Harrington and Louis Oosthuizen.

McElroy will also be eagerly counting down to the North of Ireland Open in July - a competition where he finished runner-up last summer.

Dermot has already expressed his dream of turning professional and his recent performances should continue to ensure that he is very much in the thoughts of the game’s top brass at amateur level.