{"id":620586,"date":"2026-04-22T07:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T07:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/620586\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T07:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T07:38:21","slug":"australian-golf-junior-hoping-to-test-his-skills-at-canadian-invitational","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/620586\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian golf junior hoping to test his skills at Canadian invitational"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alby Weyden’s parents say he was two years old and in nappies when he first became obsessed with golf balls.<\/p>\n

Four years on, he has been invited to the US Kids Golf Canadian Invitational \u2014 a top-tier international tournament designed for youth development.<\/p>\n

His father, Jason Weyden, said he was shocked when his son received the invitation with a little over two months to prepare for the July competition.<\/p>\n

“It’s exciting for everyone, we certainly weren’t expecting it,” Mr Weyden said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Jason Weyden is Alby’s caddy in tournaments, providing him guidance on what clubs to use. (Supplied: Emma Weyden)<\/p>\n

If Alby plays well, he could qualify for other major championships, gaining the chance to showcase his skills in front of golfing scouts and sponsors.<\/p>\n

His mother, Emma Weyden, said their son’s love for the game developed before he could walk.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Emma Weydon said Alby would carry a container of 20 golf balls with him everywhere they went. (Supplied: Emma Weyden)<\/p>\n

“He would carry a plastic container with 20 golf balls in it and every time we went to the golf store, he’d always want a new pack of balls,” Ms Weyden said.<\/p>\n

“He would sleep with those golf balls next to him, and he would shower with them.<\/p>\n

“Other kids were taking stuffed toys to daycare \u2014 he was taking golf balls.”<\/p>\n

Watching his father in the shadows of a driving range, the two-year-old grew curious.<\/p>\n

“We started him off with some lessons when he was three, but he never really had to be taught things,” Ms Weyden said.<\/p>\n

“He just knew what to do.”<\/p>\n

Financial hurdles<\/p>\n

The family estimates it will cost them around $15,000 for flights, accommodation, playing fees and other expenses to attend the tournament on short notice.<\/p>\n

Ms Weyden said the family would struggle to fund the trip.<\/p>\n

“We’re a single-income family, and I’m at home, homeschooling my daughter due to medical reasons, and my husband is a mechanic,” Ms Weyden said.<\/p>\n

“It’s not going to be easy.<\/p>\n

“What kind of mum would I be if I didn’t do everything to try to get him to these events?”<\/p>\n

The mother-of-three said she had received some negative criticism from people online.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Emma Weyden said Alby became obsessed with the sport before he could walk. (ABC Sunshine Coast: Jake Kearnan)<\/p>\n

“People ask me if I’m forcing him to play,” she said.<\/p>\n

“There are tantrums when we can’t get him to the golf course \u2014 he wants to come every single day.”<\/p>\n

Alby trains nearly every day and has one-on-one coaching lessons.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

While other kids were taking stuffed toys to daycare, Alby would take his beloved golf balls. (Supplied: Emma Weyden)<\/p>\n

Sports psychologist Tacey Veivers said it was a good thing the Weyden family supported their son’s dreams.<\/p>\n

“We don’t want parents fearing that they’re going to be judged if they do help a talented child to pursue that sport,” Ms Veivers said.<\/p>\n

“If a child is showing interest in something, there is no better thing for a parent to do than to facilitate that interest.”<\/p>\n

She said the criticism shone a light on a wider judgement issue in junior sport.<\/p>\n

“A lot of those experiences playing sport will help a child to develop confidence, a self-esteem and an understanding of commitment.”<\/p>\n

Local champ<\/p>\n

The six-year-old was recently crowned the US Kids Golf Local Tour Champion on the Sunshine Coast for boys aged six and under.<\/p>\n

It is one of five tournaments held across the country.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Alby Weyden recently became a US Kids Golf Local Tour champion for boys aged six and under.\u00a0 (Supplied: Emma Weyden)<\/p>\n

Armed with his favourite nine iron, Alby said he enjoyed the social side of the sport.<\/p>\n

“I like playing at ranges, and I like playing competitions with my friends,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I like playing at courses with my Dad.<\/p>\n

“He helps me hit better shots.”<\/p>\n

Alby has been turning heads on the course and has challenged a few adults as well.<\/p>\n

“I beat my Grandad the last time I played golf with him,” he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Weyden is Alby’s caddy during tournaments and said he was amazed by how composed his son was on the fairway.<\/p>\n

“The hardest part is trying to keep myself calm, I get butterflies every time he hits a shot,” Mr Weyden said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Aside from Canada, Hawaii is also on Alby’s list of countries he would like to play in. (Supplied: Emma Weyden)<\/p>\n

“It doesn’t bother him if he has a bad shot or a bad hole; he just has so much enjoyment for the game and loves being out there.<\/p>\n

“He always has a smile on his face and focuses on the next shot.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alby Weyden’s parents say he was two years old and in nappies when he first became obsessed with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620587,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[232975,49,232977,2187,48,232979,622,99308,99668,232976,82,232980,44855,232978],"class_list":{"0":"post-620586","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-alby-weyden","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-caloundra","11":"tag-cameron-smith","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-canadian-invitational","14":"tag-golf","15":"tag-junior-golf","16":"tag-niagara-falls","17":"tag-pelican-waters","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-sports-psychology","20":"tag-sunshine-coast","21":"tag-u-s-golf"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}