A place at The Open for young golfer who overcame cerebral palsy

When Ash Turner developed a rare form of cerebral palsy after a freak childhood accident his parents turned to golf to help him improve his balance and coordination.

Remarkably it helped the young Ash regain control over his limbs, so much so that he is now competing in that most prestigious of golf tournaments, The Open.

Turner, who teed off at Carnoustie on Thursday, was left with  cerebral palsy after falling into a fish tank and fracturing his skull at the age of one.

The potentially fatal condition, called Ataxia, affected his arms and legs and left him with poor coordination and balance, requiring the toddler to wear a crash helmet for the most normal of activities.

But as well as using standard physiotherapy to help Turner, his father Simon signed him up to his local golf club, Kenwick Park, in Louth, Lincolnshire, where he fell under the wing of its professional, Paul Spence.

Michael Langford, the club’s director of golf, told The Telegraph: “Ash’s father played a lot when he was younger and thought it was the kind of activity that would help him. Golf requires balance and to be good on your feet. Just swinging a golf club at any age improves your coordination.”

Even at that age Turner’s natural ability shone through, said Mr Langford.

“It was immediately obvious how good he was, even at the age of four,” he said.

By the age of six doctors were able to tell Mr Turner and his wife Angela that their son had managed to control and overcome the worst symptoms of the Ataxia.

“There’s no doubt the golf helped him improve his motor skills and balance and now he’s reaping the fruits of that, playing in a major tournament like The Open,” said Mr Langford. “It’s created such a buzz at the club. Everyone here is willing him to achieve.”

Turner, now 22, qualified for Carnoustie by finishing top of Final Qualifying at Hollinwell last month. Last week, he won £800 after finishing 10th in a minor tour event in Leeds and now finds himself going up against the likes of golfing superstars such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy.

To this day Mr Spence remains Turner’s mentor. He coached the youngster through the Wee Wonder junior programme when he was just six, playing off scratch at 14-years-old and representing England in each age group and is now alongside him at Carnoustie.

Speaking before the start of The Open, Turner said of his unusual route into the sport: “The main problem was that I couldn't put my heel on the floor properly and would only walk on my toes. When I fell over, I wouldn't put my hands out, so for the first three years at school I had to wear a crash helmet.”

He added: “My dad had played a lot of golf when he was younger. And so my parents bought me some plastic clubs to see if it would help. And it did.”