The 1992 Formula 1 World Champion, who shares a passion for the game as a talented one handicap golfer and owner of the highly successful Woodbury Park Golf and Country Club in Devon, was the PGA’s special guest of honour at the awards ceremony at the PGA European Centre of Excellence at The De Vere Belfry.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nigel Mansell said: “There’s no denying that the diploma programme is first class and attracts the highest calibre golfers from across the UK.”

“It’s an honour to be invited to present awards to the future of the game and I’m truly delighted to see so many top class players choosing to come through the PGA’s training programme to further their golf careers.“

Currently working as an assistant pro alongside Anthony, 29 year old Jamie Wood is looking forward to getting the most out of his last year of the PGA programme before making his mark in the coaching world, as he explained:

“Whilst I’ve enjoyed the broad spectrum of subjects covered including retail, business and equipment technology, my passion has definitely been learning the skills needed to teach golf.

“Having the opportunity at The Belfry to work on the ‘Junior Golf Programme’ has also inspired me to go on and encourage others to take up the game and have fun learning.

26 year old, Anthony Haste was thrilled to win the award having admitted that he found the first year particularly difficult to master.

“It’s been hard but I’ve managed it and the award is the icing on the cake! It’s really provided me with the motivation to go on and succeed in the next two years of the programme.

“Aside from the wide range of skills I’ve learned over the last twelve months, one of the best parts of the programme is that it’s really improved my confidence. The team at The Belfry have also been wonderfully supportive.

Chief Executive of the PGA Sandy Jones added: “Training is a major focus for the association and we have at any one time, around 1,000 trainees under-going our comprehensive three year training programme to become tomorrow’s golf professionals

“All of the graduates have come through an intensive programme and rigorous examinations to qualify and we are delighted to be welcoming such a group of highly skilled individuals to the professional game.”