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North Texas Teen To Play In Junior Ryder Cup

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Austin Connelly, 17, is putting the final touches on his golf swing this week before he heads overseas to Scotland to play in this year's Junior Ryder Cup. Connelly will join 5 other boys and 6 girls who will represent the country in the prestigious face-off between the United States and Europe.

"It means a lot anytime you can represent your country," said Connelly.

The invitation is exciting enough but he departs for the trip on his 18th birthday.

His father, Bill, has been documenting his playing career from a young age and said pictures taken of his then 2-year-old son are coming to life.

"We rounded up golf bags (as props)," said Bill Connelly. "A friend who was a professional golfer had a lot of golf bags and he happened to have a Ryder Cup bag."

He said it's amazing that his son is now getting to achieve a lifetime dream but it hasn't come without a lot of work. Connelly is homeschooled now and when he isn't focused on his school work, he is focused on his course work.

"I'm not the longest ball hitter so I really have to dissect every course I play," said Connelly.

It's paid off. This year Connelly has 7 top 10 finishes under his belt.

"My ultimate goal is to get to the PGA tour. So that's where I am always looking to go," Connelly.

The 2014 Junior Ryder Cup takes place in Perthshire, Scotland Sept. 22-24.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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