Hampton School student Liam Cox has vowed to lead Surrey’s young golfers to more national county championship glory in 2012.

The 17-year-old Burhill Golf Club star, a triple age group county champion by the time he was 15, is on the English Golfing Union’s Advanced Apprentice Sporting Excellence’ programme and was unveiled as Surrey’s new U18 skipper this week.

Cox, already captain of the school’s golf team as well as the Middlesex Schools squad, capped a fine 2011 by finishing 26th out of a field of 80 at the Jones Cup Junior Invitational event in the USA before Christmas.

And the teenager, South of England Schools champion and Middlesex Schools’ Scratch champion in 2010 is looking to continue that form as he bids to land a golf scholarship in the US in his last year in the junior ranks.

“It is an honour to be selected as captain once again,” said Cox, who has skippered the U14, U15 and U16 teams in the past and is eyeing a career as a full-time professional.

“Surrey is consistently a competitive county and we have won three of the past five National County Final Championships.

“I hope I can lead the team to another successful year.”