Promising young sportsman Matthew Raybould, the first person to benefit from the Freeman 1st Foundation, has just achieved his best finish to date in his US college golf career.

The charity is supporting the 23-year-old from Bridlington during his scholarship at Lenoir–Rhyne University in North Carolina. The financial assistance means Matthew can focus on developing his talent into a career as a professional golfer without having to worry about travel, health insurance, tuition and accommodation costs.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s Golf Team opened the spring portion of the intercollegiate season at St Augustine in Florida. While the team finished 19th, Matthew improved each round as the tournament progressed, his game sharpening up after the winter break.

The following tournament at Pawleys Island in South Carolina saw an all-round improvement with the Bears coming second in the Spring Bulldog Clash, only five shots behind the winners. Matthew finished third overall – the first time he has been in contention for a tournament victory.

He said: “For a large part of the final round I was in the lead but ended up falling just short, missing out on a playoff by just one shot. I am extremely happy and proud of my performance and it has given me a lot of confidence to know I can take it one step further next time out and get that first win.”

Matthew has joined the university’s triathlon team and the extra training is assisting his golf game, helping him to feel more relaxed on and off the golf course. He is continuing to enjoy his academic studies and is doing well in his subjects of accounting and Spanish.

Leanne Brewis, Trustee of F1F, said: “Congratulations to Matthew on his exciting progress. It is very satisfying to see this young man from Bridlington go from strength to strength and start to make a name for himself in American college golf. Our charity exists to give talented young people like Matthew a leg up so they can fulfil their potential.”