It is true to say Congleton High School pupil Sam Johnson is going to Moscow in the summer of 2022 to become a vandal, although in nothing like the way that fact could be misinterpreted.

The Moscow in question is in the north west of America, a 40-minute drive north of the Nevada Valley.

It is home to the University of Idaho, where Sam has won a golf and academic scholarship and their golf team is called the Idaho Vandals.

Should his progress this season be maintained, Sam, a member of the Astbury and Wilmslow clubs, can expect a successful and enjoyable spell in the States.

Within the space of a week he won the Cheshire Boys strokeplay title and the Faldo Series Midlands Under-18 Championship.

Just how exciting the globe-trotting life of a highly promising young golfer can be – Sam has a handicap of plus three – is illustrated by the events he has qualified for as a result of those victories.

The national Boys Champion of Champions is being played in mid-September at Woodhall Spa, the England Golf HQ in Lincolnshire.

The Faldo Series Europe Grand Final follows in October in Abu Dhabi at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club.

It is unlikely the weather in the United Arab Emirates will be anything like the near 20mph winds and squalls of rain Sam encountered in the Cheshire Boys tournament at the Delamere Forest club, near Northwich.

That he won by six shots to finish three under par for the 36-hole event in difficult conditions is remarkable enough, bearing in mind none of his rivals could better three over par.

Yet few things matter more in golf than resilience. This was a tournament in which Sam bogeyed the first three holes of round one, giving some of the better players in the field a three-shot start before he bounced back to achieve his landslide victory.

The ability to prepare properly is another quality needed by champions so how did Sam get his eye in before winning the Faldo series event?

The tournament was played at Kedleston Park in Derby where he played his practice round with the Derbyshire Boys champion Gavin Ingram, who knows the course like the back of his hand given he is a member there!

This event was played over three rounds with the leaders teeing off last in the final round, pro tournament style.

The first hole at Kedleston is a par five and the other two players in his group birdied it. Sam signed for an eagle following a strategically placed drive of 320 yards, which left him 165 yards from the flag, an accurately struck eight iron and a 12-foot putt.

That increased his tournament lead from two shots to three and he finished two clear of the field at six under par for the event.

The 18-year-old Sam, who lives in the West Heath area of Congleton, has been guided since he was 12 by a former European Tour player in Peter Barber.

Peter has been the Cheshire County Coach for 30 years and he teaches at the Dunham Forest club in Altrincham and the Beeches driving range in Knutsford.

He is also the head coach for the North West England Region Boys and Sam is a member of his squad.

Peter said: "Sam is exceptionally talented, very strong and hits the ball a long way. He's made an impressive improvement in every part of his game over the past 18 months.

"Now he is very good technically and getting better and better. In my opinion he has every chance of going all the way and I cannot sing his praises highly enough.

"In addition to how he plays golf, he is a nice and very well-spoken young man who has a lot of qualities.

"I know that does not make him a champion but it does in terms of people wanting to help him along the way.

"He has respect for people, for me he ticks a lot of boxes, and he has good parental support in that his dad Paul and his mum Debs do not get too involved. They are just there to support him and let him play his golf."

Paul, a single figure handicapper at Astbury, is the managing director of the Congleton firm Business Equipment Specialists, established over a quarter of a century ago.

Sam, a former Astbury junior champion, said: "I started playing golf when I was five after I saw dad chipping in our back garden and I had my first game on the Algarve with him.

"Shortly after I joined Alsager Golf Club when I was six and I got my first set of golf clubs. I joined Astbury when I was 11 and Wilmslow early in 2020.

"I like Peter Barber's coaching because he never coats anything in sugar. He always tells it straight up."

Sam is considering majoring in a sports business-related subject at university in Idaho, where the head golf coach is David Nuhn.

Sam said: "We have been speaking since last year and we gelled right from the start. He's a really friendly guy, the golf schedules there are fantastic and I am very excited to play courses like Chambers Bay and Bandon Dunes.

"The university have their own 18-hole course on campus, the indoor facilities are excellent and everybody is very supportive.

"I made it clear that I was looking for a friend as well as a coach. David grew up in Moscow, went to Idaho University and is still a playing professional which was all a key factor in my deciding to accept the offer.

"I boss my own swing and I own my own swing. I know exactly what I want to achieve with it and I know what I am looking for."

So, who does Sam look up to most in world golf? That's the American Dustin Johnson, winner of the 2016 US Open and the 2020 Masters.

"I like his demeanour. He walks around the course giving the impression he does not have a care in the world and that is what I try to follow."

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Tim Taylor is a former national newspaper staff writer and sub-editor who offers a low-cost copy writing and publicity service to business people in and around Congleton, where he lives. Reviews of his work are here.