Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Bennett edged out in Open bid
Golf round-up
Chestfield golfer Warren Bennett narrowly missed out on reaching the final Open championship qualifying round on Monday.
He hit a one over par 73 to finish in 12th place at the Wildernesse, Sevenoaks, qualifying event just one shot off the qualifying places.
The top eight went through to the final qualifying events on Tuesday when they will battle it out for the three places on offer for this year’s Open.
Had Bennett gone just one shot better he would have joined a seven way play-off for the final four places.
Canterbury golfer Joshua Bristow was also competing and finished in tied 80th place with a nine over par 81.
Prince’s assistant professional Alex Hunter shot a three-underpar 68 to win the inaugural Shepherd Neame South Region PGA Pro-Am at Canterbury.
Hunter made five birdies and two bogeys, shooting three-under over the first nine and level-par coming home.
Hunter finished three strokes clear of joint runners-up Richard Neil-Jones, from Hilden Park Golf Centre near Tonbridge and former European Tour pro Benn Barham, from Pedham Place, Swanley.
One shot back in fourth was PGA European Senior Tour player Bob Cameron, from Sundridge Park, with the leading Canterbury pro, Mike Bristow, a further stroke back with a two-over 73 for joint fifth.
Former Ryder Cup player and multi-European Tour winner Steve Richardson finished five-over on his first visit to Scotland Hills.
Further success for the host club came in the pro-am event, where Neil-Jones was joined by Brett Davies, Mike Bidwell and Richard Beer. The quartet made 15 net birdies between them in the two-from-four format off three-quarters handicap.
That earned them a comfortable four-shot victory over another Canterbury team led by Barnehurst’s Jordan Godwin and comprising Bert Whyte, Tony Wenham and David Elliott.
Plans are now underway for the staging of the Kent PGA Championship at Canterbury next year.
More than 100 members turned out to support Canterbury lady captain Jane Jones’s charity day in aid of Alzheimer’s Research.
Top score in the Team Stableford, in which two players’ scores count on par-fives, three on par-fours and all four on par-threes, was the 120 points registered by Barry Gray, Richard Clarke, Graham Lee and Bernard Disneur.
They finished first among the men’s teams.
Best ladies’ team, with 114 points, comprised Judith Jefferson, Dorothy Lloyd- Hughes, Jean Johnson and Alison Letts.
And first place among the mixed teams was that of Granville and Pat Askham and David and Angela Le Breton, with 118 points.
The majority of the players were dressed in blue – the charity’s adopted colour – but the prize for the best dressed team went to Sheila Cairns, Sue Allan, Peggy Ferrett and Dorothea Sampson, who were dressed as Morris dancers.
Judy Gray was chosen as the best-dressed individual.
Prizes were presented by Roland Furneaux, finance director of KAP, who were the day’s main sponsors for the third successive year.
Entry fees, a raffle and donations contributed to £1,750 that was raised for the charity.
Alex Young and Sam Perry both walked away with trophies after a great weekend of golf at Chestfield.
Young was the overall winner in the Phoenix Trophy on Saturday as he topped Division A with 40 points.
He was two clear of David Moys who took the runnersup spot ahead of Robert Packman and Gianii Vitiello on countback after all three men had closed on 38. Nick Gladstone was next best, on 37.
The winner of Division B was Mick Richardson with 39 points one ahead of Kerry Murray, Carl Boulton and Bernard Connellan who finished in that order on countback. Steve Albin was fifth on 37.
Yvonne Bridge was the clear winner in the ladies’ section with 39 points, while Linda Young and Sally Jemmett came second and third respectively with 36 points after countback.
Twos were achieved by Gianni Vitiello, Nick Gladstone, Andy Young, Malcolm Marsh, Andy Lawrie, Barry Vane, Tom Kidd, Bernard Connellan and Sally Levis, with two.
Sunday saw Sam Perry dominate the Flanagan Trophy with a net 64 as he topped Division B ahead of Tony Ford (66) and Trevor Friend (68).
Jerry Bishop finished top of Division A with a net 68 on countback ahead of Andrew Sait (68). Phil Jones took third from Gianni Vitiello on countback after both men carded 69s.
The lowest gross went to Andrew Sait with 74 on countback.
Twos were recorded by Phil Jones, Alex Young, Steve Chandler, Neil Hatton, Martyn Town, Andy Lawrie and Russ Lewthwaite,
Karen Fowler won the ladies’ Marler Lismore stroke trophy with a net 67 ahead of Sally Levis and Jean Waldock, who both finished on 71.