The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Young golfers hit 101 hole charity challenge
Two junior golfers from Peterborough have completed a mammoth 101-hole challenge to raise money for the Cancer Wellbeing Service at Peterborough City Hospital.
Leo Brown and Sam Marshall, junior captain and junior vice captain at Elton Furze Golf Club, took on their ‘Longest Day Challenge’ on Monday, June 21.
The pair, 15 and 14-years old respectively, managed to get the day off school to tee off at 4am to complete the fiveand-a-half rounds the challenge required.
They took a short break in between but completed well over 12 hours of golf, finishing at around 5.45pm; having walked an estimated 36 miles between all of the holes.
They were even still going strong at the end with Leo eagling the par five ninth hole and Sam completing a simple put for a birdie, after missing his eagle shot by only a matter of inches.
Both Leo and Sam are talented young golfers in their own right and are formidable opponents in their local scratch league. Leo shoots off a handicap of five, while Sam is at two.
In what was a huge effort from both players to complete the 101 holes, which had a par score of 392, Leo took 426 shots and Sam 405. When the handicaps were applied, this meant the final scores were Leo 26 over par and Sam 11 over, further demonstrating the skill of the two young players.
The boys decided they wanted to raise money for the Cancer Wellbeing Service as a gesture for the club’s junior organiser and men’s captain in 2020, Peter Burgess.
Due to lockdown, the club’s fundraising efforts took a hit and Peter was unable to raise money for the cause close to his heart. The service at the hospital is currently helping a close personal friend of his wife through their second round of chemotherapy.
He said: “It’s extraordinary really the two boys came up to me and said: ‘we’d like to raise money for the charity because you were on lockdown, can we do 101 holes?’ and I said: ‘it’s a bit much boys’ but I’m so proud of them.
“It’s a wonderful achievement and it got the attention of a lot of people. They finished off in front of a big crowd and I had professionals telling me they had seen the boys’ swing and they were really impressed.”
Leo and Sam have already raised over £4000 after starting out with a target of just £500. To support their efforts, visit www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/efgcteenagersgo101holescrazy.
‘I’m so proud of them... It’s a wonderful achievement and it got the attention of a lot of people. They finished off in front of a big crowd... Peter Burgess