Essex pair prepare for big day with Bush Hill Park triumph

A groom and his best man topped the leaderboard at the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship East qualifier at Bush Hill Park Golf Club. 

Craig Housden, of Channels Golf Club, and Lloyd Kennedy, from Woolston Manor Golf Club in Chigwell, carded an eight-under-par round of 62 to win by one shot ahead of James Scade (Ingrebourne Links Golf Complex) and James Webber (Three Rivers Golf & Country Club).

They will join eight other qualifiers for the £33,000 final which takes place on the Jack Nicklaus designed course at Carden Park in Cheshire between August 17-19.

But for Essex pair Housden and Kennedy, it was the ideal way to tee off a big couple of weeks.

Kennedy is getting married in Italy on June 25 and Housden will be his best man.

“I think he’ll be more nervous about giving the speech than he will be playing in the Fourball final,” smiled Kennedy, a first year PGA Assistant.

“But this was a great way to start things off, playing with your best mate and getting to a big PGA event like this.

“I get my PGA exam results when I’m on honeymoon so I hope that doesn’t put a dampener on things!

“We go back a long way and just enjoyed the day. There was a rain delay but we beat most of that and most of our birdies came on the front nine when it was dry.

“It was starting to get torrential with a few of the greens flooded by the end, so we left a lot of shots out there. I told Craig we were saving them for the final.”

Housden, a second year PGA assistant, said there could be a few familiar faces in the final with Channels head professional Jason Levermore also aiming to qualify from the Midlands event.

“Jason has won this event before so I’m sure I’ll get a few tips from him,” said Housden.

“James Webber came second here and his mum works at Channels! So hopefully there’ll be quite a gathering of us at Carden Park.

“I know Lloyd from when he played at Chelmsford so it was good to get together with him and win.”