Gane crowned King of the Hill

Chris Gane shot a cool five-under-par 67 to win the King’s Hill Pro-Am, supported by Kings Hill Properties and McMillan Woods, by two clear shots.

Gane (Lefthandedgolf.co.uk) outplayed another strong field at the immaculately prepared King’s Hill course to take the winner’s cheque of £650, leaving the King’s Hill pair Mark Trow and PGA Cup hero Benn Barham, and the Nevill duo of Jamie Harris and Michael Hart, and Charles Wilson (Littlestone) two shots adrift on three-under-par.

Things for Gane got off to a terrible start with a double bogey six at his first hole, the fourth. “I played nine with Benn Barham the day before,” he explained, “but just like the round at Dale Hill I didn’t know the course well enough and made the wrong call. Fortunately, that was the only time I got out of shape, and I was pleased with the way I played the remaining 17 holes.”

Gane continued: “That start took away any expectations and I just took each hole as it came, but then I got on the next three par fives in two at the ninth, 10th and 12th, putting well and making the birdies.” One-under-par after nine holes, two more birdies followed at the 14th and 15th as Gane’s putting touch stayed on song to reach three-under.

Another two at the first and the third, his last hole, put him on five-under-par and in pole position. As the other scores came in, it soon became clear that Gane’s performance topped the lot. “I played the par threes well,” he said, “which helped keep the score together, and they’re all strong short holes at King’s Hill so I was pleased with that.”

Gane’s putting was much better, as he commented, “My putting has improved a lot since Ben May at Silvermere put me through his ‘Every Ball Counts’ exercise and compared my results against the USPGA Tour. It showed my putting needed a lot of work. Now my putting is turning OK rounds into really good ones, and that’s what happened today.”

Besides this week’s Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship at Forest Pines with his sparring partner Tim Milford (Pedham Place), Gane’s now fired up with two major opportunities to improve his Virgin Atlantic PGA South Order of Merit position:  the finals of the Keith MacDonald Match Play on October 7 at The Berkshire, and the 36 hole Messier-Bugatti-Dowty Wildwood Invitational 24 hours later.