New Kent closed tournament opens arms to county’s top amateurs

The PGA in Kent and Kent Golf Union (KGU) today announced that a new 18-hole event - The PGA in Kent Closed Championship - for Kent’s elite amateurs and PGA Professionals, will be held at Lydd Golf Club.

The New Romney golf club has also agreed to host the event for the first three years, with the club being promoted as the host venue to The PGA in Kent Closed Championship. It is widely expected to raise both the club’s profile and the expectations of golfers throughout Kent.

KGU Secretary Paul Loman said: “This will provide an opportunity for the county’s top amateurs to compete directly against their professional peers, and hopefully they will relish the prospect of comparing their own game to those of the PGA Pro.  It will not only create greater ties between the Kent Golf Union and The PGA in Kent, but also help promote the game itself in Kent.”
 
The event, which is set to take place on April 22, will be run between the professional and amateur bodies, with an anticipated £3,000 Professional prize fund and an excellent prize table for the amateurs and a new trophy to mark the inaugural overall winner.
 
Chief Executive of Lydd Golf Club and the Lydd London Ashford Airport, Charles Buchanan, commented: “I am very excited about this decision and its potential for Lydd Golf Club. A tournament of this kind run by The PGA is a terrific way to raise the club’s profile, showcase the course to Kent’s premier golfers, and let them see its true strengths for themselves.”

Buchanan continued: “To the delight of our many guests and visitors, Lydd’s proving itself to be a fine modern golfing challenge designed in the links tradition. In keeping with that, the excellent work of our team over recent years has developed a course that is nicely exposed to winds that can change the challenge in minutes, combined with exceptionally fine greens that will test the very best players. And it is open and playable all year round without the need for temporary tees or greens.”

County PGA Secretary Sam Smith was equally pleased. He said: “The PGA in Kent Closed Championship is really going to extend the ways in which we can make the relationship between both professional and amateur organisations and golfers, especially for those amateurs that want to pursue careers in golf, maybe even for some who are thinking about a future in The PGA.”