Raitt back in the groove at Kingswood

The PGA in Surrey champion Andy Raitt (St. George’s Hill) showed a clean pair of heels to his colleagues as he delivered a five-under-par 67 to claim the Kingswood Charity Pro-Am crown.

Finishing two strokes ahead of strong contenders James Ablett (Lee-on-the-Solent) and Chris Gane (Left Handed Golf at Silvermere), Raitt took home a cool £800 while pipping the two lefties to the title.

He commented: “It’s turning into a nice season for me so far, and June’s been particularly good. I played well at the English PGA Championship at Saunton a week ago, finishing third, and had a couple of 66s at Betchworth and Surbiton. The 67 here at Kingswood should have been better, as I double bogeyed the fourth, but seven birdies elsewhere more than made up for that!”

This year’s Pro-Am was particularly poignant, as it came barely two months after the passing of one of the region’s great golf supporters, Tom Hilliard, the original driving force behind the group that owns Kingswood and Silvermere. It was largely thanks to him that Kingswood saw a renaissance over the past 30 years, crowned by the addition of bedrooms in The Lodge at Kingswood three years ago.