Raitt takes Woking win

St George’s Hill PGA Professional, Andy Raitt, produced the only sub-par score of 69 at Woking to win the One More Hill Charity Pro-Am in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and take the £500 winner’s cheque.

Despite stumbling around the turn with two bogeys on the trot that took him back to level par and another bogey down the final hole, Raitt, a previous Virgin Atlantic PGA South Order of Merit champion, produced good enough golf to finish one-under-par.

He edged out Paul Simpson (West Berks) who shot a level par 70, while recent winner Jamie Harris (Nevill) came third with a one-over-par 71.

Raitt started in great form with a birdie at the first followed by another at the fourth, but two bogeys out of the blue at the ninth and 10th put him back on level par.

Two more birdies at the 13th and 15th put Raitt back in front, but a final and unaccustomed bogey down the 18th took him back within reach of the pack.

Simpson was looking very good on two-under-par at the turn, but two sixes and three dropped shots on the 13th and 15th wrecked his chances.

Harris’s consistency with his driver showed in a relatively bogey-free card, but despite two great birdies on the 15th and 16th, he bogeyed the 17th to fall back into third place.

One More Hill is a charity formed by Woking GC Members, David and Rodger Hill, who are also cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats later this year.  One More Hill supports invaluable research by raising money and awareness through physical exertion and special events.

Every penny raised goes directly to the two UK Myelin Repair centres in Cambridge and Edinburgh.   

MS is caused by the breakdown of Myelin around the nerve fibres of the central nervous system, and MS treatment has come on hugely in the past few years.

Scientists are currently testing drugs that repair Myelin and halt the progress of MS.  Around 100,000 people in the UK have MS and it affects two million more.