26 THE WORLD OF GOLFING
FOXHILLS
Kiwi blitzes Foxhills to claim speedgolf title
Foxhills
New Zealand had their sporting revenge
over England in the 2019 British Open
Speedgolf Championship, hosted at
Foxhills Club & Resort.
Just two weeks after the nail-biting
World Cup final between the two
nations in the cricket when England
edged home in a thriller at Lord’s, Jamie
Reid sealed success for the kiwis as he
scampered home for victory ahead of
home favourite Chris Benians.
The high-octane sport lived up to
its name on the Longcross with an
incredible mix of athleticism and golfing
ability on show with five players finishing
18 holes in under 50 minutes.
The 28-year-old Reid’s superior pace
over his rivals was the key, as he shot
a nine-over-par 81 in just 40 minutes
and 57 seconds to post his Speedgolf
Score of 121.57. Perhaps even more
remarkably, he did it without using a
conventional putter to save weight
and completed his round with just
three clubs: a four-iron, seven-iron and
pitching wedge.
Defending champion Benians,
meanwhile, shot a superb two-over-par
74 in just under 50 minutes (123.59) for
second place ahead of reigning world
champion, Mikko Rantanen from Finland,
who also shot 74 in 51.07.
In other categories Kathy Leppard won
the women’s division, whilst newcomer
Chris Fenn scooped the amateur title
with competitors from USA, France and
Germany also among the international
field across the categories.
WEBSITE: www.foxhills.co.uk
Chris Fitt, director of golf and leisure at
Foxhills, said: “It was a pleasure to host
the event and congratulations to Jamie
and to everyone else who took part.
These golfers are amazing athletes and
it’s a worthy sport in its own right.
“I think most people would struggle
to run round the course in under 41
minutes, let alone shoot nine-over while
you’re doing it. And to shoot two-over-
par round the Longcross is no mean
feat at the best of times – to do it in 50
minutes is nothing short of incredible.”
Pam Painter, co-founder of British
Speedgolf, said: “It was another fantastic
showcase for our sport at a fabulous
venue. It was a blistering pace – this is
golf at full throttle!”