After an amazing Scottish Senior Men’s Open win in June, England’s John Kennedy went one better as he enjoyed victory in The R&A Senior Amateur Championship at Walton Heath on Friday.
The Consett & District golfer returned a closing 73 for an 11-under-par total of 277 in the Surrey sunshine, to finish a massive seven shots ahead of his nearest competitors – Todd White and Danny Nelson from the USA, and Ireland’s Jody Fanagan.
John can now look forward to playing among the world’s best senior professionals in the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale later this month.
“This is easily my number one experience in golf by miles,” he said. “It feels a bit surreal and hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s a dream come true to think I’m going to be playing in the Senior Open with guys I’ve watched on TV for the last 40 years.”
The victory also earns him a spot in the US Senior Amateur Championship at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas next month.
John began with a seven-shot lead and soon extended that to eight when he found the putting surface of the driveable 262-yard, par-4 opening hole. A birdie followed and he seemed in complete control.
“I didn’t really have my game today,” he admitted. “I got off to a great start and thought ‘I’m flying here’. Then my swing broke down in the middle of the round. But I managed my game really well. I never made a decision that was going to result in a double bogey. I also scrambled really well, which is hard under pressure.”
John works as a compliance manager for the Automobile Association and fits his competitive golf into his holidays. He added, “I’m going to have a long hard think about taking early retirement after this. I’ll wait and see what the next few months brings. It’s a good problem to have.”
It was his fourth consecutive victory following wins in the men’s Sottish Senior Amateur at Montrose, the Durham County Senior Championship and the Consett & District Golf Club Championship, which he won for the 14th time.
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