John Kemp (Woburn) made it back-to-back English Senior Men’s Amateur Stroke Play titles after an exhilarating three-way play-off on the Hotchkin Course at The National Golf Centre at Woodhall Spa.
Kemp, Stephen Jensen (Trevose) and Scotland’s Kenneth Gallacher all finished on -1 overall to go to a play-off, and despite Kemp missing a three-footer to win with birdie on the 1st, he rolled his 40-foot eagle putt up to mere inches to seal victory on the 2nd play-off hole (18).
John, back-to-back champion. How pleased are you to win it for the for the second year running? Yeah, chuffed. It was a bit of an ordeal, obviously going into a playoff, but yeah, I’m I’m chuffed a bit. So, yeah, great. And I I love this golf course. I’ve won the Champs of Champs around here and the Midland um amateur as well. So, I kind of love this golf course. Talk us through that playoff, that short put on one. Did you think you’d blown it? Yes. Yeah, it was it was poor, you know, three foot with a wedge and miss it. Yeah, it was a bad It was left side. I pulled it. I went out of my process, which I didn’t do to get in the playoff with that up and down out the bunker. Um, but yeah, it’s one of those things. You were You regrouped though and managed to make a fantastic birdie on the second playoff hole. Yeah. Yeah, I did. Yeah, it was a good I was lucky off the tea if I’m I pulled it, but I didn’t strike it and it came up short of the bunker. The other two guys went in it and uh yeah managed to knock it on the green and two putt. Lovely. It’s been a tough week. Which which course did you find trickier here at Wood? Without doubt the bracken. And you can see that with the scores as well. It’s uh yeah very tricky. How are you going to celebrate this win? I assume it’s going to be the same as last year and going to the Euros. Yeah. Off to the Europeans. Uh which is in Turkey. So I’m going to have a few beers over there, the ES beers. And yeah, have a nice chilled time with my wife. She picked that one because it’s 40 degrees all-inclusive hotel, so she loves it. So, yeah, it’s going to be nice. Well, good luck for that and congratulations on this victory. Thank you very much indeed.
