Tandridge assistant’s 13-under-par total dominates the 10th Sunshine Pro-Am week
Tandridge’s Louis Savill has cruised to victory in The Sunshine Pro-Am in Portugal, shooting rounds of 70, 66 and 67 for a total of 203* to win by seven strokes.
Taking the top prize of £1,100, Savill’s 13-under-par performance blew away the rest of the field, with early leader Ricky Pharo from Royal Mid-Surrey left trailing in second spot on 210 for a handy £850, and Litlestone’s Charlie Wilson turning in a total of 211 for £800.
In the first round at Laranjal, while Savill’s golf through the green was in top gear the speed and slopes of the greens left him struggling for a card of four-over 76. But even though Pharo had opened with a 67, needing three cards out of five meant Savill could ignore his score and start afresh the next day.
After fixing his putting over 30 minutes on Monte Rei’s putting green, Savill charged around the course he considered the most difficult thanks to its fearsome rough, for a two-under-par 70. The next day he followed that with what he considered his best round, a spectacular six-under-par 66 at Quinta South.
As Savill put it: “I missed the first two greens, but shot the rest in regulation and put my wedges close to set up the birdies. I didn’t go defensive but kept pressing and stayed aggressive to the end.”
Now well in front with one more score to make, it was back to Laranjal to post a score Savill now knew he could deliver, shooing a fabulous five-under-par 67 for a winning total of thirteen-under-par 203.
For Savill, the 10th Anniversary lunch at Julia’s Beach Bar on the day before the fourth round was another highlight of the week, while the Pro-Am raised over £8,500 for Demelza House, the Kent based hospice charity for seriously ill children.
The man behind the Pro-Am, Tandridge’s PGA Head Professional Chris Evans said: “The tenth Sunshine Pro-Am was a huge success, with 26 teams of PGA Professionals and amateurs playing three terrific courses in top condition, with each day blessed with warm and sunny weather.”
Evans continued: “We’ve now raised over £60,000 for Demelza House**, an achievement we can all be proud of, and much of the success of the week is down to the excellent event organisation from start to finish - that’s largely down to The PGA in England (South)’s excellent staff.”
Savill backed up Evans’ comments, saying: “It’s a phenomenal week from the moment we touch down to the Gala dinner, and we’re all planning to be back for next year’s Sunshine Pro-Am.”