A celebrity team including Ryder Cup winning captain Colin Montgomerie and BBC radio and TV personality Chris Evans are claiming a new British record after playing 18 holes of golf today - in less than 11 minutes.
Evans joined a team of eight of the world’s top golfers at the London Golf Club, a European Tour Destination, near Ash, Kent, as they completed their round in 10 minutes and 53 seconds, with the Radio 2 DJ holing the final putt to beat the previous record by an impressive one minute and 54 seconds.
But not content with a British record, Evans has vowed to try to go one better with an attempt to break the world record of seven minutes 56 seconds when Golf Live stage a second endeavour on Sunday.
He said: “Adrenaline always gets you going. To be frank, we had a practice earlier in the day and weren’t sure how things were going to go, but everybody did brilliantly and played their part.
“I definitely think we can improve on our time tomorrow while the world record is not out of the question and I would urge everybody to come on down to Golf Live to see how we get on.”
The feat was completed on the London Golf Club’s Jack Nicklaus-designed Heritage Course, with Golf Live’s big-name players completing nine circuits of the 10th and 18th holes – creating a 6,183-yard par-72 course.
Ryder Cup winning captain Colin Montgomerie and European Tour star Oli Fisher hit tee shots on the 10th and 18th respectively, while nine-time Major winner Gary Player, victorious Solheim Cup captain Alison Nicholas, Scottish teenage-sensation Carly Booth and Evans handled everything on or around the greens.
In between them, European Tour stars Rhys Davies and Benn Barham were positioned to play approach shots from the fairways along with Ladies European Tour player Melissa Reid.
While speed was valued over accuracy the players still managed to register an impressive four-over-par score of 76, after recovering from a disastrous eight on the opening hole.
The combination of Fisher, Davies, Barham, Player and Evans proved successful on the 18th as they failed to drop a shot with nine consecutive pars.
Montgomerie’s accuracy off the tee kept the grouping on the 10th hole on track, as seven of his nine tee shots hit the fairway, while on the green Nicholas holed two crucial birdie putts.
The all-star cast were ably assisted by a group of low-handicappers selected from Evans’ listeners, who were strategically placed around the course to play any errant shots in the direction of the green.
BBC commentators Andrew Cotter and Iain Carter provided the hundreds of fans present with commentary throughout the attempt, and a wave of euphoria swept the crowd as Cotter announced the official time and a new world record for Golf Live.
The record-breaking 18 holes was the finale to the second day of Golf Live, where thousands of golf fans have had the chance to get up close and personal with some of the game’s greatest players, marvel at their skills and learn their favourite hints and tips.
The three-day golfing extravaganza is taking place at the London Golf Club, Kent, until 6pm on Sunday and gives visitors the chance to enjoy a host of interactive features including free coaching, club-fitting and the chance to try out the latest equipment from all the big brands.
Tickets for Golf Live cost just £20 for adults while under-18s can gain free entry by registering on Golf Live’s website. For more information or to buy tickets visitwww.golfliveevent.com
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