The ISPS Handa Pressure Putt Showdown made a successful debut at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May, producing a memorable moment as eight year old Jamie Sach stepped in as a ‘Mulligan’ to help Byeong Hun An and Jamie Redknapp on their way to victory.
This time around, the putting green at The Grove was transformed into a lively arena as a noisy crowd, including pupils from local schools who were selected as ‘Sky Sports Game Changers’, gathered to watch as Kirsty Gallacher and DJ Spoony presented the action live on Sky Sports.
Four teams, each including a European Tour professional, went head-to-head in sudden-death semi-final clashes, with each player attempting to hole putts of increasing difficulty, both in length and angle.
It was one of the most fun moments of my life - Aston
The ISPS Handa Pressure Putt Showdown made a successful debut at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May, producing a memorable moment as eight year old Jamie Sach stepped in as a ‘Mulligan’ to help Byeong Hun An and Jamie Redknapp on their way to victory.
This time around, the putting green at The Grove was transformed into a lively arena as a noisy crowd, including pupils from local schools who were selected as ‘Sky Sports Game Changers’, gathered to watch as Kirsty Gallacher and DJ Spoony presented the action live on Sky Sports.
Four teams, each including a European Tour professional, went head-to-head in sudden-death semi-final clashes, with each player attempting to hole putts of increasing difficulty, both in length and angle.
It was one of the most fun moments of my life - Aston
In the first clash, Kjeldsen and Zola saw off Matt Fitzpatrick and GB Hockey Olympic gold medalist Hollie Webb after just two holes.
In the second semi-final, young Amina Monib came to the rescue of her team mates, holing a superb putt after both Chris Wood and Kevin Pietersen missed on the third hole.
She was called in to action twice more as the contest went to hole five, with Luiten and Hendry’s team eventually sealing a place in the final, where the players took part in a speed putting challenge, holing as many putts as possible against the clock.
Luiten and Hendry showed they could handle the pressure, winning 5-4 – with the help of their young Sky Sports Game Changer.
Hendry said: “I think I holed one putt out of about six or seven – not a good ratio. It was a team effort in the final and the young lad did his job well. I might need to ask him for some lessons.
“It was a pleasure to be asked to take part, and obviously to raise money for charity too. It’s brilliant to have events like this to really create a name for individual tournaments. It was fantastic to be involved in it.”
