The Bedford School trio of Finlay Rennie, Jack Peters and Freddie Tucker secured a second national title of the season in the world of school-grade golf in winning the first ever English Schools Scratch Team Championships at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire.
The Hotchkin Course is consistently named in the top 100 courses on the planet and played host to the Championships with Bedford School winning by a single shot from Hampshire’s Itchen College with other schools finishing over nine shots back.
Bedford School’s final score of two-under par, (consisting of two of the three best scores from the trio) was enough to hold off the challenge of Itchen College; boasting Ben Cox – the winner of the individual competition – who finished with a four-under par round of 69.
Jack Peters’ two-under par round of 71 and Finlay Rennie’s level-par 73 was enough to secure the title, with Freddie Tucker’s 79 scored him a solid top-10 place finish.
Fifth former, Finlay Rennie was left with a clutch play from the greenside bunker on the 18th that proved crucial to winning the trophy.
“It feels great to win the event following the success of the HMC Swifts finals, where the team produced history to win it for the first time”, said Peters.
“To follow it up with the win in the brand-new Schools’ Scratch Team Championship was a really lovely send-off, especially for Freddie and myself, where we spent five years at Bedford School competing at the highest level.
“I think, most importantly, the team has bonded so well this year, and the success of the team has come down to the hard work on and off the course and the support we give to each player and the organisation behind the scenes that gives the team the best opportunity to excel in competitions.”
The States await
While Finlay has another year at Bedford School, both Jack and Freddie have both been offered unconditional scholarships to play golf in the United States, following in the footsteps of other former Bedford School golf scholars who have made the same trip.
Jack will study at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Freddie will attend PaPenta School of Business in New Rochelle, New York.
Jack explained, “I am very excited to start my new chapter in my life and move to Florida to play college golf at Keiser University.
“I believe it is a massive opportunity for me to excel while also developing hugely to, hopefully, reach my end goal of being a professional golfer and, ultimately, the best player in the world.”
Former Bedford School student, Finlay Cummings competed in the fiercely competitive NCAA US National Championships as part of Harding University from Arkansas earlier this year and Bedford are due to have two more local names heading in the same direction.
