A 13-year-old golf prodigy from Peterborough is set to play alongside the sport’s top professionals after winning a once-in-a-lifetime spot in the prestigious BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am.
He is one of three amateur golfers who triumphed at the Golf Foundation’s national ‘Unleash Your Drive’ Final, held at the magnificent Grove golf course.
The final was the culmination of a nationwide fundraising competition that saw 3,552 golfers from 147 clubs participate to support the Golf Foundation’s mission of introducing more young people to golf.
After a hard-fought competition, Thomas Peachey, 13, from Peterborough Milton Golf Club, emerged victorious with an impressive Stableford score of 43 points. For young Thomas, the achievement was a dream come true. His mother, Carly, shared her excitement: “It was such a wonderful day and of course Thomas’s result was just the icing on the cake! He hasn’t stopped smiling.”
Joining him at Wentworth in September will be Paul McHugh of Royal Blackheath and Colin McGee from Pine Ridge Golf Club, who both sealed their spots with excellent scores of 41 points.
The victory was a particularly special moment for 71-year-old Colin. “Winning a place to play in a pro-am at Wentworth is the best thing that has happened in my 51 years of golf,” he commented. “I doubt I would ever have this opportunity again.”
Golf Foundation President and Sky Sports Golf presenter, Nick Dougherty, was on hand at The Grove to meet all 60 finalists and present the prizes on the day, which were generously donated by TaylorMade.
“It’s such a privilege to work with the Golf Foundation, a charity that helped me in my formative junior days,” Nick said, as well as praising the ‘Unleash Your Drive’ programme for providing young people with valuable life skills that golf is uniquely placed to provide.
The Grove proved to be a brilliant venue for the 2025 final. With the course in pristine condition under blue skies, the event was a fantastic celebration of golf.
Joel Westwell, Director of Golf at The Grove, said, “We were delighted to welcome The Golf Foundation, Nick Dougherty, and the winners… It’s been a fantastic day both on and off the course, and we’re proud to have hosted such a memorable event and to support this important campaign.”
The winners now look forward to the ultimate prize: taking on the famous West Course at Wentworth in the star-studded Pro-Am, an event at which the Golf Foundation is proud to be the nominated charity this year.
Want to host an Unleash Your Drive competition in 2026, and let your members be in with a chance of playing their way to Wentworth? Register your interest here:
