Knole Juniors hold their nerve to lift Sam King Trophy in Stockholm

Junior players from Knole Park Golf Club in Sevenoaks returned victorious from a recent overseas trip to Sweden where they competed for the Sam King Trophy against their counterparts at Stockholm Golf Club.

A member of the Knole Park Juniors team tees off in Stockholm.

The clubs take it in turns to host the annual match and this was the first time Knole has won in Stockholm since 2011.

Knole, wearing shirts sponsored by Handelsbanken in Sevenoaks, made a strong start in the morning foursomes and took a three and a half to a half lead into the afternoon singles.

The matches were tense, and several could have gone either way, but the Knole players held their nerve, winning the key battles to finish with a 5-3 scoreline, giving the Sevenoaks golfers an eight and a half to three and a half victory.

Knole Park’s Richard Norris said: “It was a fantastic trip and everything went perfectly. We were fortunate to get great weather every day and played some fantastic courses around Stockholm, including Ullna and the amazing BroHoff.
“The Handelsbanken kit was much admired by the opposition as our team looked so smart.”

The Sam King Trophy is named after Knole’s most famous golfer. Sam King, the son of a charcoal burner at Knole House, started as a caddy at the club in the early 1920s and by 1929 had risen to become the club’s assistant professional.

He went on to win numerous honours and played in three Ryder Cup teams. Sam became the head pro at Knole Golf Club in 1955 and retired in 1976. He died in 2003 aged 91 and is buried at St. Peter and St. Paul’s church in Seal.