Benn Barham- A hole in one and a heart of gold

As the 149^th Open takes place this July in Sandwich, CommunityAd thought they would pay homage to former Tenterden resident and professional golfer Benn Barham who, as well as being a two time Challenge Tour winner in Sweden and Spain respectively, is extremely charitable having raised over £2,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support last year after going through his own traumatic journey several years ago.

Born in Ashford, Barham turned professional in 1999 and qualified as a PGA professional in 2001 where he won the NCC Open in Sweden. At the end of 2005, on top of winning his second Challenge Tour in Madrid, Barham graduated from the Challenge Tour and managed to retain his European Tour Card each season up to the end of 2009 by finishing inside the top 120 rankings.

In 2009, Benn achieved a tournament-best by finishing 2^nd at the Austrian Golf Open and went on to represent Great Britain and Ireland in the 2013 PGA Cup which was tied.

In 2010 however, Barham had an incredibly challenging year on and off the golf course as he underwent a kidney operation, removing a potentially cancerous tumour which was so successful that the golfer was able to compete in the 2011 Kenya Open, just six months after his operation.

Throughout his playing career on the European Tour, Benn would selflessly donate £1 for every birdie he made, to Demelza House, a charity based in Kent that provides care and support to babies, children and young adults.

Big-hearted Benn also completed a 26-mile hike last June as part of a 5-person team, along the Jurassic Coast raising a total of £2,590 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Now residing in Windsor, Benn Barham started up his own golf coaching sessions in 2013 and in 2018 joined the Robert Rock Academy, helping develop talent in golf at every level.

One of the greatest golfing quotes, who’s source remains anonymous is “Golf can best be defined as an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle.” A selfless charitable golfer with a heart of gold, you may well argue that in a world of tragedies and darkness, Benn Barham is our occasional miracle.

You are able to keep up to date with our articles, news and publications by following us on our social media channels below: