Matthew heads to The Open 2017

We are pleased to announce that local golfer Matthew Southgate will be joining the cream of the golfing crop at the 146th Open Championship which is to be held at Royal Birkdale this weekend.

• Essex Audi has been sponsoring Matthew, from Thorpe Hall Golf Club in Southend, since February this year and we were excited to learn of this achievement following his win at the qualifier in Royal Cinque Ports, Kent. This will be the third time Matthew has qualified for The Open and after finishing 2nd last week in The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Portstewart, he is feeling confident.

  Matthew’s golfing success is made all the more worthwhile after recovering from testicular cancer in 2015 (his treatment meaning he was unable to participate in that year’s Open). Despite this, his resilience, spirit and passion for golf continued to shine through as just 6 months after his recovery he had qualified for the European Tour team and is now ranked 56th in Europe.

  Following on from his own experiences, Matt is now a proactive fundraiser for Cancer research and support as part of Hattie’s Heroes, a group set up to raise money for Leukaemia CARE. Hattie is Matthew’s niece and was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) at a young age. On the 11th August, Matthew and Hattie’s Heroes will be hosting a Charity Golf Day at Thorpe Hall Golf Club.  Essex Audi will also be supporting this event and we will let you know how you can get involved within the coming weeks.

  In the meantime, we will endeavour to keep you updated on Matthew’s progress in the competition via social media, so follow us on Facebook and look out for posts from Monday 17th July onwards to find out how he is getting on.

  'Good Luck Matt' from all of us at Essex Audi.

• Dates for your Diary

  • 16th July - The 146th Open starts at Royal Birkdale, Southport
  • 11th August - THGC Charity Golf Day for Hattie's Heroes, Southend