Busy Lloyd banking on year to remember

Lloyd Kennedy says he is looking forward to what 2016 has to offer – and no wonder.

For starters, the former European Tour and Challenge Tour golfer is working hard as a first-year Assistant on the PGA Foundation degree course.

Secondly, Woolston Manor-based Kennedy plans to play a busy schedule of events in the PGA in England (East) region.

And last but by no means least, he is set to marry his fiancée Sophie in Italy this June.

Kennedy, 30, said: “It is going to be an exciting year. I’m looking forward to it for a lot of reasons.”

Life has certainly not been dull for the Essex golfer since he took a step back from Tour golf at the end of 2014. 

The previous six years had seen him mainly competing on the Challenge Tour, either side of a season with a European Tour card in 2012. 

Having missed out at Qualifying School, he landed a job working for Bradley Preston, the head PGA professional at Woolston Manor. 

And last year Kennedy committed to the PGA Foundation course. It’s a move he is not regretting.

He said: “It was just a sensible and pretty obvious decision...the passion I have is for golf. The PGA is a great way to go – it opens up a lot of doors with teaching – and it is a very strong qualification. 

“No matter which way my playing career goes, I’m always going to have this as an option.”

The task of securing that coveted qualification is very much to the forefront of Kennedy’s mind as his busy 2016 unfolds.

And the return to education, while enjoyable, has brought its own set of challenges – such as the skill of self-editing.

He said: “I’ve had my results back from my first assignment and got 80 per cent. I’m quite happy with that but it feels alien – I’ve been out of learning for a long time.

“I’m doing a 1500-word coaching assignment at the moment and I need to take bits out – I’ve got way too many words. I’ve got about 3,000 written down, so I’m not structuring it very well... I am very rusty!”

One area that still appears as sharp as ever is his golf. Over the winter months Kennedy has been in great form on the PGA in Essex schedule. He has racked up a clutch of wins and is on course to land the county’s Order of Merit crown.

He said: “I’ve been really pleased with how my golf has been over the winter. I’ve been doing quite a few shop hours and not really putting much time into my game. 

“But I think my expectations are a bit lower and I feel like I have actually been playing half-decent when I have been out going out. It has been really enjoyable.”

In April, Kennedy will be attending the regional Qualifying School at Essendon for the East’s 2016 series of Order of Merit events – although he may end up missing a couple in June due to a certain other engagement on Italy’s Amalfi Coast!

He is not even ruling out a return to Tour golf at some point down the line. A bunch of top-three finishes on the Challenge Tour is testament to just how good a player Kennedy is. 

And speaking to him, the desire to prove himself at the highest level clearly remains after his one frustrating season on the main Tour.

He said: “Growing up as a kid, all I ever wanted to do was to get on the European Tour – and it was a real disappointing season. 

“The events I did get in were the smaller ones or those right at the start of the season that none of the bigger guys wanted to go to. 

“I didn’t play anywhere near as well as I would have liked to when I was on Tour but it was a great experience. 

“It’s just if I could do it again, I would like to play a bit better. I still want to get back on the European Tour – it’s just going about it a different route rather than the Challenge Tour.”

Kennedy says, if things fell into place, that he’d like to go to the European Tour’s Qualifying School in November. 

Get his card back there and it really would top off what is shaping up to be an unforgettable year.

** To find out more about becoming a PGA Professional click here.