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Callaway’s team of Staff Professionals began their Open preparations by showcasing their links golfing skills to more than 150 guests at the stunning Prince’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent.

Alvaro Quiros, Alex Noren, Danny Willett, Fredrik Jacobson and Thongchai Jaidee spent time entertaining members of the golfing press, valued retail partners and friends of the company at an event that has become a real fixture of Open week.

The players took part in a series of links golf challenges, with Callaway’s Director of Pro Tour Relations Peter Harrison overseeing events. They attempted a nearest-the-pin on a semi-blind par-3, a tricky escape from a deep pot bunker and a 100-foot putt across the giant putting green before the final challenge, a long drive contest.

The bar was set very high early on with Thongchai Jaidee hitting a 9-iron to five feet, Freddie Jacobson holing his bunker shot and Alex Noren lagging his 100-foot putt to 83cm from the hole. The longest drive was a battle between Danny Willett and Alvaro Quiros and although Danny managed a superb 318-yard effort, Alvaro showed everybody just why he is the longest driver on the European Tour with a 334-yard bomb.

With the benchmark set on each of the three challenges, guests were then invited to ‘Beat the Pro’, with some great prizes on offer for those who managed to improve on the marks made by the Tour players. Guest scored points on the first three challenges that were converted to yards and then added to their long drives so that mere mortals had a chance of matching Alvaro’s prodigious distance.

“Yet again it’s been a great Monday night event,” said Neil Howie, President of Callaway Golf EMEA. “Everybody really appreciated the guys taking the time out of their Open preparations to join us and it was fantastic to see not only what great players they are, but what great people they are too.”

For more images of the event, check out the album on the Callaway Golf Europe Facebook page