A TALENTED golfer died just days after being made a life member of his local club.

Grandfather Keith Hornby, 73, was awarded life membership at Pleasington Golf Club’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday.

But the former champion golfer, who lived next to the club, died on Sunday after a three-year cancer battle.

Chris Williams, secretary and manager at Pleasington Golf Club, said: “He had advised us that he was standing down as president, so we decided to make him a life member in recognition of the massive contribution he made to the club.

“He was a man of high standards – he liked the strict dress code and etiquette of golf, but he was down to earth and very genuine.”

Mr Hornby, who formerly worked as a salesman in the paper industry, joined the club in 1953 and was a scratch golfer for more than 25 consecutive years.

He won the club championship eight times over five decades and his name appears on the honours board 24 times.

He won East Lancashire’s Harold Ryden Trophy twice, the ELGA Scratch Gold Medal twice and the ELGA Seniors Scratch Medal once.

He represented Lancashire on 63 occasions, serving as captain for three years and was elected as Lancashire County President in 1993/94.

Between 1962 and the time of his death, he spent 28 years on the Pleasington Golf Club council.

After two stints as captain, he was elected as president in 2010.

He had been a vice-president of Lancashire for 18 years serving on the executive.

“He was a very, very good golfer,” said Mr Williams.