A PUMA has been spotted at a golf club near St Neots. Eddie Smith, a member of Abbotsley Golf and Country Club, was walking down the 11th fairway of the Cromwell course when a puma ran past him. The big cat sighting took place cat at about 9.30am on Thur

A PUMA has been spotted at a golf club near St Neots.

Eddie Smith, a member of Abbotsley Golf and Country Club, was walking down the 11th fairway of the Cromwell course when a puma ran past him.

The big cat sighting took place cat at about 9.30am on Thursday (May 21).

Initially, the 62-year old did not believe his eyes but the animal was in clear view and says he cannot have been mistaken.

Mr Smith said of his encounter: "I have never seen anything like this before. The animal that passed me - at great speed - was definitely a black puma. There is no way it could have been any other animal. The 11th fairway is right next to a thick copse of trees, so it is possible that it has made its home there.

"This really is a story to tell the grandchildren!"

Nicky Briggs, general manager at Abbotsley Golf Club says she believes Mr Smith as she herself has found evidence of a big cat at the club.

In February, during the heavy snow, she was walking on the course and saw the biggest paw prints she had ever seen. Nicky followed the prints and found a trail of blood leading to a decapitated badger corpse, which had been half eaten. Her immediate thought was that there must be a big cat in the vicinity.

She said: "I hadn't thought too much about my find in February until Eddie Smith came off the course this morning. My suspicions appear to have been confirmed.

"I am very keen to get an expert to the course to look into the possibility of a puma living nearby, so that all my members can continue to play golf without fear of encountering a puma."