PRESS RELEASE
NEXT YEAR'S SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
QUALIFYING VENUES IN AYRSHIRE NAMED
Three of Ayrshire’s finest courses – Dundonald Links, Glasgow Gailes and Western Gailes – have been selected to host pre-qualifying for the 2008 Senior Open Championship, Presented by MasterCard, which takes place at Royal Troon from July 24-27 next year.
Speaking on behalf of the Championship Committee, David Hill, the R&A’s Director of Championships, said: “We are delighted that three courses of such high quality and renown as Dundonald Links, Glasgow Gailes and Western Gailes will host our 2008 qualifying rounds.
“They are three fantastic courses that will certainly help ensure all those qualifying will be excellent golfers worthy of playing at Royal Troon, which is the sixth regular Open Championship course where The Senior Open Championship will occur.”
The decision to award Dundonald Links pre-qualifying is further recognition of the course’s growing stature within world golf venues, for it also recently became the first course in Scotland to be awarded European Tour Qualifying School status. From next year, it will host Stage One of the process.
Owned by Lyle Anderson, who also owns Loch Lomond Golf Club, home of the Barclays Scottish Open, Dundonald Links opened in July 2003.
The testing 7,300 yard, par 72 championship circuit was designed by the great American course architect Kyle Phillips, whose portfolio of other prestigious courses includes Kingsbarns in north-east Fife, Scotland, and The Grove, near Watford in Hertfordshire, England.
Dundonald Links sits alongside Western Gailes GC, overlooking the Firth of Clyde towards the island of Arran.
Western Gailes is a 6,639 par 71 that has hosted the Curtis Cup and is a regular Open Championship qualifying venue when both Royal Troon and Turnberry are the rostered venues.
Glasgow Gailes, a 6,903 par 71, is another Open qualifying course and it will also host the 2010 Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship and the 2012 Home Internationals.
The qualifying route into The Senior Open Championship is a path that can lead to the ultimate success – as American Pete Oakley proved in 2004 when he made history by becoming the first qualifier to win The Senior Open title when he claimed a one shot victory at Royal Portrush Golf Club.
The previously little known American, from Delaware, shocked the golfing world with his play and courage to hold off experienced challengers, American Tom Kite, Argentina’s Eduardo Romero and England’s Mark James in Northern Ireland.
Oakley started the final round with a one stroke lead and held his nerve to fire a two under par 70 – getting up and down from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole to finish the tournament on four under par 284, one ahead of Kite and Romero, with James a further shot back.
The 2008 Senior Open Championship is presented by MasterCard, a global payment solutions leader, who were previously the Presenting Sponsor of the Championship from 2000-2004.
Since 2004, MasterCard has been associated with the event as a Championship Patron and is now graduating back to the level of Presenting Sponsor at a time when some of the biggest stars of European golf are about to reach their 50th birthdays.
Among the new names who will be eligible to play in the Championship at Royal Troon are three Major-winning Ryder Cup Captains – Bernhard Langer of Germany, Hal Sutton of the United States and Ian Woosnam of Wales, in addition to 1985 Open Champion and 1988 Masters Tournament winner Sandy Lyle of Scotland.
It will be the fourth consecutive year the Championship has been staged in Scotland and the first at Royal Troon.
Paul Bush, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, commented: “EventScotland is delighted that these terrific courses have been selected to host the pre-qualifying matches for the 2008 Senior Open Championship.
“This is great news for Ayrshire and for Scotland, which will once again be able to demonstrate why it is the Home of Golf as we build towards hosting the Ryder Cup in 2014.”
The Scottish sequence began at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in 2005, followed by The Westin Turnberry Resort in 2006 and at Muirfield, where record crowds flocked in July to see England’s Nick Faldo’s European Seniors Tour debut and also enjoy Tom Watson’s thrilling victory.
Watson, a MasterCard Ambassador, will defend The Senior Open Championship at Royal Troon after the American captured his third Senior Open title at Muirfield, defeating compatriot Mark O’Meara and Australia’s Stewart Ginn by a stroke.
For further information and advance ticket news regarding The 2008 Senior Open Championship, presented by MasterCard, at Royal Troon Golf Club, please visit the following link: http://www.europeantourtickets.com/the-senior-open-championship-2008-10-c.asp
QUALIFYING VENUES IN AYRSHIRE NAMED
Three of Ayrshire’s finest courses – Dundonald Links, Glasgow Gailes and Western Gailes – have been selected to host pre-qualifying for the 2008 Senior Open Championship, Presented by MasterCard, which takes place at Royal Troon from July 24-27 next year.
Speaking on behalf of the Championship Committee, David Hill, the R&A’s Director of Championships, said: “We are delighted that three courses of such high quality and renown as Dundonald Links, Glasgow Gailes and Western Gailes will host our 2008 qualifying rounds.
“They are three fantastic courses that will certainly help ensure all those qualifying will be excellent golfers worthy of playing at Royal Troon, which is the sixth regular Open Championship course where The Senior Open Championship will occur.”
The decision to award Dundonald Links pre-qualifying is further recognition of the course’s growing stature within world golf venues, for it also recently became the first course in Scotland to be awarded European Tour Qualifying School status. From next year, it will host Stage One of the process.
Owned by Lyle Anderson, who also owns Loch Lomond Golf Club, home of the Barclays Scottish Open, Dundonald Links opened in July 2003.
The testing 7,300 yard, par 72 championship circuit was designed by the great American course architect Kyle Phillips, whose portfolio of other prestigious courses includes Kingsbarns in north-east Fife, Scotland, and The Grove, near Watford in Hertfordshire, England.
Dundonald Links sits alongside Western Gailes GC, overlooking the Firth of Clyde towards the island of Arran.
Western Gailes is a 6,639 par 71 that has hosted the Curtis Cup and is a regular Open Championship qualifying venue when both Royal Troon and Turnberry are the rostered venues.
Glasgow Gailes, a 6,903 par 71, is another Open qualifying course and it will also host the 2010 Scottish Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship and the 2012 Home Internationals.
The qualifying route into The Senior Open Championship is a path that can lead to the ultimate success – as American Pete Oakley proved in 2004 when he made history by becoming the first qualifier to win The Senior Open title when he claimed a one shot victory at Royal Portrush Golf Club.
The previously little known American, from Delaware, shocked the golfing world with his play and courage to hold off experienced challengers, American Tom Kite, Argentina’s Eduardo Romero and England’s Mark James in Northern Ireland.
Oakley started the final round with a one stroke lead and held his nerve to fire a two under par 70 – getting up and down from a greenside bunker on the 18th hole to finish the tournament on four under par 284, one ahead of Kite and Romero, with James a further shot back.
The 2008 Senior Open Championship is presented by MasterCard, a global payment solutions leader, who were previously the Presenting Sponsor of the Championship from 2000-2004.
Since 2004, MasterCard has been associated with the event as a Championship Patron and is now graduating back to the level of Presenting Sponsor at a time when some of the biggest stars of European golf are about to reach their 50th birthdays.
Among the new names who will be eligible to play in the Championship at Royal Troon are three Major-winning Ryder Cup Captains – Bernhard Langer of Germany, Hal Sutton of the United States and Ian Woosnam of Wales, in addition to 1985 Open Champion and 1988 Masters Tournament winner Sandy Lyle of Scotland.
It will be the fourth consecutive year the Championship has been staged in Scotland and the first at Royal Troon.
Paul Bush, Chief Operating Officer at EventScotland, commented: “EventScotland is delighted that these terrific courses have been selected to host the pre-qualifying matches for the 2008 Senior Open Championship.
“This is great news for Ayrshire and for Scotland, which will once again be able to demonstrate why it is the Home of Golf as we build towards hosting the Ryder Cup in 2014.”
The Scottish sequence began at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in 2005, followed by The Westin Turnberry Resort in 2006 and at Muirfield, where record crowds flocked in July to see England’s Nick Faldo’s European Seniors Tour debut and also enjoy Tom Watson’s thrilling victory.
Watson, a MasterCard Ambassador, will defend The Senior Open Championship at Royal Troon after the American captured his third Senior Open title at Muirfield, defeating compatriot Mark O’Meara and Australia’s Stewart Ginn by a stroke.
For further information and advance ticket news regarding The 2008 Senior Open Championship, presented by MasterCard, at Royal Troon Golf Club, please visit the following link: http://www.europeantourtickets.com/the-senior-open-championship-2008-10-c.asp
Labels: WHERE TO GO
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Thursday, October 25, 2007
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home