Historic new format unveiled for European pro team championships at Gleneagles

NEWS RELEASE The format and qualification process for a revolutionary new golf event, which will see male and female professionals play together in a ground-breaking mixed team event, has been agreed by the European Tour and Ladies European Tour. The inaugural European Golf Team Championships will take place at Gleneagles from August 8-12, 2018 as part of the innovative multi-sport Glasgow 2018 European Championships. The unique format will feature a 50/50 gender split in the field with male and female professionals competing for equal prize money in both a Men’s and Women’s Team match play Championship as well as an 18-hole foursomes stroke play Mixed Team Championship. Players will represent their countries with 16 teams of two players competing in the Men’s and Women’s Team events before combining to form teams of four (two men and two women) in the Mixed Team Championship. Qualification for the Championships will be via the European Golf Team Championships Points Tables for men and women, which are based on men’s Official World Golf Ranking Points and women’s Rolex Ranking Points earned from tournaments finishing between Monday 10th July 2017 and Monday 9th July 2018 with a maximum of three teams representing any one nation in each event. Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “The inaugural European Golf Team Championships is an exciting addition to the 2018 European Tour schedule, and we are looking forward to this unique event at the historic Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course. “There is a need for golf to embrace new formats and engage a wider audience, and following our recent announcement about the inclusion of female players in the revolutionary GolfSixes tournament, the European Championships presents yet another innovative opportunity to break new ground on a number of fronts. “The opportunity to represent your country is a great honour that many players experience at amateur level, but the opportunities are fewer when they become professional. Add to this the match play element, and of course the intriguing prospect of the mixed team event, it all points to being a fantastic event for spectators at Gleneagles and those watching on free-to-air television across Europe.”