North-East course selected to host major PGA Seniors tour event

The likes of Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Sam Torrance, Barry Lane, Ronan Rafferty, Gordan Brand Jnr and Constantino Rocca should all be competing in the event, which will take place on June 11-14.

The tournament, which is the oldest event on the European Senior Tour and the second most prestigious seniors event held in Britain behind the Seniors Open, is expected to attract a bumper crowd, with all tickets set to be free of charge.

The PGA Tour’s decision to select Close House underlines the course’s growing reputation as one of the leading venues in the country, and represents a major boost to the North-East’s sporting landscape in the wake of Rockliffe Hall’s successful staging of the last two English Senior Opens.

“It’s another part of the progression of putting Close House on the map,” said the course’s owner, Graham Wylie. “When we opened four years ago, our first thought was, ‘How do we compete with 48 other courses in the region?’

“We built a Championship golf course, got Lee Westwood to open it, and then he became our tour professional. That proved it was a good golf course, but the fact the PGA have selected us to host a PGA Seniors Championship is brilliant news.

“It’s good for the golf club, and great for the region. A showcase golf event is something the North-East has been missing for a while now, although there’s not really that many to choose from in the whole of Britain now.

“The Seniors PGA is absolutely ideal for us. It’s the right size for where we are right now, and we’re confident of being able to attract some great household names. It’s one of the tour’s two most prestigious events, and the last tournament attracted eight Ryder Cup players.”

A forerunner of the PGA Seniors Championship was staged at Slaley Hall, and the event’s return to the North-East suggests a fully-blown European Tour event is an attainable target in the future.

Tournament officials have indicated they are close to confirming a deal that will see Close House stage the championship for a number of years, and in the longer term, it is not inconceivable that the Ryder Cup could come to the course.

Those involved in the day-to-day management of the golf complex are keen to avoid running before they can walk, but senior PGA officials have clearly been impressed with Close House’s facilities and long-term ambition.

“This is a venue that has made incredibly big strides in a short space of time,” said PGA joint chief operating officer Rob Maxfield. “It could definitely go even further in the future, and it could definitely stage a main tour event if it wanted to.

“Close House has already carved out an extremely strong reputation locally, and it’s great to see a club like this doing so much in terms of running clinics and coaching sessions for local players and youngsters.

“This event will bring Close House to a national and international audience, and that can only be of benefit to everyone. Beyond that, we will see.

“But this is one of our tour’s biggest events and we’re hoping to be able to grow and build on it year on year. We’re hoping the North-East region will come and support us, and I know the players are looking forward to playing to packed galleries and big crowds. We wanted to make the tickets complimentary because we want to give as many people as possible the chance to join us.”

The tournament will be staged on Close House’s 6,813-yard par-71 Lee Westwood Colt course, which was recently included in Golf Monthly’s prestigious list of Britain and Ireland’s top-100 courses for the first time.

Santiago Luna will be defending the title he won at Stoke by Nyland, near Colchester, last summer, with local seniors having an opportunity to qualify via the pre-qualifying event, which will be staged on Monday, June 8.

“I’ve spoken to quite a few of the players, and there’s a real sense of excitement about coming here to play,” said David Russell, a former European Tour professional who won the PGA Seniors Championship in 2010. “You’re going to see some of the most recognisable names from European golf in the last two or three decades competing against each other.

“We all want to win, but we’re also at a stage in our life where we realise we’re very fortunate to be doing what we’re doing and we want to try to give something back. So if you come along to watch, you’ll be able to get up close and personal with the players in a way you probably couldn’t at a European Tour event.”

* The ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship takes place between June 11-14, with around 20,000 spectators expected over the course of the four days. Tickets are complimentary, and are available from www.closehouse.com/pgaseniors. Hospitality packages are also available on 01661 852255 or by Emailing enquiries@closehouse.co.uk.