Seniors Championship moves north

Close House near Newcastle has been selected as the venue for this year’s ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship held from 11 to 14 June. The Championship, which has a £260,000 prize fund, will be played over he 6,813-yard par-71 Lee Westwood Colt course. The event was won last year by Spanish former European Tour player, Santiago Luna. Tournament officials indicated it is part of a deal which will see Close House stage the championship for a number of years.

The ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship was inaugurated in 1957 and has subsequently been played at many leading courses including Royal Mid-Surrey, Gleneagles, North Berwick, Royal Dublin, Sunningdale (Old) and The Belfry.

Sandy Jones, Chief Executive of The PGA, commented, “The PGA Seniors Championship has a long history of being contested at prestigious venues and Close House is a worthy addition to that list. It was last staged in the North East as recently as 2012 and I’m sure the spectators will be as knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the tournament as they were then. ISPS Handa have supported golf at various levels for more than 25 years, including several tournaments which they use as a platform to promote opportunities for blind and disabled golfers. This will be the third year they have been involved in the tournament and their support is a huge boost to this historic event.”

Tickets for the event will be made available for the event at www.closehouse.com/pgaseniors on a complimentary basis.