ISPS Handa’s commitment to golf was further strengthened with the news the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters will be played at the Ladies European Tour’s headquarters at Buckinghamshire Golf Club in Denham, England, on 26-28 July, 2013.
On The European Tour, the ISPS Handa Wales Open at the Celtic Manor Resort will launch the 2014 Ryder Cup Qualification race. ISPS Handa is also presenting sponsor of the Nelson Mandela Championship, won by Scott Jamieson, and the ISPS Handa PGA Senior Championship on the European Senior Tour.
“This is fantastic news for the LET and international sports fans,” said LET CEO Ivan Peter Khodabakhsh. “We are excited to be able to invite the public to come and celebrate the sporting summer at our home at Buckinghamshire Golf Club and encourage anyone who enjoys the excitement of world class golf to come and enjoy a fun day out.”
The 54-hole stroke play tournament has been secured for a minimum of two years and will feature a full field of 126 competitors vying for a €300,000 prize fund.
It will be the penultimate event to count towards qualification for The 2013 European Solheim Cup Team, to be announced the following week, on 4thAugust at St Andrews. The tournament will feature a strong line up of past and future Solheim Cup competitors as well as young and upcoming international talent. Some of the UK’s top stars will be teeing off, such as four-time major champion Laura Davies and rising star Carly Booth.
Davies, who lives nearby in Surrey, said: “I am thrilled to be playing in this tournament and delighted to continue my support for ISPS as an ambassador, continuing their mission for golf to become a Paralympic sport. This tournament is extremely important to me, being played so close to home and on a beautiful golf course. It is also being staged at a key time in the schedule: just before the Ricoh Women’s British Open and ahead of the qualification deadline for The 2013 Solheim Cup.”
Buckinghamshire Golf Club, with its magnificent 18-hole parkland course designed by European Tour founding father John Jacobs O.B.E. and majestic Grade II Listed clubhouse, is conveniently located just 20 minutes from central London and has hosted a number of top amateur and professional tournaments, including the ISPS HANDA Ladies British Masters last August.
Club Ambassador John O’Leary said: “On behalf of everyone at Buckinghamshire Golf Club, we thank Dr Handa and ISPS for bringing the Ladies European Masters here to us. We look forward to welcoming the players, media, guests and spectators to a world class Ladies European Tour golf event in July 2013.”
The International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS) and its Chairman Dr Handa have been committed to using the ISPS platform to highlight the “power of sport” to inspire people, create hope and transform societies for over 25 years. The ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters will be no exception, it will be used to raise charitable funds for various blind and disabled golfing projects in the UK and globally. ISPS will also be further promoting the ISPS HANDA PGA Academy Programme. This programme provides free and tailored golf coaching from PGA Professionals to blind and disabled golfers around the UK and they will be running clinics for those in need throughout the tournament week. ISPS will be working closely with the Ladies European Tour over the next two years to develop Dr Handa’s ultimate goal for golf to become a Paralympic sport
