A total of 14 former Ryder Cup players, including three captains, are in the 54-man field for next month’s Acorn Jersey Open at La Moye Golf Club from June 8-11.
Former European Ryder Cup captains Mark James, a 20-time European Tour title winner, Sam Torrance, a four-time Ryder Cup winner who also captained Europe to success in 2002, and Ian Woosnam, who captained Europe to a record-equalling 18 ½ - 9 ½ victory in the 2006 Ryder Cup, are set to tee-off in the European Senior Tour’s second event of the season.
Previous Ryder Cup players also included in the field are Paul Broadhurst and David Gilford, who will be visiting Jersey for the first time, and former European Number One Ronan Rafferty.
The £200,000 prize fund will be contested in a pro-am format, with each professional joined by an amateur partner for three rounds before the professionals play their final round on the Saturday of the tournament.
Jersey’s Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Senator Lyndon Farnham, said: “The Senior Tour showcases the Island as a top-class destination for sport and leisure; both the visiting professionals who come to the Island especially for the event and those who tune in around the globe to watch television coverage.
“To hear the event has attracted such spectacular golfing talent is fantastic news for the Island and the event organisers.”
European Senior Tour Managing Director, Andy Stubbs, added: “The European Tour has a long-standing relationship with Jersey that stretches back nearly 40 years to when Brian Huggett MBE won the B.A./Avis Open at La Moye Golf Club in 1978.
“It is wonderful that we have been able to continue our association with the Island on the European Senior Tour, and we are very much looking forward to returning to Jersey for this year’s edition of the Acorn Jersey Open.
“With the ambience and atmosphere on and around the course, it’s easy to see why the tournament continues to attract such a strong field and we are committed to returning to the island for many years to come.”
