Following the success of last year’s European Senior Tour English Senior Open at Rockliffe Hall, in Hurworth, County Durham, the resort has unveiled plans for this year’s return event, which takes place from August 22-24.
Managing director of the European Senior Tour, Andy Stubbs, and 2013 Order of Merit winner, Paul Wesselingh, joined Rockliffe Hall’s chairman, Warwick Brindle, to announce details about the prestigious tournament which will this year include a charity partnership with Catterick-based Help for Heroes Phoenix House Recovery Centre, which works with recovering veterans and service personnel.
In the pre-tournament pro-am event, Rockliffe Hall will be sponsoring a team from Phoenix House, who will undergo a period of intensive golf coaching with Rockliffe Hall’s PGA professionals and Paul Wesselingh, to bring them up to pro-am standard.
In addition, Rockliffe Hall has announced that this year’s English Senior Open will also have a title sponsor which will be revealed in the coming months.
Last year, the prestigious tournament attracted names such as Carl Mason, former Ryder Cup captain Mark James and Senior Tour favourites such as Barry Lane, Des Smyth and Peter Fowler, as well as Wesselingh who will return again this year.
The eventual winner was Steen Tinning who scooped the prize fund in dramatic style in front of more than 2000 spectators. Having broken the course record with a second round 63, Tinning carded a final round of 67 to end the tournament on 17 under par.
The English Senior Open will be the biggest one-off sporting tournament of its kind to be held in the North East this year with around ten thousand spectators expected during the three day event which takes place on the August Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday 22nd until Sunday 24th, with a pro-am tournament on Thursday 21st.
Warwick Brindle, chairman of Rockliffe Hall, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be the hosts of what will be the biggest one-off sporting event in the North East this year. If last year was anything to go by, we’re expecting even more interest in the tournament this year as people travelled from all over the North to watch. The feedback from spectators, the European Senior Tour and the players was superb. To have a nominated charity partner was also really important to us and there’s already so much enthusiasm from the team at Phoenix House- it’s going to be really interesting to see how they develop their game with our pros in the coming months as everyone is very competitive.”
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, added: “After the immense success of last year’s English Senior Open at Rockliffe Hall and the incredible support we got from the North East, it’s great to be back again announcing our plans for August. It was an outstanding year for the European Senior Tour with the players performing incredibly well on Rockliffe Hall’s superb course. It really is a five star venue that put on a great tournament for us and we’re really looking forward to announcing a strong field of players in the coming months.”
Wesselingh, who won four times in 2013, said: “It really was a wonderful tournament last year and all of my fellow players were incredibly impressed with the standard of the course. There were some phenomenal scores which is testament to the condition of the course and Rockliffe Hall’s greenkeeping team. I have a feeling this year the standard of play will be even higher and we’re looking forward to playing the course again.”
Former Open de France winner Graeme Storm, who is attached to Rockliffe Hall, added: “Last year’s tournament was a phenomenal success and everyone is even more excited about this year. This is a major tournament and for Rockliffe Hall to host an event of this level for the second year running- only five years after its launch- proves what I have always believed- we really do have a magnificent golf course at the heart of the North East and I am really proud to work with the team who make it such a success.”
Rockliffe Hall’s golf club was recently named as one of the best in Europe, collecting the 59Club’s Gold Flag award which is seen as the industry benchmark recognising the best in the sector.
Despite only opening five years ago, Rockliffe Hall has quickly gained a reputation as a world-class golf resort and has hosted a variety of high profile golf tournaments including the William Hunt Trilby Tour Grand Final and the Northern Golf Masters.
The course was strategically designed by world-leading golf architect, Marc Westonborg from Hawtree. Its engineering and construction allows the course to remain open all year round and it also benefits from no winter greens. In addition, Rockliffe Hall is home to a highly-regarded golf academy with coaching from respected PGA golf professionals and is a Cleveland Golf and Srixon Centre of Excellence providing an advanced custom-fitting service for players of all levels.
