The Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open, one of the longest running tournaments on the European Senior Tour, will have an increased prize fund of €280,000 – a rise of €30,000 on 2011 - when it celebrates its 16thedition from July 6-8.
Golf Club Bad Ragaz, in Switzerland, will host the tournament for a 16thconsecutive year, the longest unbroken run of any host venue on the Senior Tour, and the rise in prize money underlines the tournaments status as one of the leading events on the Senior Tour.
Last year’s tournament was won in dramatic fashion by Peter Fowler, who overturned Angel Fernandez’s seven shot lead to claim his second Senior Tour title, and the Australian went on to win the 2011 Order of Merit ahead of former Ryder Cup player Barry Lane.
Fernandez had fired a superb opening round nine under par 61 to equal the course record that was set in 2006 by Spaniard Juan Qurios and equalled in 2008 by Englishman Carl Mason, who is the only player to win the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open on three occasions.
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “The Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open has been a permanent fixture on our schedule since the inaugural event in 1997, and we are delighted to announce a significant increase in the prize fund.
“We have enjoyed a long standing relationship with Golf Club Bad Ragaz and this rise in prize money shows how the tournament continues to grow. The tournament is already one of the most popular on the Senior Tour due in no small part to the wonderful hospitality we are always afforded at Golf Club Bad Ragaz, and we are all looking forward to another superb tournament in July.”
Ralph Polligkeit, President of the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open, said: “We are very pleased about the increased prize fund and we are also to announce that one of the game’s greatest players, Gary Player, will attend our Tournament at Bad Ragaz for the first time. We’re very much looking forward to it.”
