Staysure Tour announces 2019 schedule

·A minimum of 19 official events on the 2019 schedule

·Four new events added to this year’s schedule in Austria, England, France and Jordan

·Season to launch at ground-breaking Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla

·Austria will become the 45th country to host a Staysure Tour event

The Staysure Tour today announced four new tournaments as part of its 2019 schedule, which features a minimum of 19 events on four continents.

The Arras Open Senior Hauts de France by Jean van de Velde, Austrian Senior Open, Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship, and Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla are the newest additions to the schedule which runs from April to December.

The season will begin at the inaugural Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla, which is tri-sanctioned with the European Challenge Tour and Ladies European Tour, with 40 professional golfers representing each Tour in a first-of-its-kind strokeplay event at Ayla Golf Club from April 4-6.

Jean van de Velde, a member of Europe’s 1999 Ryder Cup side, will host the Arras Open Senior Hauts de France by Jean Van de Velde at Le Golf d’Arras in June. Le Golf d’Arras is no stranger to elite competition, having hosted the Ladies European Tour on 11 occasions from 1996 to 2009.

Also in June, the Harry Colt-designed Championship Course at Trevose Golf Club will host the inaugural Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship, promoted by Champions UK and hosted by 1991 Masters winner and 2006 Ryder Cup Captain Ian Woosnam. Previously a venue for the Brabazon Trophy, McGregor Trophy and English Men’s County Finals, this will be the first European Tour-sanctioned event staged on the Cornwall links.

Later in the year, Austria will become the 45thnation to host a Staysure Tour event with the inaugural Austrian Senior Open at Golfclub Murhof from September 27-29.

Staysure, which became the Tour’s title sponsor at the start of the 2018 season, are again title sponsors of the four-round Staysure PGA Seniors Championship which will be held at London Golf Club, a European Tour Destination, from August 1-4, the week after The Senior Open Presented by Rolex (July 25-28) which returns to Royal Lytham & St Annes for the first time in 25 years.

PGA Catalunya Resort, formerly host of European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage and part of European Tour Destinations’ global network, will host the 2019 European Tour Destinations Senior Classic as part of the Stadium Course's 20th anniversary celebrations from July 12-14.

After the introduction of the season-ending Indian Ocean Swing in 2018, the two-stage MCB Tour Championship will again bring the year to a close on the paradise islands of Seychelles and Mauritius.

Oak Hill Country Club, venue of The 1995 Ryder Cup, will host the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship for the first time since 2008 from May 23-26.

The Senior Italian Open (May 30 – June 1) will be followed by the inaugural Arras Open Senior Hauts de France by Jean van de Velde at Le Golf d’Arras in northern France from June 7-9.

The Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship (June 21-23) takes place the week before the U.S. Senior Open (June 27-30) at The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame.

Golf Club Bad Ragaz will host the 23^rdedition of the Swiss Seniors Open (July 5-7), while PGA Catalunya Resort will host the third edition of the European Tour Destinations Senior Classic from July 12-14. The WINSTONgolf Senior Open will this year be played on the WINSTONopen course for the first time since 2015 from July 19-21.

The Senior Open Presented by Rolex at Royal Lytham (July 25-28) is the first of four consecutive events to be played on UK soil and is followed by the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship (August 1-4), Scottish Senior Open (August 16-18) at Craigielaw Golf Club and The Sinclair Invitational (August 30 – September 1) at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club. The Sinclair Invitational will offer total prize money of £400,000 and raise money on behalf of the On Course Foundation.

The Paris Legends Championship returns to Racing Club de France La Boulie from September 20-22 and the Austrian Senior Open will take place the following week (September 27-29). Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club will host the Farmfoods European Senior Masters for the third year in a row from October 4-6, and Spain will stage the final event before the second season-ending Indian Ocean Swing from November 14-16.

This season, Constance Lemuria will host the first stage of the Indian Ocean Swing with the MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles taking place from December 5-7, before 2019 draws to a close at Constance Belle Mare Plage at the MCB Tour Championship – Mauritius (December 13-15).

Similar to the European Tour, the Staysure Tour has adopted a new points system for the Order of Merit as Paul Broadhurst defends the John Jacobs Trophy which he won for the second time in three years in 2018.

David MacLaren, European Tour Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Head of the Staysure Tour, said: “With four new events announced for the 2019 season, the appetite for over-50s golf worldwide is certainly growing and we are excited to bring the Staysure Tour to new markets this year. We hope to make further progress this season as we work diligently to add new tournaments to this year’s schedule.

“As we embark on the second season of our partnership with title sponsors Staysure, we are delighted to continue the progress we have made over the last few years and are confident our efforts will go from strength to strength.

“We are thankful to all our existing tournament promoters and sponsors for their support of the Staysure Tour and we look forward to what promises to be another memorable season.”

Ryan Howsam, Chairman of Staysure, said: "The Staysure Tour continues to build momentum and we are proud that the 2019 schedule offers our players and fans one of the most exciting event calendars ever. We look forward to welcoming everyone to world-class golf venues including Trevose Golf Club in Cornwall and Royal Lytham & St Annes for The Senior Open Presented by Rolex.

“As title sponsors of the Tour, a year into our ten-year sponsorship, we are proud of how successfully this relationship is developing. We are especially pleased to be once again working with the team at the Staysure Tour, PGA and London Golf Club to deliver the Tour’s most historic event, the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship in August.”

2019 Staysure Tour Schedule

Bold denotes Senior Major Championship
*Points earned at these events will not count towards the Staysure Tour Order of Merit