Confederation of Professional GolfSeptember 2013 – Confederation of Professional Golf

Hugo Hunting Hat-Trick at Pravets

Josh Budz — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 10:37:47 +0000

Two-time UniCredit PGA Professional Champion of Europe, Hugo Santos, is looking to make it a trio of wins at this week’s championship that returns to Pravets Golf and Spa Resort in Bulgaria for the third time.

The Portuguese Professional has represented his country on multiple occasions at international level, including numerous Confederation of Professional Golf tournament appearances. Santos has also represented Portugal at the 2011 Mission Hills World Cup in China alongside his brother, Ricardo.

“It is with great pleasure that I return to Pravets for another championship with my fellow European club professionals,” said Santos, whose domination of the championship started with a playoff victory against the PGA of Holland’s Ben Collier in 2011, followed up in 2012 with a 20-foot putt on the last hole for his second win.

“It’s a course that I love and a place where I feel welcome. This year I will again try to be more focused on my game rather than defending the title, so we’ll see whether I am there at the end of the tournament!”

Santos will join fellow countryman António Rosado in his pursuit of the championship that was revived in 2011 after a six-year hiatus from the Confederation of Professional Golf tournament schedule, as players from across the Confederation of Professional Golf member countries compete for the €10,000 winner’s cheque.

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For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf, visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/17vapHk), follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets (http://eur.pe/1e6YQex) on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

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Notes to Editors:

Confederation of Professional Golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is an Association of 38 National PGAs (31 European and 7 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals.

Our core mission is to represent, promote and provide advice to develop professional golf and ensure that the administration of the professional game throughout the continent delivers excellence in the services provided to ensure highly qualified, highly skilled PGA Professionals who lead the advancement of the game. [cpg.golf]

Pravets Golf Club

Pravets Golf Club, in the magnificent Golf & Spa Resort, easily accessible from Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, hosts the third PGA Professional Championship of Europe in 2013 after a hugely-successful re-launch of the Confederation of Professional Golf’s 72-hole individual strokeplay championship in 2011. The resort features a four-star Riu hotel with restaurants, superb spa and fully equipped fitness centre and all-round sporting facilities including the superbly designed Peter Harradine-designed course, partly lakeside and with the spectacular backdrop of the Stara Planina mountains. [www.pravets-golfclub.com]

UniCredit

UniCredit is a leading European commercial bank with an international network spanning 50 markets, with more than 9,200 branches and over 150,000 employees. The Group operates in 20 European countries.

UniCredit benefits from a strong European identity, extensive international presence and broad customer base.

Its strategic position in Western and Eastern Europe gives the group one of the region’s highest market shares. [www.UniCredit.com]

2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe

Josh Budz — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 12:20:07 +0000

25-28 September 2013, Pravets Golf Resort and Spa, Bulgaria

PGA of Italy Professional, Federico Elli, carded a final round five-under par 67 to post a 14-under par total of 274, to become the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Champion of Europe and take home the €10,000 winner’s cheque.

As his rivals attempted to get close, the Italian continued his dominance of Pravets Golf & Spa Resort by making no less than seven birdies in his round. The final blow came on the last hole where after a cool and calm drive and second shot to the centre of the green was followed with a thundering 25-foot putt that rattled into the hole for his 14-under finish.

“It’s a great feeling to be Champion, I’m really touched by it and I don’t really know what to say,” explained the Italian Professional. “I had a really good round of golf today and it’s just amazing.”

It was a Swiss PGA contingent made up of Alec Roberts and Corsin Caviezel that were putting the pressure on the eventual winner with both finishing tied for second place on eight-under par (280), taking home €5,350 each.

“It was great playing in the last group with Federico,” said Roberts. “We were really having a lot of fun. There was a great moment on the putting green where everyone else had teed off and we said ‘hey, let’s enjoy this today, we don’t get to be in positions like this very often’, and we did – it was perfect.”

Elli led overnight by three shots and made a subdued start to his fourth round with two pars and a bogey at the third. But he changed gear to card three birdies in the next four holes, making the turn at 11-under overall. Then another run of three birdies in four holes propelled him away from the chasing pack, and not even a bogey at the 14th hole could slow him down as he made three straight pars, followed up with the grandstand finish birdie on the 18th.

“On 18 I preferred to take a risk with a driver as with a 2-iron I would have had a very long second-shot,” added Elli. “When I saw the putt go in I couldn’t believe it – it was a relief!”

The Confederation of Professional Golf wish to thank all those involved in making the event a huge success, including UniCredit, Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, and the PGA Professionals each representing their home PGAs.

Full final results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk.

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For more information on the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope and search #PassportToPravets on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

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Elli Eager to Claim #PassportToPravets

Italian PGA Professional Federico Elli has continued his dominance of the international field at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, carding a two-under par 70 to lead by three on nine-under par going into the final round of the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe.

Elli’s start was not as smooth as he had hoped for after making a bogey on the first hole, but was able to come back from the shot deficit with four birdies in the next nine holes. Two bogeys and another birdie in the remainder of the nine allowed the Italian PGA Professional to remain under par for the day.

“I played pretty solid except for the first hole where I made a bogey, which came from being nervous maybe,” explained Elli. “In the end it was a good round but I made a couple of mistakes. As I said yesterday, there’s no strategy, I’m just going to shoot as low as I can.”

The Swiss PGA pair of Corsin Caviezel and Alec Roberts are both tied for second place after overnight co-leader, Roberts, posted a one-over par 73, whilst yesterday’s tied-for-fifth Professional, Caviezel, faired better with a three-under par 69.

“I got off to a great start with a birdie at the first hole, but then the driver didn’t work so well so I started missing fairways. With these greens the way they are you’ve got to be on the fairway to control the spin into the green,” said Roberts. “Overall I was happy with the score but not happy with how I played – I was fighting until the end.”

Caviezel also added, “I started good with a lucky birdie at number two, but then on the fifth I made a double-bogey and then a lot of pars. But I then started to make some birdies on the back nine and started to play some golf. I’m just going to try to be more aggressive on the greens because I need some birdies but I’ll just play and have fun.”

Craig Matheson (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland – Scotland) began his third round back nine with two birdies and an eagle, which took him to eight-under par. However, three bogeys in the last five holes reduced his attack on the lead to end up in fourth place at five-under.

Portugal’s António Rosado continued to play steady golf shooting another two-under par 70 for a four-under par total and fifth place.

Full Round 3 results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk. The Final Round begins at 08:30am EEST.

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Roberts and Elli Bound Ahead at Pravets

Switzerland’s Alec Roberts and Italy’s Federico Elli made full use of the late-summer conditions to card rounds of 67 and 65 respectively to share the lead on seven-under par after two rounds at the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe.

Six birdies and one bogey from Roberts helped the Swiss Professional (pictured right) to capitalise on a steady two-under first round at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, where soaring temperatures have left the course firm and quick.

“I played really well today and started to get a bit nervous so didn’t think about my score at all, I really had no idea coming up the last few holes. I just tried to take my time and not make any silly mistakes,” said the British-born, Swiss player. “It’s a fun course to play – even with a wedge in you still have some options.”

But round of the day came from Italian PGA Professional, Federico Elli (pictured left), whose seven-under 65 consisted of a single birdie on the front-nine and no less than six birdies in a row on the back-nine, equalling the tournament course record at Pravets Golf Club.

“It’s strange because it’s the first time that I’ve made six birdies in a row with a scorecard in my pocket so it’s a good feeling,” said the Italian of his stunning second round play. “I don’t have a strategy, I just try to play the best I can and that’s all.”

Hot on their heels is Scotland’s Craig Sutherland who carded a four-under 68 that included six birdies, to take a total of six-under par through to the third round.

“I played nicely today – I was two-over after five holes and had to dig deep really to get back to level,” explained Sutherland who carded six birdies in his round. “Some of the pin positions out there really determine whether you’re going to be able to hit it close or not, so you just have to be really patient – that’s really key out there.”

Fellow Scot, Craig Matheson, lies in fourth place at four-under par after a Round 1 72 and Round 2 68, whilst three players – Benjamin Nicolay (France), Corsin Caviezel (Switzerland) and Marin Stahan (Croatia) – sit at three-under for the tournament in a tie for fifth place.

Full Round 2 results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk. Round 3 begins at 08:30am EEST.

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Skopovy Shines in Bulgarian Sun

PGA of Czech Republic Professional Petr Skopovy got his week started in style after carding a four-under-par 68 in Round 1 of the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe.

Skopovy’s steady round at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort in Bulgaria included 7 pars and 2 birdies on the front-nine and only one blemish bogey on the 14th, and has edged the Professional ahead by one shot going into Round 2.

“I played really well, I haven’t played like this for a long time so I really enjoyed it…it was a very good day,” said Skopovy (pictured right) of his performance. “The course is beautiful, it’s my first time here and I really enjoyed it.

“It means a lot to me to represent the PGA of Czech Republic out here – it’s a very nice thing when you have the chance to represent your country and it means that you are doing well at what you do.”

Three players are tied for second place – Andrew Hastie (PGA of Holland), Marin Stahan (PGA of Croatia) and Brian Lee (PGA of Wales) all carded three-under-par 69s in temperatures approaching 30 degrees.

“I played very nicely, drove the ball well and putted quite well too,” said Australian-born, Hastie. “I’m enjoying the course, it’s especially a good driving test so if you get the ball away well off the tee then it makes things a bit easier, but the greens are quick and sloping so you still have to be careful.”

Wales’ Brian Lee added: “I was looking for anything under par today – it’s a tough golf course, it’s set up well and the greens are quick. I tried to play cagey and keep it on the short stuff and at least try and control the ball into the greens as it’s extremely firm…overall I’m very happy.”

Four players are tied for fifth place on two-under-par, whilst over half of the field remain only five shots back from the lead with another three rounds to play.

Full Round 1 results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk.

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Hugo Hunting Hat-Trick at Pravets

“It is with great pleasure that I return to Pravets for another championship with my fellow European club professionals,”said Santos, whose domination of the championship started with a playoff victory against the PGA of Holland’s Ben Collier in 2011, followed up in 2012 with a 20-foot putt on the last hole for his second win.

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#PassportToPravets Field Assembling

The field of competitors representing their national PGAs is assembling for the championship that sees PGA Professionals working within the industry from across the Confederation of Professional Golf Member Countries battle it out for the €10,000 first prize.

One of the first to confirm participation in the championship that returns to Pravets Golf & Spa Resort in Bulgaria from 25-28th September 2013 was two-time, defending champion from Portugal, Hugo Santos. Santos is currently riding a wave of form having won four-times in 2013 already, and is backed up by multiple international appearances at International level for Portugal, including representing the country at the Mission Hills World Cup in 2011.

No less than 4 of the 2013 PGA Cup Great Britain & Ireland team will be representing England in the Championship, in the form of David Callaway, Jonathan Barnes, Vice-Captain Jon Bevan, as well as the Glenmuir PGA Professional champion 2013, Daniel Greenwood:

“I am really pleased to have qualified for such a prestigious tournament and any chance to represent my country is great,” said Greenwood. “Winning the Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship at Slaley Hall has given me the belief that I can not only compete in these types of tournament but I also have the opportunity to win them, so I’m very excited to visit Bulgaria and compete on a Europe level.”

Amongst Austria’s representation are Ronny Schinnerl and Florian Ruprecht, as well as two-time Austrian representative in the Confederation of Professional Golf International Team Championship, and former Challenge, Alps and Canadian Tour player, Mike Burrows.

Two-time National PGA Champion of Croatia, Marin Stahan, will be competing alongside the likes of Belgian PGA and former Challenge Tour player, Gerald Gresse, together with one of Slovenia’s most successful professional players in the form of Daniel Kraljič who has represented the PGA of Slovenia in over 20 Confederation of Professional Golf events.

Also returning to the championship are 2012 runners-up Lee Rooke representing Wales, and France’s Frédéric Cupillard, both of whom have national championship wins to their names.

The championship’s €60,000 prize fund will be contested over 72-holes of individual strokeplay golf and will be accompanied by a pre-event Pro-Am tournament.

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Passport to Pravets Qualifying Underway

Confederation of Professional Golf Member Countries are lining up their champion members to qualify for this year’s UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe, which will be held at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort in Bulgaria from 25-28th September 2013.

Now in its third year at Pravets Golf & Spa resort, the Championship is firmly established as the No. 1 individual playing target on the Confederation of Professional Golf tournament schedule and the top competitors from each national will qualify to play.

The championship boasts a €60,000 prize fund and will be contested by an elite field of 60 professionals from the 39 member countries who will qualify through their national PGA Championships. The event is a 72-hole stroke play format and will be accompanied by a post-event Pro-Am tournament.

Qualifying tournaments are well underway with the first few qualifiers adding themselves to the start list and earning their Passport to Pravets for September, all looking to emulate two-time winner Hugo Santos from Portugal.

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For more information on the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

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2012 Review – Portugal’s Hugo Santos Takes UniCredit 2012 PGA Professional Championship of Europe Title for the Second Time

After a hard-fought battle though changing weather conditions, Hugo Santos from Portugal came out on top becoming the UniCredit 2012 Professional Championship of Europe Champion for the second consecutive time, taking home a winners cheque for 10,000€.

Carding an even-par 72 final round score, to give a total of ten-under-par (278), Santos ensured he remained steady, composed and strategic as he negotiated the final stages of the round.

A strong fight was made from all three tied-for-second place competitors, Lee Rooke from Wales, Frederic Cupillard of France, and Mikel Galdos from Spain, all finishing at nine-under-par (279) for the championship.

The early stages of play shook things up, when the leading group all matched up to sit at ten-under-par through 6 holes, along with Rooke, after which Cupillard and Galdos each dropped a shot to leave Santos and Rooke at the top.

Steady rounds from all three eventual runners-up kept them in the hunt, but it was Santos who had his fair share of drama on the back-nine, making bogeys on fourteen and fifteen, and the pressure mounted as he neared the end of the round.

“The difficult part is when you start feeling the pressure, it’s more difficult to keep control,” Santos said. “On 17 when I was playing my tee-shot it started raining pretty heavy, but to be honest I almost didn’t feel the rain because of the pressure. It was a very important moment and that was key.”

But it was eventually Santos that took advantage of the situation and lined himself up for a twenty-foot putt on the last to take the win. Level-headed as always, Santos rolled the putt in to become the UniCredit PGA Professional Champion of Europe for the second year running having won here at Pravets Golf Resort and Spa last year.

Santos said of successfully defending his title, “It felt more difficult this year – the trees are bigger, rough longer…but I’m really proud to represent our PGA. I had two or three moments like the second where I bogeyed but I recovered and it was enough!”

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Elegant Elli Triumphs at Pravets

Josh Budz — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 10:58:28 +0000

Elli led overnight by three shots and made a subdued start to his fourth round with two pars and a bogey at the third. But he changed gear to card three birdies in the next four holes, making the turn at 11-under overall. Then another run of three birdies in four holes propelled him away from the chasing pack, and not even a bogey at the 14^th hole could slow him down as he made three straight pars, followed up with the grandstand finish birdie on the 18^th.

Full final results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk.

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Image Caption: 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe Winner, Federico Elli (PGA of Italy)

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Notes to Editors:

Confederation of Professional Golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is an Association of 38 National PGAs (31 European and 7 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals.

Pravets Golf Club

UniCredit

UniCredit benefits from a strong European identity, extensive international presence and broad customer base.

Its strategic position in Western and Eastern Europe gives the group one of the region’s highest market shares. [www.UniCredit.com]

Elli Eager to Claim #PassportToPravets

Josh Budz — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 12:02:37 +0000

Portugal’s António Rosado continued to play steady golf shooting another two-under par 70 for a four-under par total and fifth place.

Full Round 3 results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk. The Final Round begins at 08:30am EEST.

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Elli Eager to Claim #PassportToPravets

Josh Budz — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 10:55:32 +0000

Portugal’s António Rosado continued to play steady golf shooting another two-under par 70 for a four-under par total and fifth place.

Full Round 3 results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk. The Final Round begins at 08:30am EEST.

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Image Caption: Federico Elli (PGA of Italy) leads by three on nine-under par going into the final round of the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe

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Notes to Editors:

Confederation of Professional Golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is an Association of 38 National PGAs (31 European and 7 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals.

Pravets Golf Club

UniCredit

UniCredit benefits from a strong European identity, extensive international presence and broad customer base.

Its strategic position in Western and Eastern Europe gives the group one of the region’s highest market shares. [www.UniCredit.com]

Roberts and Elli Bound Ahead at Pravets

Josh Budz — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:00:02 +0000

Hot on their heels is Scotland’s Craig Sutherland who carded a four-under 68 that included six birdies, to take a total of six-under par through to the third round.

Full Round 2 results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk. Round 3 begins at 08:30am EEST.

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Roberts and Elli Bound Ahead at Pravets

Josh Budz — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 10:52:27 +0000

Six birdies and one bogey from Roberts helped the Swiss Professional to capitalise on a steady two-under first round at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, where soaring temperatures have left the course firm and quick.

But round of the day came from Italian PGA Professional, Federico Elli, whose seven-under 65 consisted of a single birdie on the front-nine and no less than six birdies in a row on the back-nine, equalling the tournament course record at Pravets Golf Club.

Hot on their heels is Scotland’s Craig Sutherland who carded a four-under 68 that included six birdies, to take a total of six-under par through to the third round.

Full Round 2 results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk. Round 3 begins at 08:30am EEST.

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Image Caption: Italy’s Federico Elli putts up to the 18^th hole at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, Bulgaria

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Notes to Editors:

Confederation of Professional Golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is an Association of 38 National PGAs (31 European and 7 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals.

Pravets Golf Club

UniCredit

UniCredit benefits from a strong European identity, extensive international presence and broad customer base.

Its strategic position in Western and Eastern Europe gives the group one of the region’s highest market shares. [www.UniCredit.com]

Skopovy Shines in Bulgarian Sun

Josh Budz — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 11:58:07 +0000

PGA of Czech Republic Professional Petr Skopovy got his week started in style after carding a four-under-par 68 in Round 1 of the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe.

Four players are tied for fifth place on two-under-par, whilst over half of the field remain only five shots back from the lead with another three rounds to play.

Full Round 1 results can be found here: http://eur.pe/17vapHk.

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Skopovy Shines in Bulgarian Sun

Josh Budz — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 10:47:34 +0000

PGA of Czech Republic Professional Petr Skopovy got his 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe week underway in style carding a four-under par 68 in Round 1 of the tournament.

Skopovy’s steady round at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort in Bulgaria included 7 pars and 2 birdies on the front-nine and only one blemish bogey on the 14^th, and has edged the Professional ahead by one shot going into Round 2.

“I played really well, I haven’t played like this for a long time so I really enjoyed it…it was a very good day,” said Skopovy of his performance. “The course is beautiful, it’s my first time here and I really enjoyed it. If you hit a good shot you get rewarded, if you mess up a little bit then you still always have a chance to get back. I’ll see how it goes tomorrow – it can go either way so it could surprise me.

Three players are tied for second place – Andrew Hastie (PGA of Holland), Marin Stahan (PGA of Croatia) and Brian Lee (PGA of Wales) all carded three-under par 69s in temperatures of 27-degrees.

“I played very nicely, dove the ball well and putted quite well as well,” said Australian-born, Hastie. “I’m enjoying the course, it’s especially a good driving test so if you get the ball away well off the tee then it makes things a bit easier, but the greens are quick ands sloping so you still have to be careful.”

Wales’ Brian Lee added: “I was looking for anything under par today – it’s a tough golf course, it’s setup well and the greens are quick. I tried to play cagey and keep it on the short stuff and at least try and control the ball into the greens as it’s extremely firm…overall I’m very happy.”

Four players are tied for fifth place on two-under par, whilst over half of the field remain only five shots back from the lead with another three rounds to play.

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Notes to Editors:

Confederation of Professional Golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is an Association of 38 National PGAs (31 European and 7 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals.

Pravets Golf Club

UniCredit

UniCredit benefits from a strong European identity, extensive international presence and broad customer base.

Its strategic position in Western and Eastern Europe gives the group one of the region’s highest market shares. [www.UniCredit.com]

UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe Pro-Am Gets Players into Full Swing

Josh Budz — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 10:42:06 +0000

The UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe week got underway today with an excellent team score of 87 points from Pro-Am winners Borislav Malinov, Rumen Stoyanov, Denis Dimitrov and the PGA of Germany’s Dennis Lohrmann.

The victorious team captured first place on count-back followed by the PGA of Holland’s Ben Collier and his team made up of Liubomir Minchev, Iliya El-Feleki, and Hermes Frare, after a day of perfect weather conditions.

Third place went to PGA of Scotland Professional Craig Sutherland and his team made up of Andon Tushev, Ivan Ivanov and Alexander Dobrianov, who also scored 87 points.

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Notes to Editors:

Confederation of Professional Golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is an Association of 38 National PGAs (31 European and 7 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals.

Pravets Golf Club

UniCredit

UniCredit benefits from a strong European identity, extensive international presence and broad customer base.

Its strategic position in Western and Eastern Europe gives the group one of the region’s highest market shares. [www.UniCredit.com]

Hugo Hunting Hat-Trick at Pravets

Josh Budz — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 11:55:59 +0000

“It is with great pleasure that I return to Pravets for another championship with my fellow European club professionals,”said Santos, whose domination of the championship started with a playoff victory against the PGA of Holland’s Ben Collier in 2011, followed up in 2012 with a 20-foot putt on the last hole for his second win.

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#PassportToPravets Field Assembling

Josh Budz — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:53:26 +0000

Also returning to the championship are 2012 runners-up Lee Rooke representing Wales, and France’s Frédéric Cupillard, both of whom have national championship wins to their names.

The championship’s €60,000 prize fund will be contested over 72-holes of individual strokeplay golf and will be accompanied by a pre-event Pro-Am tournament.

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Official Ryder Cup Ambassadors Announced

Josh Budz — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:51:27 +0000

Actor James Nesbitt and JLS singer Marvin Humes have been named as the first official ambassadors for The 2014 Ryder Cup.

They will be joined by model Jodie Kidd and ex-footballers Ruud Gullit and Alan Hansen, who have all added their names to the famous faces showing their support for next year’s tournament.

As part of their role, the ambassadors will be attending the Year to Go celebrations in Edinburgh on 23 September 2013. They will join European Captain Paul McGinley and American Captain Tom Watson on board a specially commissioned steam locomotive which will kick off a series of celebrations to mark a Year to Go until The 2014 Ryder Cup.

The captains will also be the main attraction at An Audience with The Ryder Cup Captains, which will feature entertainment from legendary Scottish band Hue & Cry and comedian Fred MacAulay.

Ryder Cup ambassador James Nesbitt, who has most recently appeared in the Hollywood blockbuster The Hobbit, said: “Golf is one of my lifelong passions and I always find an excuse to hit the course between filming or share tips with fellow golf fans. I’m very proud to be an ambassador for The 2014 Ryder Cup and take part in what is the greatest event on the golf calendar. The 2014 Ryder Cup will be an amazing week, not just for Scotland, but for golf fans across Europe who will be hoping our team can repeat its incredible performance at Medinah”.

Europe’s Ryder Cup Director, Richard Hills, said: “It’s great to see how The Ryder Cup has generated such interest from outside the world of golf. All of the ambassadors have already shown a genuine love of the game and passion to grow the sport and I know fans will share their excitement as the countdown begins to The 2014 Ryder Cup”.

The 2014 Ryder Cup takes place at The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland from September 26-28, 2014.

Golf Europe 2012 – Day 2: The Show Gets Into Full Swing

Josh Budz — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 10:33:39 +0000

The second day of Golf Europe 2012 promised to be even more successful than Day 1, and the show-goers at Messe Augsburg, Germany, didn’t disappoint arriving enthused for another day of networking, exploring, testing and learning.

Split across two halls, the show, coming back to the industry having taken a year out from the golfing calendar, allowed industry professionals from over 40 different worldwide countries to meet, conduct deals, and learn from each other, whilst in the comfortable surroundings of The Messe Augsburg centre and in the very safe hands of the show’s organisers.

What was also reported was the welcome opportunities the show gave to exhibitors themselves, allowing them to network amongst each other, as well as offer help and advice between like-minded businesses.

Once again, alongside the exhibitors, stood the Confederation of Professional Golf and PGA of Germany Teaching and Coaching Seminar Forum, today featuring 4 speakers from multiple countries, each representing a specific aspect of the diverse professional industry.

Speaking first on Day 2 was the highly experience golf travel expert Jim Long, Director of Golf Pro Relations at Golfbreaks.com. Looking specifically at the capabilities for professionals to take groups to varying golf destinations, Jim covered the most effective ways for pros to maximise golf travel as an income stream, how to successfully market golf trips, as well as his top tips on running the perfect excursion.

Next to present in the Forum was Niall Flannigan, Managing Director of Club Inc. Niall’s expertise lay in the field of careers and individual development, and subjects such as networking, interviewing and writing CVs gave the attending professionals a valuable experience in how to properly prepare and promote themselves for future career development.

“Augsburg is a great place,” said Niall Flannagan, “from the feedback I’ve had it seems to be the right people here, and it’s building on numbers, and obviously it’s its first year and it should do that, and I think the facility is great to hold it.”

The post-lunch speaker was guest of the PGA of Germany, Dr. Dirk Jungels, an expert on the use of Social Media within the golf industry, covering topics such as concepts used within Social Media, as well as the ways to go about evaluating how professionals use these platforms within their own businesses.

Finally to end the day of seminars at the show, Ian Peek, founder of the Impact Golf Academy, outlined his tips in the business of teaching in the golf industry, passing on knowledge in how to better promote coaching businesses, make smart investments in coaching, and which are his training aids of choice when coaching players.

Follow more of the action from Golf Europe over on the @PGAsofEurope Twitter Account, and on The Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook page.

2019 PGA, 2024 Ryder Cup headed to Bethpage Black

Josh Budz — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 11:48:30 +0000

In an unprecedented agreement between The PGA of America and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Bethpage State Park’s Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y., one of the country’s most popular venues, has been selected to host the 101st PGA Championship in 2019, and serve as the site of the 45th Ryder Cup in 2024.

With Gov. Cuomo in attendance, the dual announcement was made today at Bethpage State Park. Bethpage Black, the renowned gem of five public golf courses within the state park property on Long Island, has hosted the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open Championship, and the 2012 Barclays Championship.

“How fitting it is that we will be taking two of golf’s premier events to a state that was the site of our first PGA Championship and to a spectacular course whose design was influenced by one of golf’s most accomplished architects and a friend of The PGA of America,” said PGA of America President Ted Bishop. “It is exciting that both the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup will come to New York, which is home to some of the most passionate and knowledgeable sports fans in the world.”

Opened for play in 1936, Bethpage Black was designed by legendary architect A.W. Tillinghast, who was a guest at an exploratory meeting of The PGA of America in January, 1916. After The PGA’s founding on April 10, 1916, Tillinghast would later serve as a forerunner to today’s “growth of the game” consultants. Rees Jones led the renovation of the Black Course in 1997-98.

Tillinghast also developed the Bethpage Red and Blue Courses, and modified the Lenox Hills Course, which later became the Green Course. The Yellow Course, designed by Alfred Tull, opened in 1958 to enable golfers to play nearly 300,000 rounds annually on Bethpage State Park’s property.

“New York is excited that Bethpage State Park and its spectacular Black Course will be hosting two of golf’s most acclaimed events, the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup,” said Governor Cuomo. “These major sporting events will provide a tremendous economic boost for Long Island and promote the beautiful Bethpage State Golf Course to the nation and the world. We look forward to welcoming spectators and television viewers worldwide to experience the best golf here in New York.”

Bethpage Black, measuring 7,486 yards and played to a par 71 from its back tees, also has been home to multiple Metropolitan PGA Section and New York State Open competitions.

“As a New Yorker, I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of today’s announcement,” said PGA of America Chief Executive Officer Pete Bevacqua. “New York is part of the fabric of the history of The PGA of America, from our founding in New York City in 1916, to hosting multiple championships and having four great PGA Sections within the state. We are grateful to Governor Cuomo’s commitment to hosting these great events at Bethpage and we look forward to working with both local and state officials to add an unforgettable chapter in golf history at Bethpage.”

In 2019, Bethpage Black will mark the 13th time that a New York venue has hosted the PGA Championship, the most for any state that has staged the season’s final major. The PGA Championship enjoys a rich heritage dating back to its inaugural event in 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, N.Y. Past Champions span both the legendary and recent stars of the game: Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Padraig Harrington, Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy and Jason Dufner.

“Bethpage State Park takes great pride in its history of serving as host to golf’s pre-eminent events,” said New York State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey. “With the combination of a PGA Championship and a Ryder Cup being conducted on our property, it solidifies the confidence that the golf industry has in our staff, our venue and the community to provide the ultimate spectator experience.”

In 2024, Bethpage Black will join Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course of Pittsford, N.Y., as the only New York courses to host a Ryder Cup. Oak Hill was the venue for the 1995 Ryder Cup in addition to three PGA Championships (1980, 2003, ’13).

The Ryder Cup, golf’s most compelling event, began in 1927, bringing together the finest tour professionals from the United States and Europe. In September 2014, Europe will host the U.S. in the 40th Ryder Cup, at Gleneagles’ PGA Centenary Course in Perthshire, Scotland.

#PassportToPravets Field Assembling

Josh Budz — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 10:34:25 +0000

The field of competitors representing their national PGAs is assembling for the 2013 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe that sees PGA Professionals working within the industry from across the Confederation of Professional Golf Member Countries battle it out for the €10,000 first prize.

Also returning to the championship are 2012 runners-up Lee Rooke representing Wales, and France’s Frédéric Cupillard, both of whom have national championship wins to their names.

The championship’s €60,000 prize fund will be contested over 72-holes of individual strokeplay golf and will be accompanied by a pre-event Pro-Am tournament.

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Notes to Editors:

Confederation of Professional Golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is an Association of 38 National PGAs (31 European and 7 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals.

Pravets Golf Club

UniCredit

UniCredit benefits from a strong European identity, extensive international presence and broad customer base.

Its strategic position in Western and Eastern Europe gives the group one of the region’s highest market shares. [www.UniCredit.com]

Passport to Pravets Qualifying Underway

Josh Budz — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 10:29:58 +0000

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For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf, visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/17vapHk), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

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Notes to Editors:

Confederation of Professional Golf

The Confederation of Professional Golf is an Association of 38 National PGAs (31 European and 7 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals.

Pravets Golf Club

PGA of Spain “Kinetic Chain and Performance”

Josh Budz — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 10:12:41 +0000

The seminar is organized by the PGA of Spain and Polytechnic University of Madrid has been created for professionals with a common interest in Golf Biomechanics.

To cope with this goal, each year the seminar will focus on a specific theme which will be defined previously taken into consideration the opinion of the future attendants.

The main objective is to present the more advanced knowledge about the biomechanics and technique of swing, and the course is open to all professionals of golf; including players, coaches, teachers, researches, sport science experts, physicians, physiotherapists and managers.

In order to improve the learning process, classes will be developed by mean of Theoretical and Practical Sessions in which the attendants will be split into 2 or 3 groups.

Speaking at the conference are:

Robert Neal PhD. (Golf Bio-Dynamics, CEO, Jim McLean Golf School, Miami Florida)
Andy Plummer PhD
Michael Dalgleish. Masters in Sports Physiotherapy
Enrique Martín. Real Federación Española de Golf
Enrique Navarro (PhD). Sports Biomechanics Lab. University Polytechnic of Madrid.
David Pastor. PGA Spain.

Registration is 400 euros or 290 euros for recognised PGA Members.