Up to 28 teams will compete over four competition rounds at AESGC, with PGA Professionals vying for their share of the €28,000 prize fund* on offer.

The Pro-Am has become a staple of the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Sanctioned Event schedule and the club continues to host large-scale tournaments such as the Middle East Faldo Series, and the Faldo Series Grand Final.

Packages begin at AED 5,450 (approx. €1,275) and include:

• 6 night’s accommodation in the Al Ain Hilton including breakfast and taxes, 26 – 31 January (check out 1st February)
• €28,000 Professional prize fund, prize fund*
• Complimentary use of all Academy facilities including par 3 course throughout the event
• Official practice round, Sunday 27th January
• Entry to Pro-Am team event, 28 – 30 January
• Amateur entry to individual event on 31st with Professionals completing the 72 hole event
• Shared golf carts for practice and 4 competition rounds
• Buffet lunch at golf clubhouse throughout tournament days
• Cocktail reception, and Gala dinner and awards ceremony
• Player giveaways
• Trophies to players in leading 5 teams, leading 3 professionals and leading 5 amateurs in individual event

For more information and package details download the entry form or contact gavin@aesgc.ae.

For More Information & To Enter Visit http://eur.pe/6thAESGC

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/6thAESGC), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

To find out more about Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club visit www.AESGC.com.

*Professional prize fund will decrease pro-rata by €1,000 for each team less than 28 competing

The firm’s collaborative, pioneering and straight-talking values makes them an excellent fit to advise and support the Association throughout its work with its Member Country PGAs and their PGA Professionals in Europe and beyond.

John Burns, Commerce, Technology and Media partner and Sports Sector head, commented: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Confederation of Professional Golf as they look to develop their already burgeoning membership across the continent and continue to grow as a business.

“We’re looking forward to maintaining our close working relationship with the team and contributing to the continued success of the organisation and its Member Country PGAs.”

“In selecting a partner for legal and business advice, it was important for us to work with people who could assist our development and who share our passion for advancement,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.  “Gateley Plc provide clear, pro-active legal advice that really makes the complex simple. This will be invaluable to us.

“Developing relationships such as this has been a logical move in the Confederation of Professional Golf’s advancement as we continually provide various services to our Member Country PGAs, and of course as we grow as a business in our own right.  We look forward to working with the team at Gateley Plc, and promoting and utilising their expert services within our, and our Members’, associations.”

Gateley Plc has a wide range of experience within the sports industry and is the exclusive legal services provider for the Sport and Recreation Alliance. The firm is selected by Sport England, Sport Wales and UK Sport to be on the panel of law firms recommended to provide legal services to the national governing bodies of sport and recreation organisations. Clients include Manchester City FC, Everton FC, the National Football Museum, the International Netball Federation and Lancashire County Cricket Club.

In 2015, Gateley Plc were the UK’s first commercial law firm to go public on the London Stock Exchange in a bold move that embodies the firm’s ethos to think as big as their clients do. Operating throughout the United Kingdom and Dubai, the firm’s head office is located in Birmingham, not far from the Confederation of Professional Golf’s own Belfry-based headquarters.

For more information visit www.gateleyplc.com

Continues the Crown Prince’s long-held association with sport

Joins French sailor Armel Le Cléac’h and Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko in the role

For more information on the Ryder Cup visit www.rydercup.com

Image courtesy of Getty Images

From a Lithuanian perspective, one could be right in saying that this success was furthered still when the only 2 Lithuanian teams in the field, led by Arnas Kaunas and Vytautas Gedminas, claimed first and second place respectively in the team event. This provided a compelling story as the week unfolded – adding ‘the icing to the cake’ for a successful inauguration, so to speak.

As a professional golf tournament and Confederation of Professional Golf sanctioned event, it was the first of its kind for Lithuanian golf. With that said, golf as a sport in Lithuania has seen a steady rise in popularity over recent years, across both the professional and amateur game. Not only does this tournament signal such a rise, but it has also provided a platform for the people already involved in Lithuanian golf to showcase their sport on a much bigger scale.

One of those is the Director of Golf at Vilnius Grand Resort and President of the PGA of Lithuania, Egidijus Baleišis. The Confederation of Professional Golf caught up with him during the tournament to find out what the event means to him, and golf in Lithuania as a whole…

“I have been a PGA of Lithuania Professional for 7 years now and whilst this is not too long, I have been helping to make it become noticed and viewed in a positive light across the country.

“Alongside the Confederation of Professional Golf, bringing Lithuania’s first professional tournament to one of its best golf clubs was important to me in order to provide the young PGA members we already have the opportunity of competing in professional tournaments.”

On the tournament itself, having some of the Lithuanian Professionals compete was really important to him for its success and will help encourage them to go further afield and compete in further events across the year:

“The tournament went well, the golf course and all the event were both very organised and I think the participants were really satisfied overall. Our first PGA professional in the country, Vytautas Gedminas [pictured above], had a great week and came second in the team event, close behind Arnas Kaunas, who is a Lithuanian Professional.

“PGA of Lithuania members have every opportunity to participate in future Confederation of Professional Golf events. Whilst we all still have limited experience of competing professionaly, we learn fast and an event such as the Vilnius Pro-Am has definitely helped that.”

Clearly, an event such as The Vilnius Pro-Am doesn’t just provide opportunities to compete and win money, in fact far from it. For a country where golf isn’t currently viewed as a mainstream sport such as Lithuania, hosting scaled tournaments helps raise its profile across the professional game.

Naturally, this feeds down into the amateur game, as the professionals are at front and centre, promoting and pushing its values onto their current players and also the next generation of PGA Professionals in Lithuania.

“Having more juniors playing is important because they will be the first generation coming through so this will grow the game in Lithuania. The more professional players we can have the more young players we can have as they know more about Golf”.

Only time will tell on how big of an impact this has on participation numbers, but one thing is certain, professional golf in Lithuania is in safe hands.

This edition was hugely emotional for all concerned, taking place only a few weeks after the passing of the creator of the Pro-Am, Chairman of Aegean Airlines, and friend and pupil to Engdahl himself, the late, great Mr Theodore Vassilakis.

Engdahl began the final round just one off the lead, and after moving a further shot behind by the halfway point, he had some divine inspiration from Mr Vassilakis making four consecutive birdies from hole 13 of The Dunes Course.

“I just feel so happy, and my heart keeps pounding, it is a very emotional victory for me…I had some divine help today,” said Engdahl, who finished with a five-under 65 for a -10 total (202).

“Mr Vassilakis is the reason I came to Greece – I didn’t know much about Greece, or golf in Greece, until 2007 when I came for the Aegean Pro-Am and I managed to win that one.  Then we kept in contact and then all of a sudden he said ‘why don’t you come down and work for me at the Crete Golf Club’ in 2011 and I’ve been there ever since.

“I literally had daily contact with him, we played so many rounds together, and enjoyed each others company – so of course I dedicate this victory to him.”

Second place fell to the South African 2015 Aegean Champion, and 2014 winner of the Aegean-sponsored ‘Aegean Airlines Challenge Tour by Hartl Resort, Jake Roos.  Despite a strong charge with five birdies and thee bogeys in the first 11 holes, six pars and a bogey to finish meant it was only good enough for a one-under par 70 and a three round total of 205 (-7).

PGA of Italy Members, Emanuele Canonica and Federico Elli shared third place on six-under par (206) having both challenged for first place as well in the final round, but not quite being able to keep bogeys from the card to remain in position.

The Team Pro-Am event was hotly contested over two rounds, and was ultimately won by Team Ficalbi [pictured above] led by PGA of South Africa Chief Executive, Ivano Ficalbi, with amateurs, Roy Braxton, Avgerinos Piagalis, and Lefty Piagalis.  The team carded 94 and 91 points for a total of 185 points (-41), taking the title on count back.

On the same score of 185, finishing in second, was the team led by Costa Navarino’s own resident PGA of Greece Professional, Chryssanthos Diakou, with amateurs Claude Idoux, Ciprian Zavloschi and Marinela Zavloschi.

For Full Final Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018Aegean

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#AegeanProAm’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Find out more about the Aegean Airlines Pro-Am and Aegean Airlines by visiting www.aegeanproam.com.

[Images courtesy of Dimitris Andritsos Photography – dimitrisandritsos.gr]

South African, Roos, was able to make significant strides having carded a five-under 65 at The Bay Course, close to his record-breaking score during his victorious campaign in 2015.

Meanwhile Canonica’s five birdies and two bogeys in the windy and humid conditions gave him a three-under 67 to join Roos on six-under (135) for the tournament.

Round 01 leader, Henrik Engdahl (PGA of Greece), kept himself in the hunt for his second Aegean win, carding a very respectable one-under par 70 on The Dunes Course that overall played an average of 4 shots harder than The Bay in Round 02.

Engdahl sits at five under par (136), and leads the group of seven other Professionals who will seek to overturn the leaders in the final round – including Italians Alessandro Tadini and Federico Elli on four-under (137); Martin Dewhurst (PGA of GB&I) and Chryssanthos Diakou (PGA of Greece) on three-under (138); three-time champion, Nicolo Gaggero (PGA of Italy) on two-under (139); 2012 winner, Zeke Martinez (PGA of Italy) on one-under par (140), together with Ladies European Tour Professional, Sophie Walker, also on one-under.

Team Pro-Am results will be released shortly after the culmination of Round 03.

For Full Round 02 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018Aegean

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#AegeanProAm’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Find out more about the Aegean Airlines Pro-Am and Aegean Airlines by visiting www.aegeanproam.com.

[Images courtesy of Dimitris Andritsos Photography – dimitrisandritsos.gr]

Both Professionals have excellent previous form on both The Dunes Course and The Bay Course at Costa Navarino in Greece, with Elli having won the inaugural Messinia Pro-Am in 2017, and Engdahl having recorded various top-ten finishes to go with his Aegean Airlines Pro-Am win in 2007 at Crete Golf Club.

Elli had a clean card with four birdies, whilst Engdahl’s two bogeys were cancelled out by six birdies throughout his opening round.

Four players sit in tied third position – Lorenzo Magini, Nicolò Gaggero and Emanuele Canonica from the PGA of Italy, and the PGA of Czech Republic’s Petr Strougal – each just one off the pace on three-under par.

19 Professionals are under par after Round 01 with notable starts from Ladies European Tour Professionals and Aegean debutants, Sophie Walker (-2) and Kelsey MacDonald (-1), past Aegean Champions, Zeke Martinez (-2) and Jake Roos (-1), and Costa Navarino’s own PGA of Greece Professionals, Chryssanthos Diakou and Adam Kritikos (-2).

Tied for the lead in the Team Pro-Am event are the team of PGA of South Africa Professional, Ivano Ficalbi, and amateurs Roy Braxton, Lefty Piagalis, and Avgerinos Piagalis, and Chryssanthos Diakou and his amateurs Marinela Zavloschi, Ciprian Zavloschi and Claude Idoux, both opening with 94 points (-22).

PGA of Slovenia Professional, Damjan Murgelj, and his team then share second place on 93 points (-21) with PGA of Canada Professional, Mike Burrows, and his amateur teammates.

For Full Round 01 Scores Visit http://eur.pe/2018Aegean

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search the hashtag ‘#AegeanProAm’ or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Find out more about the Aegean Airlines Pro-Am and Aegean Airlines by visiting www.aegeanproam.com.

[Images courtesy of Dimitris Andritsos Photography – dimitrisandritsos.gr]