Trackman has reached a new agreement with the European Tour group that will see the Order of Merit winner on the NEXT Golf Tour receive invites to play in DP World Tour and Challenge Tour events in 2024.

The NEXT Golf Tour is a new professional golf tour for women and men played on Trackman simulators bringing all the skill and intensity of tournament competition to the great indoors. During the inaugural season, 994 players from 41 countries competed in six 18-hole stroke play tournaments and took home a combined $834,000 in prize money. Season Two, which will feature more events, larger purses and other enhancements, begins in November.

With this innovative agreement, the winner of the Order of Merit will earn the opportunity to test their skills in a real-world environment. The 2024 NEXT Golf Tour champion will receive invitations to three tournaments on the Challenge Tour and one tournament on the DP World Tour during the 2024 season. The details on which specific tournaments the winner will compete in will be announced in due course.

Speaking about the new partnership, Trackman Co-Founder and CEO Klaus Eldrup-Jørgensen said: “We created the NEXT Golf Tour to provide the many incredible players on tours around the world a new way to earn income and develop their brands as professional golfers. Season One was just the beginning, and we are excited to partner with the European Tour group to help a new generation of players chase their dreams in professional golf.”

Ben Cowen, Chief Tournament Business Officer at the European Tour group, added: “Both Trackman and the European Tour group share a vision — to attract new audiences to this great game, make it more accessible, and develop golf’s future stars. Thanks to the technological innovation of Trackman, virtual golf is now incredibly sophisticated and realistic. It is also a tool regularly used by Challenge Tour and DP World Tour players to hone their skills and equipment when they are away from the course. We look forward to seeing the Season Two winner teeing it up in 2024.”

VISIT TRACKMAN.COM

The CPG LI provides access to a vast array of courses, modules, and other educational material via a cutting-edge Learning Management System [LMS] powered by Brightspace/D2L. Through this partnership, the PGA of Canada will provide opportunity to learn from self-paced basic and advanced e-learning courses in the areas of golf operations, leadership and coaching to selected Member Country PGAs and their Members.

This content will cater to the educational needs of CPG Member Country PGAs and their individual PGA Members, providing them with tangible benefits and clear value, aligned with their needs and requirements.

Additionally, through the partnership, PGA of Canada will join PGA Holland in creating courses and shared resources in the area of Community Coaching – a game development initiative aimed at nurturing a robust supporting volunteer workforce for PGA Professionals across CPG Membership.

CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell, expressed his excitement about the collaboration, stating, “This partnership represents a significant step in our commitment to offering greater opportunity and efficiency to our members. This expansion and enhancement of educational offerings provides our Member Country PGAs and their individual PGA Members, and aspiring PGA Members, with the opportunity to access a greater depth and breadth of resources.

“The PGA of Canada have been a longstanding and hugely impactful Member of the CPG and we, and our members, are extremely grateful for their on-going commitment to sharing their knowledge, expertise and resources. Their contributions will undoubtedly benefit the collective Member Country PGAs and is a great example of international collaboration for PGAs.”

Kevin Thistle, CEO of the PGA of Canada, echoed these sentiments, stating, “The development of PGA professionals across the world is paramount to the growth of the sport, and our collaboration with CPG has resulted in innovative ways to educate golf professionals around the world. We are thrilled to continue lending our expertise to this endeavour and look forward to seeing the positive effects of our contribution across the CPG network.”

This partnership reaffirms CPG’s commitment to its Members by enhancing the educational resources available and the delivery of significant, clear and tangible values, whilst also continuing to strengthen its ties with Member Countries, leading to the overall growth and development of the sport.

For more information on the CPG Learning Institute, contact Wojciech Waśniewski at ww@cpg.golf

The six automatic qualifiers comprise three boys – Englishman Kris Kim, Ireland’s Sean Keeling and Germany’s Peer Wernicke – and three girls – Spain’s Rocio Tejedo, Swede Meja Örtengren and Germany’s Helen Briem. The automatic qualifiers earned their place on the European Junior Ryder Cup team through a season-long ranking system, which was organised by the European Golf Association.

Six players were then selected by Gallacher: Scotland’s Connor Graham, Ukraine’s Lev Grinberg and Italian Giovanni Binaghi for the boys, while Sweden’s Nora Sundberg, Spain’s Andrea Revuelta Goicoechea and Italian Francesca Fiorellini were selected for the girls.

Gallacher said: “I would like to congratulate the players selected to represent Europe in the 2023 Junior Ryder Cup. They have all performed brilliantly over the past year and their selection is fully justified.

“I’ve been to several of the qualification events this year and I’ve been blown away by the standard of golf on show. We’ve got a very strong team and it is going to be a fiercely contested tournament against the United States.

“It is a tremendous honour to be their Captain and I am looking forward to working with and showcasing the most exciting future talent in Europe.

“We are relishing the prospect of taking on the United States in Rome and playing the final day single matches at Marco Simone will be a memorable experience for both sets of players.”

Kim, winner of the recent 96th Boys’ Amateur Championship at Ganton, topped the male Junior Ryder Cup Order of Merit to secure his place in Rome, and he will be joined by Keeling who finished second on the rankings.

Keeling finished third at the Portuguese International Amateur Championship, before reaching the third round of matches in the Spanish Amateur Championship.

The third and final automatic qualification spot was taken by Wernicke after an impressive campaign which included a third place finish at the Spanish International Amateur and a runner-up finish at the German Boys Open.

For the girls, Tejedo topped the Order of Merit thanks to a sensational season, which included two victories at the Portuguese International Ladies’ Amateur Championship and German Girls Open. Tejedo also secured a runner up finish at the recent European Girls’ Team Championship, in addition to third place finishes at the Spanish International Amateur Championship and French International Girls Championship.

Tejedo, currently sitting third in the European Golf Rankings and 37th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, will be joined in Rome by her fellow automatic qualifiers, Örtengren and Briem.

Örtengren has tasted success twice in 2023, firstly winning the French International Girls Championship before adding the European Ladies’ Team Championship in Finland, whilst Briem became the first German to win The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship in its 104-year history to secure the final automatic qualification spot.

Gallacher then selected the talented trio of Graham, winner of the recent European Men’s Team Championships in Slovakia, Grinberg and Binaghi.

Grinberg, at the 2022 Soudal Open in Belgium, became the second-youngest player to make a cut in the DP World Tour’s history at the age of 14.

He also picked Sundberg who won the Spanish International Amateur Championship and the European Girls’ Team Championship earlier this year, Goicoechea who finished second in the French International Girls Championship, and Fiorellini, meaning there will be two Italians taking part in the Junior Ryder Cup on the eve of the country hosting the Ryder Cup itself for the first time.

The first two days of the Junior Ryder Cup will be played at Golf Nazionale before the decisive singles matches are held at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, the Ryder Cup venue, on the eve of the 44th edition of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States.

Find Out More about the Junior Ryder Cup

An exclusive resource hub curated specifically to empower the dedicated representatives of CPG Member Country PGAs – Your Association in a Box – has been launched by the Confederation of Professional Golf [CPG].

This hub and toolkit serve as a comprehensive guide to all things PGA, providing a variety of resources that will empower organisations to enhance their activities and the experience of their Members and help them to unlock a wealth of opportunities.

Reflecting the Togetherness, Collaboration and Development ethos of the CPG, the creation of this hub reinforces the CPG’s commitment to knowledge sharing, progression, and growth across the collective of PGAs.

“The concept of ‘Your Association in a Box’ was widely discussed at our Annual Congress earlier this year and is a superb example of our guiding principles being put into direct action,” said CPG Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“By collating best in class examples from across our membership, along with those developed during the evolution of our Association, the resources available now and in the future are designed to provide clear, tangible and practical tools and benefits to enhance the already great work of Member Country staff, Boards, Committees, education leaders and more, assisting them to thrive in their future development.”

Your Association in a Box users already have access to a suite of resources such as guides, information documents, templates, articles and more with resources being specifically crafted to ensure relevance and adaptability to the unique and diverse activities of a PGA. Resources are also tailored to the wide range of stages of development from embryonic PGAs at the beginning of their journeys to those that are established and operating for 100+ years.

Member Countries are now also able to access live benchmarking data from across the organisation’s 39-country strong collective, allowing them to compare and contrast for ongoing analysis, identification of good and consistent practice, and for strategic goal setting and activation.

The hub also acts as a home for CPG Partners to share exclusive opportunities with Member Countries, such as Lead Partner, TrackMan, already working to develop professional education opportunities for PGA Members.

The resources fall into various domains including membership, governance, tournaments, education, golf development, operations, sustainability, marketing and communications, strategy, and career development, as well as digitalisation resources powered by CPG Partner, Golf Genius.

Resources come from numerous sources both from the CPG’s own activity, resources and experiences, along with those from across the network of countries, leveraging the truly collaborative and collective intelligence established across 30+ years.

For more information on Your Association in a Box, contact info@cpg.golf

Joins Thomas Bjørn, Edoardo Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts in Luke Donald’s backroom team

Together with Seve Ballesteros, remains the most successful partnership in Ryder Cup history

Luke Donald has named Ryder Cup legend José María Olazábal as his fourth Vice Captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup which will be played at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy, from September 26 – October 1, 2023.

The 57-year-old Spaniard is synonymous with the biennial contest against the United States, having played for Europe on seven occasions from 1987 to 2006; been a Vice Captain on three further occasions, in 2008, 2010 and 2014; and, of course, was Captain for the most famous European comeback victory of all time at Medinah in 2012.

In his seven Ryder Cup appearances as a player, which yielded three wins and a tie in 1989 which saw Europe retain the trophy, Olazábal played 31 times, winning 18 of those matches and returning 20½ points in total for the European cause. His partnership with the late, great Seve Ballesteros still stands head and shoulders above any other pairing in the contest’s history, the Spanish duo winning 12 points from their 15 outings together.

Outside of the Ryder Cup arena, Olazábal has notched up 33 professional wins worldwide in a storied career, including 23 on the European Tour from 1986 to 2005. But he is best remembered for his two Masters triumphs at Augusta National – in 1994 and 1999 – the second being especially emotional as it came in the wake of fears that rheumatoid arthritis might mean he would never play professionally again.

Olazábal joins the successful European Ryder Cup Captain of 2018, Denmark’s Thomas Bjørn, in Luke Donald’s backroom team, alongside Italian Edoardo Molinari, a winner with Team Europe in 2010, and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, a member of Olazábal’s winning Medinah team alongside Donald in 2012.

Olazábal said: “With my previous experiences in the Ryder Cup I am obviously thrilled to be back involved once again. I am really looking forward to feeling that special adrenaline flow, the intensity and the electricity that only the Ryder Cup can bring – I’m really excited to be part of it all again.

“It was a very nice surprise to be asked by Luke. I didn’t expect it but I was delighted when the call came. My role will be the same as the rest of the Vice Captains, namely to support and help Luke and the 12 players in any way we can, so they can perform at their best and be able to win that trophy back.

“I have no doubts that Luke will be a great Captain. He has played in the Ryder Cup four times and won four times and he therefore knows what is required to perform well in the match.

“He is great on detail and how important things like team spirit are. On top of all of that, he is still very much a competitive player playing at a high level. Because of that he is close to the players and he knows what they will need to perform to their best. My job as Vice-Captain will be to help him achieve that.”

Captain Donald said: “When you think of José María Olázabal, you immediately think of the Ryder Cup. He brings amazing passion and I couldn’t be more excited to have him on board.

“He was my Captain when I last played in the Ryder Cup – at Medinah in 2012 – and I thoroughly enjoyed playing for him that year. He picked me to play number one in the singles and that was hugely gratifying.

“To know he had that respect and confidence in me to go out and lead Europe in such a pressurised last day environment meant a lot and this feels, perhaps, that I am returning that favour a little bit, as I have a huge amount of confidence in him.

“Just his mere presence brings energy to any Ryder Cup environment and I saw that first hand when I asked him to be involved in the Hero Cup we staged in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of this year.

“He was such a big part of that week, being with the players and sharing stories with them of just what the Ryder Cup is all about. People notice when José María walks into a room and you could see at the Hero Cup how much everyone respected him and admired him for all he’s done in the game. I could not be more excited to have him on my team.”

According to new research undertaken by the governing body, there are now 39.6 million on-course golfers (9 and 18 hole) in R&A affiliated markets.

The research figures indicate that the growth trend began before the onset of Covid-19 and continued during the pandemic – up 34% from 29.6 million on-course golfers in 2016. The sport has since continued to increase in popularity post-pandemic, up 15% from 34.5 million on-course players in 2020.

The data is provided in a new Global Golf Participation Report, which, for the first time, collectively measures The R&A’s affiliated markets in Asia, Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.

The report also highlights that 61.2 million adults (outside the USA and Mexico) engage with the sport in some format, which is the first time an estimate has been made beyond on-course activity to include alternative-only formats, such as par-3 golf, indoor simulator golf and driving range use.

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said, “Golf’s popularity has surged in recent years, which is reflected in a notable increase in the number of people playing the sport in both traditional on-course and alternative formats.

“It is significant that ten million more golfers are playing on the course since 2016, but it is also important that millions of others are engaged in golf through many other alternative formats, such as driving ranges, which are so vital to the growth of the sport.

“It also underlines why effective and impactful participation programmes are important for encouraging more people into the sport and retaining them in greater numbers. We are working closely with our affiliated national federations and stakeholders within golf to sustain this momentum. We thank them for their efforts as we aim to ensure that golf is thriving for years to come.”

The top five on-course adult golfer markets overall in 2023 are in Japan (8.1 million), Canada (5.6 million), Republic of Korea (5.4 million), England (3.4 million) and Germany (2.1 million).

Asia is the leading region for people engaging with golf among R&A affiliated regions, with total adult engagement of 22.5 million. Europe is next highest with 21.1 million adult engagement.

Women make up almost a quarter of adult registered golfers in R&A affiliated markets worldwide, demonstrating the positive impact of initiatives focused on promoting greater diversity and inclusivity in golf.

The R&A is continuing its commitment to invest £200 million over ten years in developing golf, including sustained work to encourage participation by promoting the health benefits of the sport through a global campaign.

View The R&A’s Global Golf Participation Report here

Best first round score came from Belgian’s Order of Merit leader, Thibaut Leys, who opened with a 68 (-4), closely followed by Jan-Willem van Hoof and Sven Maurits (69, -3). More pressure came from Tanguy Marionex, Max Albertus and Alan Saddington on 70 (-2) and a few more players on par or better.

Round 2 was played in rain and wind all day, which didn’t bother Jan-Willem Van Hoof very much as he made the turn on -3 for the day. He added another birdie to his back nine to finish -7. Thibaut Leys saw with double bogeys on holes 5 and 12 a good effort go to waste and ended third on 141. Sjors den Ambtman made a great move after his opening 71 with a 69, bringing him in second spot on his own on 140.

In 2024 the Benelux PGA Trophy and Pro-Am will be played on 25-27 July.

The final day was played in a Pro-Am formula 2 best of 4 aggregate with a side team competition called Ultradrive. Each team received a device which is connected to a satellite that can record your place on the course. The player in the team with the longest tee shot on the fairway confirms his position and the device calculates the distance hit. The pro of the team with the biggest total meters on all par-4s and par-5s receives a bonus prize. And it also helps slow play…

The Brut Prize was won by the team of home pro Olivier Withofs with 81 stableford points (-9!). Net Prizes were for the teams of Tanguy Marionex (2nd) and Franco Isola (1st).

…………………………

THE CPG INTERNATIONAL SERIES

#CPGInternationalSeries

The CPG International Series is an inclusive and innovative schedule of international tournaments in collaboration with the CPG’s Member Country PGAs. With a broad spectrum of golf events that cater to professionals and amateurs alike, the Series offers the most varied array of playing and earning opportunities in the world.

Professionals and amateurs competing relevant Series events are eligible to receive Order of Merit points, with winners also receiving invitations to the Series Grand Final 2026.

Find Out More About the CPG International Series @ cp.golf/InternationalSeries