Confederation of Professional GolfJosh Budz – Confederation of Professional Golf

Aegean Airlines Pro-Am Returns for 10th Anniversary Edition

Josh Budz — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 18:39:42 +0000

June 2015 will mark the return of the Aegean Airlines Pro-Am to the Confederation of Professional Golf event calendar for the tenth time and will see PGA Professional competitors battle it out for a €70,000 total prize fund.

Since 2006 the international Pro-Am event has attracted players from across the globe to compete on some of the best golf courses the region has to offer.

This year is no exception as the event returns to Costa Navarino’s Dunes and Bay Courses in Messinia, Greece, the venue for the previous two editions of the popular tournament.

“The Confederation of Professional Golf are very proud to once again be sanctioning the Aegean Airlines Pro-Am,” explained Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell.

“For the event to have reached such a milestone is a huge feat and is a product of a vast amount of effort from Mr Vassilakis and his Aegean Airlines team. Their dedication to the sport has proven itself across the past decade and we are looking forward to celebrating this in June.”

The 2014 Pro-Am Individual Professional prize was won by the PGA of Italy’s Nicolo Gaggero, his 3rd Aegean Airlines Pro-Am victory, whilst he and his team of amateurs, Emanuel Georgoudis, Orlando Grondona and Marco Villa, also took the team honours.

Competitors are sure to have an excellent time both on and off the course, as the event’s popularity continues to grow as one of the foremost Pro-Ams in Europe.

Pro-Am package information can be found at www.aegeanproam.com or by downloading the registration form here: http://eur.pe/1MV5TqD.

Visit the Tournament Hub Page to Find Out More: http://eur.pe/2015Aegean

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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.

Edwards Takes First US-Based Golfbreaks.com Pro-Am Title

Josh Budz — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 09:09:05 +0000

The 2015 Golfbreaks.com Pinehurst Pro-Am culminated with a storming performance from Wales’ Simon Edwards after a final round 68 saw him move up the leaderboard to win the Individual Professional event.

The PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Professional began the final round at Kiawah Island’s Turtle Point Course in third position but his bogey-free final round allowed him to leapfrog to the winner’s position.

“I Played great today,” said Edwards. “I found something on the range this morning after two poor days of golf. But windy conditions like this suit me – I grew up playing in conditions like this, but yeah I played good today.”

Edwards’ win came as the event had a last minute change in venue due to heavy snow from Pinehurst in North Carolina, USA, to Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina (statement: http://eur.pe/1zLDKsV).

“We travelled over to Pinehurst early when the weather went South over there,” said Edwards. “So for Golfbreaks.com and the Confederation of Professional Golf to organise coming down to Kiawah was phenomenal.”

The eventual winner mastered the windy conditions of the Turtle Point Course with four single birdies for his 68 and a tournament total of 220 (+4).

Round 2 second place, Peter Dahlberg (PGA of Sweden), finished in the same position having made a solid final 18-hole assault.

Two bogeys at eight and nine were cancelled out by birdies at 12 and 13, however a bogey four at the 16th hole took him to one over for the round (73) and an overall total of 224 (+8).

Overnight leader Martin Woodbridge (PGA of GB&I) was not able to capitalise on his lead and four single bogeys gave him a 76 for a three-round total of 225 (+9).

The Team Pro-Am event was won by PGA of America Professional, Darren McNeal, and his amateurs Tony Baker, Ben Segler, and Doug Vickers. Their final round 80 points (-8) combined with their previous totals of 73 and 78 points gave a 231 point total (-15).

Four points behind with 227 points (-11) was Woodbridge and his team of amateurs, Dave Holden, Kevin Jones, and Steve Wilkes.

For full final results visit http://eur.pe/2015Pinehurst

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

To find out more about Golfbreaks.com visit http://www.golfbreaks.com/pga-pro.

Partner Feature – Golfbidder

Josh Budz — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 12:16:41 +0000

It not very often a business pitch is put in front of you that is genuinely going to grow your business and increase your turnover. But this is one of those rare occasions. Working alongside Golfbidder will drive new business to your store and increase sales. It is all incredibly simple – and completely free!

As a member of a Confederation of Professional Golf Member Country, European PGA Professionals can benefit from the most sophisticated golf club pricing system on the planet.

The video below explains how – simply click the screen or press pause to interact with this video and see more Videos available from Golfbidder.

“Golfbidder has eliminated the trials and tribulations of selling second hand golf clubs.”

Keith Maxwell – Head Professional, Sunningdale Golf Club

The increasing number of new releases in the hardware market has a dramatic effect on the price of even recent product lines. This increases the need to move stock quickly to avoid the risk of being left with redundant items and potential losses. Selling to Golfbidder removes this risk as we’ll take the clubs from you, leaving room (and cash!) for latest products from the manufacturers.

Based near South West London, Golfbidder is the Official Club Exchange of the PGA and CPG (10 years and 2 years respectively) meaning these two governing bodies believe Golfbidder can genuinely help their members. Over 1,200 club professionals use Golfbidder every year to move on their second hand golf clubs.

“Using Golfbidder to take trade-ins has helped me to increase sales and helps me keep control of my stock levels.”

Kieron Stevenson – Head Professional, Royal Troon Golf Club

The way it works is very simple. As you’ll have seen from the video we can offer you (and therefore your customer) instant prices for their old clubs – which they can then use as credit against a new club in YOUR shop

This creation of ‘virtual credit is where we see the scheme really work for your business. By offering to give them something for their old clubs, you’re matching the online price (or beating it) without having to take a hit on margin.

“I’ve received excellent reports about the quality and professional nature of the service that Golfbidder provides for PGA professionals. Golfbidder already employs in-house multi-lingual staff to provide great service to pro’s in Europe. I would encourage all PGA professionals across our member countries to visit www.golfbiddertrade.com to learn more about the way Golfbidder can help retailers increase turnover..” Ian Randell, Chief Executive, Confederation of Professional Golf

By offering a part-exchange service, all parties benefit:

You’ll gain more sales and business in your shop by offering a part-exchange service.
You’ll have a real advantage as not many retailers offer to accept part-exchanges in Europe.
The customer is happy because they have saved money.

WIN! WIN! WIN!

It’s not only the customers’ clubs we want either. It’s yours too.

At the end of the season you may have new stock that you have not sold but would like to get rid of to make room and cash available for the new models. We can buy new stock in bulk.

Offering to take part-exchanges really does stimulate business. Not only does it drive extra money through your till (customers are much more likely to transact if they know they can get something ‘off’ with their old clubs), but it keeps customers loyal.

As key influencers at your respective golf clubs you can quickly gain an additional following from this scheme ….. once people know they can get their new clubs from you and something for their old one, they’ll tell everyone they know!

However you communicate with your customers, whether it’s by email or in-store, ensure they know that yours is a shop where they can turn their old clubs into new ones. Golfbidder will always offer a price for it and that ‘price’ is money which goes towards buying goods in your shop.

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Further information: www.golfbiddertrade.com

Contact: +44(0) 208 401 6900

Email: Pros@golfbidder.co.uk

Post: Unit E5, Barwell Business Park, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey, KT9 2NY

PGA of GB&I – “The Winning Playbook for Golf in America”

Josh Budz — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 10:10:52 +0000

“The Winning Playbook for Golf in America”
Insights and perspectives from some of the most successful U.S. golf courses that can be applied in Europe.

Date: 26th November 2014

Time: 3.30 -4.30pm (UK Time)

Venue: Online – Available to you at home, at work, and on the go.

The PGA is pleased to announce that the next webinar in the ‘PGA Learn from the Best’ webinar series will be delivered in conjunction with JJ Keegan, of Golf Convergence. This webinar is open to any PGA Professional, Club Manager/ Secretary, Greenkeeper or Golf Club Owner.

Click Here To Register
This webinar has a capacity for 100 delegates.
These places will be reserved on a first come, first serve basis only.

Read on to discover what JJ will discuss during the course of this webinar.

The headwinds are strong in the industry. Oversupply, variable weather, inconsistent adoption of technology, parse benchmarks, a time crunched culture and accelerating expenses for labor, benefits, water, fertilizer, etc. make managing a golf course today a tremendous challenge? What is a golf course management team to do?

Gain fabulous new insights and perspectives about to how create value for golfers on a foundation that ensures the financial potential of your golf course is optimized. Insights and perspectives from some of the most successful U.S. golf courses that can be applied in Europe will be presented by Golf Convergence.

This presentation is based on a doctoral dissertation by the Director of the PGA Professional Golf Management Program at Clemson University that evaluated whether a simple-to- implement 7-step process accompanied by 21 heuristic tools developed by Golf Convergence can successful create value for golfers on a foundation that optimizes the financial potential of a golf course. This new golf management system was implemented during the past year by 16 leading golf course operators who manage 60 golf courses including Pelican Hills, Golf Club at La Quinta, Edinburgh – USA, Brackenridge Park and Crystal Mountain.

The findings were just published in the “The Business of Golf – Why? How? What?” to which you will be offered a 50% discount for the book upon attending the Webinar.

You will learn that:

Lesson #1 – You are working too hard on the wrong things that make little difference.
Lesson #2 – There are six key measurements that accurately forecast the potential of your facility. If you do not know those numbers, any success you have is purely luck.
Lesson #3 – You can measure whether you are over- or under-performing the weather. You can also obtain weather forecasts 11 months in advance that are 83% accurate with respect to precipitation and 89% accurate with respect to weather. Do you know where you can secure this valuable information for as little as 200 Euro?
Lesson #4 – The template-based websites you have created and your current use of technology have little value in producing incremental revenue. You will learn why.
Lesson #5 – Do you know the financial results of your competitors? The value of obtaining competitive benchmarks will be shown.
Lesson #6 – The vast majority of golf courses can only cover operational expenses. Few generate the cash flow required to fund capital expenditures without debt or capital assessments. You will learn how to avoid those pitfalls that place you in the “death spiral.”
Lesson #7 – Typical golf course operators manage with “illusory superiority” thinking that their customers are loyal when they are not. The session will explain why secret shopping and precisely measuring the value you create in the golf experience offered is essential.
Lesson #8 – Stealing customers from your competitors and from third party tee time providers is easy. There is a simple trick that you can implement tomorrow – if you attend this PGA ‘Learn from the Best’ webinar hosted in conjunction with Golf Convergence.

Five-Under at Finca for Boggan

Josh Budz — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 13:44:13 +0000

A young Irishman playing his first tournament as a professional took the first round lead at the Invitational Pro-am in Southern Spain.

Ciaran Boggan a 23-year-old from County Meath shot a five-under par 67 at the Finca Cortesin Club to earn one a shot lead over Spaniard Gabriel Canizares.

And that constituted the halfway lead in the chase for the 10,000 Euro first prize in the new tournament which had been reduced to a 36-hole event after the opening two rounds were washed out by heavy rain at the nearby San Roque and La Reserva courses.

Boggan, a member of the County Meath Club, only turned professional six weeks ago have spent two years travelling in Australia.

And he played down the extra stress of playing the Finca Cortesin layout, twice used to host the World Matchplay Championship, in sodden conditions after two early morning thunderstorms.

“The course was playing long, but I have good length off the tee,” he said. ”So I chose to keep the driver in the bag and used my three wood or two iron for accuracy.

“Avoiding the trouble I was then able to attack the greens and that paid off. It’s exciting to find myself at the top of the leaderboard in my first pro event.”

By way of contrast Canizares, the 40-year-old elder brother of European Tour Professional, Alejandro Canizares, knew exactly what he was letting himself in for when he entered The Invitational, which is being staged by the Confederation of Professional Golf.

“I only live five minutes drive from the course,” he said . “And I have played here often. But never under such wet conditions as we had today.”

Robert Moss, the Confederation of Professional Golf Tournament Director, added, “Things did not look too good with the early morning thunderstorms, but once the rain stopped the course drained fantastically.

“Preferred lies were in operation but the course just went from strength to strength as the day went on.”

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For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf, visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/1rF6u54), follow @PGAsofEurope (http://bit.ly/Pojrwy) and search #TheInvitationalProAm (http://eur.pe/1ljutW8) on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Wright in Position After Portrush Push

Josh Budz — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 09:03:56 +0000

PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Professional, Gareth Wright, has dominated from the beginning of the 2014 Carr Golf Invitational Pro-Am and is in place to take the title when play culminates at Royal County Down Golf Club.

The former Glenmuir PGA Professional Champion has put himself in pole position after posting the only sub-par round of the day with a three-under par 69 at former Senior Open Championship venue, Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Two birdies and two bogeys on the front nine left things even for the day, and as the Scot said himself, his play was “solid” and involved “nothing spectacular”, but a birdie at 15 and an eagle at 17 were perhaps to the contrary and allowed Wright to finish at two-over par (217) through three rounds, no less than 18 shots ahead of the chasing pack.

PGA of America Professional, Jim Deiters, returned back to the form of Round 1 with a four-over par 76, and a total of 235 (+20), and whilst first position is perhaps out of reach with a single round remaining, the battle for second is hotting up.

Ryan George (PGA of America) is just one behind Deiters after the second lowest round of the day of one-over par got him to 21-over par (236). Meanwhile, the PGA of America’s Paul Griffin is just another four back on 240 (+25) after Round 3’s four-over par 76.

In the Team Pro-Am Deiters’ team, Midland Country Club, sit atop the leaderboard with a total of 222 points (-6) after their eight-under 80 points for Round 3. Second place is again Wright’s West Linton GC team with 214 points (+2), whilst John Nowosatka’s Midland Country Club team are in third place with 209 points (+7).

For live scores as they come in and more news and updates visit http://eur.pe/V1yeEv.

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

To find out more about Carr Golf Travel visit www.carrgolf.com.

Whirlwind Wright Pushes Clear of Chasing Pack

Josh Budz — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 09:00:04 +0000

Gareth Wright has continued to extend his lead at the 2014 Carr Travel Pro-Am in Ireland with a six-over par 77 around Royal County Down Golf Club in some of the worst weather conditions the competitors have experienced, taking him to a five-over par total of 148.

As the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo have swept across Ireland, bringing with them gale force winds and rain showers, the Professionals and their teams of amateurs have battled their way to complete the second round of the tournament, but as Chris Wilson (PGA of Canada) said it “…was the toughest course in the toughest conditions I have ever played, in 33 years as a golfer.”

The Scottish Region PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Member, kept things as steady as possible considering the 40mph winds that were battering the Northern Irish coastline, with two bogeys on the front nine and three bogeys, one double-bogey and a birdie on the back.

Eleven shots behind in tie-second place are Sean McTernan and Jim Deiters (PGA of America), both of whom are 16-over par (159). Both Professionals managed their way around as best they could, as did the two Pros in tied-fourth position on 20-over par (163), Ryan George (PGA of America) and John Nowosatka (PGA of America).

Leading the Team Pro-Am charge is the Midland Country Club team of amateurs, Dave Dittenber, Dan Lee, and Jim Bicknell, led by Jim Deiters who, with their second round 67 points total, lie seven shots ahead of the chasers on 142 points (+2).

Holding second place at 135 points (+9) is the team of the individual Professional leader, West Linton GC, along with amateurs Austin Carey, Brian Chamley, and Brian Maxwell.

With conditions set to improve slightly as the competitors make their way to Royal Portrush Golf Club for Round 3, the scoring should reflect that and make things hot up on the leaderboard as well.

For live scores as they come in and more news and updates visit http://eur.pe/V1yeEv.

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To find out more about Carr Golf Travel visit www.carrgolf.com.

Wright Goes Under at Portmarnock

Josh Budz — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 08:57:09 +0000

The PGA of Great Britain & Ireland’s Gareth Wright made an early move into lead position carding a one-under par 71 and the sole sub-par round of the day at Portmarnock Golf Club just outside Dublin, Ireland, as the 2014 Carr Golf Invitational Pro-Am got under way.

Wright takes the lead through Round 1 of the Confederation of Professional Golf-Sanctioned Pro-Am that visits a roster of some of the finest links golf courses in the world – Portmarnock, Royal Portrush, and Royal County Down.

A steady opening five pars in a row for Wright was a great start, but then a birdie at the par-five sixth hole took him below par for the front nine. Another early birdie on the back nine at 11 was closely followed with a bogey at 12, after which a further six regulations pars finished the round as smoothly as it started.

But for Wright a good score could have been on the cards throughout the round mentioning how it was “the worst the score could have been” and that he missed “half a dozen from six-feet,” indicating he could still have a strong charge within him.

Fellow GB&I PGA Member, Sean McTernan, sits just two shots behind Wright at one-over par total having mirrored Wright’s one-under front nine, but had a more tumultuous back nine with two birdies and four bogeys for a 73 total. Should the top-two remain close for the week then it could end up being a replay of the battles the pair had as amateur rivals ten years ago.

Sharing tie-third place are PGA of America Professionals, Jim Deiters and Ryan George who each carded two-over par 74s.

In the Team Pro-Am half of the competition, scoring was clearly tough as the teams battled the worsening weather conditions but two teams share the lead with 75 points a piece: New Albany CC (1) made up of amateurs Ken Weixel, Barry Holme, Brad Weixel, along with Professional, Paul Hollenbaugh, and Midland Country Club (1) consisting of Professional, Deiters, and amateurs Dave Dittenber, Dan Lee, and Jim Bicknell.

Midland Country Club (2) with amateurs Dave Basque, Gary Carter, and Tom Webber led by Profesisonal John Nowosatka, are one back on 74 points, but with no less than nine teams within five shots of the lead things could change up quickly as the teams make their way into Round 2.

Weather conditions are set to worsen further as the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo moves across the country bringing high winds, and will certainly make Round 2 at Royal County Down Golf Club more interesting for all concerned.

For live scores as they come in and more news and updates visit http://eur.pe/V1yeEv.

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To find out more about Carr Golf Travel visit www.carrgolf.com.

Hat-Trick Hugo: Santos Makes History in Pravets

Josh Budz — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 12:35:34 +0000

PGA of Portugal Professional, Hugo Santos, produced an outstanding and hard-fought one-under 71 in his final round at Pravets Golf Club to become the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Champion of Europe, adding to his successes in 2011 and 2012.

In what has potentially been the most hotly contested edition of the tournament since its relaunch in 2011, the top-five players jostled for position throughout the day, but it was Santos who managed to advance forward one shot for his ten-under par 278 total and cheque for €10,000, a record third win in the event.

“It is great, it’s difficult to explain with words,” explained Santos. “To win this tournament for the third time it’s special. It’s giving me a lot of confidence for the next tournaments coming up. It’s also a huge effort for the sponsors of the tournament…otherwise it wouldn’t be possible to come and play, so it’s good if we can keep these kinds of sponsors.”

Santos began the day one behind leader, Alec Roberts (PGA of Switzerland), and after a solid start dropped one shot at the third to move back but stayed in contention as Roberts’ lead reduced. A quick response birdie-bogey-birdie run at holes five, six and seven evened things out making the turn at level-par for the day.

With the back nine being touted as the ‘scoring-nine’ all week, it was open for the chasers to make their move, however, high winds and soft under-foot conditions made this a more difficult task. Santos’ move into lead position early in the back nine came as a result of solid play, and a single birdie at hole 14 gave him the edge to nudge one shot ahead of the field.

“On the second nine I had a bad shot on 16 because I was in a wet area so I hit in thin, so I had a very difficult putt back, but did it in two. On 17 I was quite nervous…my shot was not the best but I made a par with a bit of luck…[and] on 18 I was trying to focus on the shot I had in front of me and then the same on the second shot.”

Just one shot behind Santos was round one leader, Ralph Miller (PGA of Holland), who once again played things steady with a single bogey at 12 and two birdies at 16 and 18 for a one-under par 71 and a four round total of 279 (-9).

“Coming second is great,” said Miller. “Obviously you want to win but after the first nine I was kind of struggling but kept it together. Eventually I made a very silly bogey on the 12^th hole…that was a bit unfortunate… you do look at the leaderboard and I saw that nine-under was leading at the time and I dropped back to seven-under. From there it was just trying to keep it together because it was very windy out there.

“I had a great finish at the end of the day…on 18 I hit a good second shot in and it rolled all the way to the back of the green and I holed the putt which was unbelievable because all I was trying to do was get it close…so that was fantastic.”

In third place, carding a level-par 72 for a total of 280 (-8), was Russ Berry (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland – England). Berry started his final round in tie-third position with Miller and that was where he stayed as his two birdies and two bogeys kept him just out of reach of a move up the leaderboard.

“It was a lot tougher today – I played really well on the front nine, really solid, had loads of chances but didn’t’ quite take them,” said Berry. “I was a bit disappointed to make a bogey early into the back nine but I bounced back pretty well and made a couple of birdies in the next four holes and had a go…it was all I could do really…there were only two guys that beat me this week so that’s pretty nice.

“The other guys from England are quality players as well…so to be leading English player this week was great and to feature high up was really good…to know that I was here for England is quite an honour.”

With 24 different nationalities competing, of which there were nine different nationalities in the top-ten, the Championship continues to grow in stature and reputation as European golf, and specifically the profile of golf in host country, Bulgaria, flourish.

The 2014 edition of the Championship marks the first of another three-year agreement to host the tournament at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort and includes the huge support of the event sponsors UniCredit Bullbank, KIA, Glenfiddich, Domaine Boyar, RIU Pravets and Braemar Golf. The Confederation of Professional Golf’s thanks go to all of these event sponsors for helping to make the event a huge success.

For full results of the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, along with news and round reports, visit http://eur.pe/1t2FsIz.

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For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf, visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/1t2FsIz), follow @PGAsofEurope (http://bit.ly/Pojrwy) and search #PassportToPravets (http://eur.pe/1e6YQex) on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Roberts in the Hunt to Go One Better

Josh Budz — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 12:32:50 +0000

The PGA of Switzerland’s Alec Roberts holds the lead at -10 (206) heading into the final Round of the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe, and is looking to go one better than his tied-second place finish in last year’s championship.

Roberts finished alongside fellow countryman, Corsin Caviezel, six shots behind eventual winner Federico Elli (PGA of Italy) in 2013, but has showed more dominance this year sitting one ahead of the chasing pack.

“It would be fantastic [to win],” said Roberts. “It was well received back home last year – I had so many messages…and even today on Facebook and Twitter. They’re proud that a Swiss guy is doing something successful and I hope I can make them Proud.

“There’s a few key shots on the front nine – the tee-shots on two, three, five and six – if you get those away and get round the turn in around level then the back nine is a scoring-fest.”

Roberts started the day tied for the lead with the PGA of Holland’s Ralph Miller, and his solid two-under 70 kept him just ahead of Hugo Santos (PGA of Portugal). Santos, the tournament’s 2011 and 2012 champion, took 69 shots (-3) to make it around for his nine-under par total (207), and has his sights set on making it a hat-trick:

“It’s different [this year], in my opinion the field is a bit stronger, but I just want to be focused on my game and we will see at the end. If I have a chance and feel comfortable to do it [play more aggressively], I will.”

Whilst weather conditions were better than Round 2, the wind continued to blow across Pravets Golf Club, Bulgaria, making scoring a real challenge for all the Professionals. The leading pack jostled for position continuously throughout the day, which included Holland’s Miller and the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland’s (England), Russ Berry, who share third place at eight-under par (208), each within touching distance of the lead.

“I played solid again, I just didn’t hole as many putts as I did yesterday,” said Miller. “I finished on a bogey which is not good for the humour…but if I can get some putts going tomorrow then maybe I can…at least try and get them nervous. I don’t think a Dutchman has ever won here so for that reason it would be really good [to win].”

Berry added, “I’m looking forward to tomorrow…it’s not a position I’ve found myself in too often so it’ll be interesting to see how I handle it tomorrow, but I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve played really good every day to be fair and there haven’t been too many mistakes…so long may it continue.”

With the top-ten players all within six shots of the lead, the final round is set to be a close-run affair as they each vie for the title of 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Champion of Europe.

The Final Round of the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort begins tomorrow at 0900am (EEST). For full Round 3 scores and updates visit http://eur.pe/1t2FsIz.

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Roberts in the Hunt to Go One Better

Josh Budz — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 08:51:52 +0000

“There’s a few key shots on the front nine – the tee-shots on two, three, five and six – if you get those away and get round the turn in around level then the back nine is a scoring-fest.”

Roberts started the day tied for the lead with the PGA of Holland’s Ralph Miller, and his solid two-under 70 kept him just ahead of Hugo Santos (PGA of Portugal). Santos (pictured right), the tournament’s 2011 and 2012 champion, took 69 shots (-3) to make it around for his nine-under par total (207), and has his sights set on making it a hat-trick:

With the top-ten players all within six shots of the lead, the final round is set to be a close-run affair as they each vie for the title of 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Champion of Europe.

The Final Round of the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort begins tomorrow at 0900am (EEST). For full Round 3 scores and updates visit http://eur.pe/1t2FsIz.

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For more information on the 2014 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.

Roberts & Miller Cause a Storm at Pravets

Josh Budz — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 12:02:31 +0000

PGA of Switzerland Professional, Alec Roberts, and PGA of Holland Professional, Ralph Miller, both survived stormy conditions at Pravets Golf Club on the second day of the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe, sharing the lead through 36 holes at eight-under par (136).

Roberts’ three-under par 69 was a steady round for the Swiss PGA Pro, who is looking to advance on his second place finish in 2013, but it could have been even lower – “I felt like I left a lot of shots out there. I’m going to be really happy when I forget about the shots I left out there – it was a frustrating round but I’m going to be happy at the end of the day…eight-under par, I can’t grumble with that.”

A wedge-shot just before the thunder and lightning suspension was called placed Roberts in an un-nerving position with a downhill chip remaining but a cool chip and a holed six-footer when play resumed was enough to save par and keep momentum for the remaining few holes.

“The rain delay didn’t put me off but the shot I hit just before they stopped play was right in the middle of the shower,” said Roberts. “I totally topped my wedge over the green…but I managed to hole a six-footer and that got me going again.”

Miller, who continues his run at the top of the leaderboard, had a more up-and-down round than Round 1 with five birdies and three bogeys making up his two-under 70 – “The weather conditions were a lot more difficult today…half-way through our round the wind picked up and the rain came down and it was really tough playing, and I was quite glad that they sounded the horn [for the suspension]. I made a few more bogeys than yesterday but again solid playing and I’ve just got to keep it together with the same gameplan as yesterday.”

Just one shot back on seven-under (137), is the PGA of Poland’s Jakub Ossowski, who started the day in the middle of the pack at one-under par. But after seven birdies and one bogey for a six-under par 66 and tied low round of the day, Ossowski has played his way back into contention heading into Round 3.

”It was a really good day – I felt good after yesterday and my one-under…the putter was really hot today and I just made the putts I had. I was a little bit worried [about the rain delay] with three holes left to finish after the break but I started with two straight birdies and it put me on a good track.”

The PGA of Germany’s, Paul Archbold, continued with steady play and a second three-under par 69 for a six-under total (138), along with overnight leader Hugo Santos (PGA of Portugal) who had two bogeys and a double-bogey to drop back to a level-par 72.

Round 3 of the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort begins tomorrow at 0900am (EEST). For full Round 2 scores and updates visit http://eur.pe/1t2FsIz.

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Bulgarian Birdie Blitz For Miller & Santos

Josh Budz — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 11:59:30 +0000

The 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe got underway today with 18 players scoring below par headed up by Ralph Miller (PGA of Holland) and Hugo Santos (PGA of Portugal) both carding 6 under rounds of 66.

Birdie was the word of the day as no less than 141 were carded at Pravets Golf Club with Miller and Santos making 12 between them. Miller’s round was perhaps marginally cleaner than Santos’ with a solid six birdies and 12 pars for his 66, whilst Santos also had six, along with a bogey cancelling eagle on the 7^th hole.

“It felt great, I played solid all day,” said Miller. “Six birdies and no bogeys is always great – I got off to a good start with a great birdie on the first, it’s a tough hole to start here, and that got me going really.

“Last time I played here was 2011 when I finished third and I was one shot off the playoff…it’s a good start this time but there are four days so hopefully I can keep it going for the next three.”

It was co-leader Santos’ opening few holes that laid the groundwork for his opening round – “I was playing fairway to green and then made these two birdies, so I was just letting the game go and happen without pressing too much. I made the eagle but then had an accident on nine, but it’s golf, it happens.”

Lying just one shot behind is 2013 second place PGA of Switzerland Professional, Alec Roberts, who got off to an early head start with birdies at the 12^th and 13^th holes (his third and fourth) along with a two further birdies at holes 15 and 17. A single bogey at 18 halted that run until two last gasp birdies at Roberts’ 17^th and 18^th (eighth and ninth) took him to five under par (67).

“I started on the back nine which is the scoring nine…and I knew I had to get off to a fast start,” said Roberts. “I played the first eight holes really solid and was four-under par…I was really happy with my game at that point. I made a bad bogey on the 18^th, but was pretty happy in the end with three-under par for the nine. Then on holes six, seven, eight and nine I played really solid again…and ended with a birdie-birdie finish…so all in all really happy.

PGA of France Professional, Laurent Poncelet, sits one shot back from Roberts at four-under par (68), whilst the PGA of Holland’s Edwin Derksen and the PGA of Germany’s Paul Archbold both carded three-under rounds of 69 for a tie of fifth place.

Round 2 of the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort begins tomorrow at 10am (EEST). For full Round 1 scores and updates visit http://eur.pe/1t2FsIz.

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IMAGE CAPTION: PGA of Holland Professional, Ralph Miller (left), and PGA of Portugal Professional, Hugo Santos (right)

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Notes to Editors:

An Association of 36 National PGAs (31 European and 5 international) with a collective membership in excess of 21,000 golf professionals, the Confederation of Professional Golf is committed to the advancement of golf, golfers and the golf profession across Europe.

The Association is also a partner in Ryder Cup Europe as the sole member of the Ryder Cup European Development Trust, and is widely acknowledged as a lead body in the delivery of golf development expertise on a global basis through its collaboration with The R&A in its “Working for Golf” programme. [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 Bulbank

UniCredit Bulbank is the biggest Bulgarian bank in terms of assets, exceeding BGN 12.7 billion as of March 2014. The Bank is servicing over one million individual clients and households, high profile private customers, small and mid sized businesses, larger domestic and multinational corporates, municipalities and budget enterprises. [www.UniCreditBulbank.bg]

Pravets Pro-Am Gets Championship Underway

Josh Budz — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 11:57:15 +0000

The 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe Official Pro-Am culminated today with the team made up of PGA of Italy Professional, Zeke Martinez, and amateurs Ilia El Feleki, Lubomir Tushev, and Andon Tushev carding a fantastic 87 points second round total to finish on 175 points (-31) for the event.

A first round one-better of 88 points from the quartet at Pravets Golf Club that included an 8-pointer on the 10^th and six six-point holes got them off to a fantastic start. A second round filled with much of the same including a seven-point total at the 13^th hole ensured they kept their lead to secure the Pro-Am title.

“I was lucky enough to play with my team for two days in a row which some of the other teams weren’t able to,” explained Martinez. “But thanks to ‘Lubo’ who is a great player and really helped our team, Andon who is a really solid player, and Ilia who is also very good, it was a great victory and everyone’s pretty happy that we won.”

Solid play from the Italian who has played regularly on the European Seniors Tour in the past few years should stand him in good stead for the upcoming 72-holes of the Professional Championship, and he’s got one thing on his mind – “I think there’s only one place I can go from here – first right!”

The second place team of Tiberius Popa, Bogdan Jigman, Nicolae Kovacs, who played with Professionals Damjan Murgelj (PGA of Slovenia) and Ronny Schinnerl (PGA of Austria), carded rounds of 86 and 81 points for a total of 167 (-23).

Just one point behind in third place were amateurs Todor Chakov, Pam Jones, and Wayne Fulton who, with the help of PGA of Spain Professionals, Jose Manuel Mancebo and Miguel Fajardo, scored two rounds of 83 points to end on 166 points (-22).

The first round of the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort gets underway tomorrow at 10am (EEST). For live scores and updates visit http://eur.pe/1t2FsIz.

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IMAGE CAPTION: 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe Official Pro-Am Winners, [L-R] Ilia El Feleki, Zeke Martinez, Lubomir Tushev, Andon Tushev

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Notes to Editors:

Pravets Golf Club

UniCredit Bulbank

Countries’ Elite Professionals Get Their Passport To Pravets

Josh Budz — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:54:39 +0000

A stellar field of PGA Professionals are set to travel to Bulgaria next week for the 2014 UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe at Pravets Golf & Spa Resort, having gained their Passports to Pravets and the chance to play amongst some of the best players in Europe.

With a first prize of €10,000 and a total purse of €60,000 up for grabs, Europe’s finest PGA Professionals will make their way to Pravets with determination in their eyes as they prepare to battle it out in the Association’s flagship 72-hole strokeplay event.

The field of players from across the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Member Countries features stalwarts of the tournament that have continued to qualify through their national championship qualifier events such as the PGA of France’s Benjamin Nicolay (2013 7^th place) and Frederic Cupillard (2013 T-13^th), both of whom represented France at the International Team Championship (ITC) in 2013. Also joining this French pair is 2014 French PGA Grand Prix Champion Laurent Poncelet, who will be looking to open his Championship account with a strong result.

So too returns PGA of Holland Professional, Ben Collier, who has contested the event a number of times and gained a solid T-10^th place in the 2013 edition of the event.

But Collier will not be travelling alone from The Netherlands as no less than five Professionals make up the Dutch contingent, made up of other qualifiers from the Benelux Trophy in July, Ricardo Van de Vinn and Edwin Derkson, and two-thirds of the International Team Championship team that landed a historic win at the 2013 event, Ralph Miller (also 2014 National Champion) and Robin Swane.

The 2013 Championship was won by the PGA of Italy’s Federico Elli by six shots from his nearest rivals from the PGA of Switzerland, Alec Roberts and Corsin Cavaziel, who will both be returning this year.

Elli, who is also the 2012 & 2013 Italian Teachers Champion, will be seeking to emulate the returning two-time champion and three-time National Order of Merit winner from Portugal, Hugo Santos who first carded a win in the tournament at its revival in 2011 and then successfully defended the following year in 2012.

But it’s not just the international visitors looking to make their assault on the tournament with local representation from Pravets Golf Club’s very own Director of Instruction William Dow, along with Head Professional at St. Sofia Golf Club and Chairman of the PGA of Bulgaria, Richard Lane.

The Welsh contingent of Jon Bevan and Andrew Barnett are two players who have each represented their country on multiple occasions, including in the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland’s PGA Cup, where GB&I’s Professionals battle it out against the PGA of America’s Professionals in a Ryder Cup-like format.

The Norwegian representation matches up exactly to that of last year as John Drummond and Knut-Alexander Schiager return to see if they can improve upon their 36^th and T-19^th places respectively.

The Scandinavian influences also continue with Swedish players, both of whom are past Swedish Club Pro Champions, Mark Dewdney (1995 Polish Open winner) and Magnus Persson Atlevi (previous member of the European Tour for 10 seasons).

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Notes to Editors:

Pravets Golf Club

UniCredit Bulbank

Past Champions Assemble for Passport To Pravets Encounter

Josh Budz — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 11:51:42 +0000

Past UniCredit PGA Professional Championship of Europe winners, Hugo Santos and Federico Elli, will both be making their return to Pravets Golf & Spa Resort in Bulgaria as they both look to increase their respective tally of wins whilst also taking home the winner’s purse of €10,000.

The 2013 Championship was won by the PGA of Italy’s Federico Elli by six shots from his nearest rivals from Switzerland, Corsin Cavaziel (who will also make a return to try to land the championship at his second attempt) and Alec Roberts.

Elli will be seeking to emulate the double-win of Portugal’s Hugo Santos who first carded a win in the tournament at its revival in 2011 and then successfully defended the following year in 2012.

Elli’s Confederation of Professional Golf-tournament season has included a T-25^th place at the 2014 Golfbreaks.com Fourball Championship at LUMINE Mediterránea Beach & Golf Community, in Spain, followed up with a solid 8^th place at the 2014 Aegean Airlines Pro-Am at Costa Navarino in Greece.

Santos also competed in the Fourball Championship sadly not making the cut but with record form at Pravets Golf Club and in the Championship, he will no doubt be chasing to make it a hat-trick of wins.

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For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf, visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/17vapHk), follow @PGAsofEurope (http://bit.ly/Pojrwy) 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:

Pravets Golf Club

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]

Links Golf Comes to Confederation of Professional Golf Tournament Schedule with Carr Golf Invitational Links Pro-Am

Josh Budz — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 08:35:13 +0000

The latest Sanctioned Event to be added to the 2014 Confederation of Professional Golf tournament calendar is the Carr Golf Invitational Links Pro-Am taking place in Ireland from 19-24 October across some of the best links golf courses in the world.

PGA Professionals and their amateur team members will have the opportunity to play former Irish Open and Walker Cup venue, Portmarnock Golf Club, multiple amateur and professional championship host venue, including most recently the 2007 Walker Cup, Royal County Down, as well as the venue recently invited to host an Open Championship by The R&A, Royal Portrush.

Chief Executive of the Confederation of Professional Golf, Ian Randell, said: “The Confederation of Professional Golf take great pride in the quality of the tournaments and Pro-Ams that make up our playing schedule and we are delighted to be working with Carr Golf Travel on what promises to be a fantastic event across some of the world’s finest links courses.”

“Carr Golf Travel are delighted to welcome the Confederation of Professional Golf as a key partner for the Carr Golf Invitational Links Pro Am,” said Chief Executive of the Carr Group, Marty Carr. “The Confederation of Professional Golf join the PGA of America Metropolitan Section (New York), Northern California PGA and the PGA of Canada as partners of the event.”

“As we head to Northern Ireland to play the best links courses in the world, it is also very timely that Royal Portrush, where my father won the British Amateur, has once again been invited to host an Open Championship in the near future. We look forward to working with the Confederation of Professional Golf for what promises to be a unique and unforgettable event.”

Carr Golf Invitational Links Pro-Am packages are free for Professionals and start at £2,095 per amateur and include:

• PGA Professionals travel for free
• 5 rounds of Championship golf
• $10,000 prize fund for PGA Professionals
• 5 nights’ accommodation the Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links and The Europa Hotel – Belfast
• $1,000 credit towards flights for PGA Professionals
• Amateur prizes
• Full Irish breakfast and lunch each day
• Gala dinner
• Tournament gift
• Transport in the form of coach & driver
• Tournament concierge with Carr Golf representatives on  site throughout

There are also options for teams to play Royal Dublin Golf Club before the tournament gets underway.

For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page here: http://eur.pe/V1yeEv.

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/V1yeEv), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter (http://bit.ly/Pojrwy) and search the hashtag ‘#CarrGolfProAm’ (http://eur.pe/V1yq6C), or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page (http://on.fb.me/RnDfEc).

To find out more about Carr Golf Travel visit www.carrgolf.com.

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Image Caption: One of the Carr Golf Invitational Links Pro-Am venues, Royal Portrush Golf Club

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Notes to Editors:

Links Golf Comes to Confederation of Professional Golf Tournament Schedule with Carr Golf Invitational Links Pro-Am

Josh Budz — Sun, 27 Jul 2014 08:40:42 +0000

Whilst also getting the opportunity to compete across three of Golf Digest’s Top-13 golf courses in the world outside of the United States, Professionals will be playing for a prize fund of $10,000 based on 20 participating teams.

“We are very pleased to be adding this Pro-Am with Carr Golf Travel to our Sanctioned Event schedule,” said Chief Executive of the Confederation of Professional Golf, Ian Randell. “Our schedule is renowned as having a great variety of courses in some incredible locations and, with such a high level of golf course in this event, it is surely going to be something that will stand out on the calendar.”

Chief Executive of the Carr Group, Marty Carr, said, “QUOTE.”

Carr Golf Invitational Links Pro-Am packages are free for Professionals and start at £2,095 per amateur and include:

PGA Professionals travel for free
5 rounds of Championship golf
$10,000 prize fund for PGA Professionals*
5 nights’ accommodation the Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links and The Europa Hotel – Belfast
$1,000 credit towards flights for PGA Professionals
Amateur prizes
Full Irish breakfast and lunch each day
Gala dinner
Tournament gift
Transport in the form of coach & driver
Tournament concierge with Carr Golf representatives on  site throughout

There are also options for teams to play Royal Dublin Golf Club before the tournament gets underway

For more information and to enter download the Application Form here: xxxxxxxx.

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (xxxxxxxxxx), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter (http://bit.ly/Pojrwy) and search the hashtag ‘#CarrGolfProAm (xxxxxxx), or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page (http://on.fb.me/RnDfEc).

To find out more about Carr Golf Travel visit www.carrgolf.com.

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Image Caption: xxxxxxxxxxx

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Notes to Editors:

Grogan Lights Up Lighthouse Heading into Final Round of BlackSeaRama Pro-Am

Josh Budz — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 09:19:13 +0000

Round 2 of the 2014 BlackSeaRama, taking place at the Ian Woosnam design Lighthouse Golf Resort & Spa in Bulgaria, allowed the PGA of Germany’s Jonathan Grogan to continue his campaign carding a four-under par 67 to lead on -5 (138) for the tournament.

An uneventful one-under par front nine at the par 71 course that neighbours BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas was steady enough but it was the back nine where Grogan came into his own with five birdies in the last seven holes, only marred by bogeys at holes 14 and 16.

Grogan’s overnight co-leader, Benjamin Nicolay (PGA of France), remained steady throughout with a level par front and back nine for his 71, remaining at one-under par (143) and four shots off the pace.

In tied-third place sits Danmjan Murgelj (PGA of Slovenia) with an up and down one-over opening nine, but a three-under attack on the second nine got him back to a two-under par for the day (69), which, together with his first round 76, leaves him two-over for the tournament (145).

Advancing by a place up the leaderboard and sitting as the other tie for third at two-over is the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland’s Benn Barham with a set of one-under and level par nines for a 70 to tally with his opening 75.

The Team Pro-Am competition continues to be lead by individual leader Grogan after a second round 90 points (-18) was added to the first round 89 points totaling 179 points (-35) for the tournament and a seven point lead.

Final Round play gets underway at 09:00am (EEST) at BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas. For full scores visit http://eur.pe/ODZ032.

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/ODZ032), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter (http://bit.ly/Pojrwy) and search the hashtag ‘#BlackSeaRama’ (http://eur.pe/13Dp6Hg), or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page (http://on.fb.me/RnDfEc).

To find out more about BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas visit www.BlackSeaRama.com.

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IMAGE: xxxx

IMAGE CAPTION: 2014 BlackSeaRama Pro-Am Leaders Jonathan Grogan [left] and Benjamin Nicolay [right] (-1)

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Notes to Editors:

BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas

“BlackSeaRama is a special golf course – you have to see it to believe it”! – Gary Player

BlackSeaRama is a classic links golf course with remarkable views of the sea – the similarity with Scotland is obvious, with the only difference being that Bulgaria is the newest golf destination in Europe, while Scotland – the oldest. But the real difference is the climate – the sunny days in BlackSeaRama are more than 260, which makes around 10 perfect months of golf on the Black sea coast. Situated some 50km away from Varna-only one and a half hours flight from Vienna and Prague or Europe’s centre. BlackSeaRama offers the very best of Gary Players’ style, says the US Masters champion Angel Cabrera, a little after he played all 18 of the great championship holes.

BlackSeaRama residential area consists only of one or two-storey villas. This creates a cozy atmosphere with breath-taking views to the Cape Kaliakra and the golf course. All hundred luxurious villas have five-star hotel services, and the infinity swimming pools bring a delight sense of timeless relaxation.

The bistro and the Gourmet restaurant in the clubhouse are the home of the famous East European chef Kirin.

BlackSeaRama golf academy disposes of latest golf simulator equipment, which facilitates training all year round, both indoors and outdoors. Besides, BlackSeaRama has two tennis courts, a professional gym, a therapeutic massage centre, as well as unlimited opportunities for practicing various sports. The complex offers everything from cycling and table tennis to riding, hunting, diving and yachting.

The philosophy of BlackSeaRama is maximum self-sufficiency, absolute peace and an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Own labels of red and white wine are produced from the vineyards grown aside the fairways available only for its members and guests. The fruits and vegetables are also organically produced on site.

BlackSeaRama – the golf course named by “Golf Inc”, “Best new course in the world 2009”, which has a Bentley prize, and a clubhouse titled “Building of the year 2008”.

Grogan & Nicolay Tame Thracian As BlackSeaRama Pro-Am Gets Underway

Josh Budz — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 09:14:59 +0000

The 2014 BlackSeaRama Pro-Am began today on away turf in Bulgaria just a stones-throw away from BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas itself at Thracian Cliffs, where the PGA of Germany’s Jonathan Grogan and the PGA of France’s Benjamin Nicolay are tied at the top of the leaderboard after Round 1’s play.

Both Professionals had relatively steady rounds, with Grogan heading out in one-under and back in level, and Nicolay mirroring Grogan’s two birdies and two bogeys in the last seven holes to both end on 71 (-1) as well.

The pair lead by one over the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland’s Craig Phillips, a former BlackSeaRama Pro-Am Champion having won the tournament back in 2011. Phillips’ card was only slightly more up-and-down with nines of one-over and one-under par giving a level-par 72 finish.

In fourth place, three shots back from Phillips, lies fellow PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Professional, Benn Barham, after a round that looked to be on track for the lead, but was thwarted with triple bogeys at holes 15 and 17 to end on three-over par (75).

Germany’s Grogan also leads the team event with amateurs Ole Smidt, Megan Kelly and Michael Crsutke carding an opening tally of 89 points (-17), followed up by German, Peter Schmidtner’s, team with 86 points (-14), and the teams of Murgelj (PGA of Slovenia), GB&I’s Barham, Lane (PGA of Bulgaria), and France’s Nicolay, each on 83 points (-11).

Round 2’s play gets underway at 09:00am (EEST) at Lighthouse Golf Resort & Spa. For full scores visit http://eur.pe/ODZ032.

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To find out more about BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas visit www.BlackSeaRama.com.

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IMAGE: Confederation of Professional Golf – BlackSeaRama_R1 – Grogan Nicolay.jpg

IMAGE CAPTION: 2014 BlackSeaRama Pro-Am Leaders Jonathan Grogan [left] and Benjamin Nicolay [right] (-1)

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Notes to Editors:

BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas

The bistro and the Gourmet restaurant in the clubhouse are the home of the famous East European chef Kirin.

BlackSeaRama – the golf course named by “Golf Inc”, “Best new course in the world 2009”, which has a Bentley prize, and a clubhouse titled “Building of the year 2008”.

Karatas’ Kempinski Campaign Begins in Style

Josh Budz — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:21:15 +0000

Turkey’s own Bulent Karatas leads the way at the 2014 Kempinski “The Dome” Pro-Am after a first round six-under par 66 around The Pasha Course at Antalya Golf Club, Belek, lying one shot ahead of the pack with two rounds to play.

Karatas is one of three family members playing in the Pro-Am but faired best of the bunch started with three birdies in the first four holes, followed by a bogey at six and a double at 9, but then when on to make an incredible six birdies across his back-nine.

Fellow countryman Hakan Yamac also filled his card with bogeys and birdies and with five birdies on his back-nine finisnehd at five-under par after Round 1, whilst PGA of Germany Profesisonal, Jason Evans, kept things a little simpler with 14 regulation pars and four bidies to end up two shots off the pace at four-under par (68).

Tie-fourth M Haremza started a little shaky but birdies holes six to eleven and then the 18^th to end up on three-under par (69), algonside the PGA of Poland’s Max Saluda, who carded the low round on the PGA Sultan course with his 69.

The Team competition is led by Bulent Karatas’ team along with Itamar Cohen’s team both with 89 points a piece. Round 2 sees the final day of the Pro-Am Team tournament, after which the Professionals will play together for their final round and the amateurs will play a single round amateur-only tournament.

For live scores visit http://eur.pe/2014kempinski.

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For more information on Antalya Golf Club visit www.agc.com.tr, and for the Kempinski “The Dome” Hotel visit www.kempinski.com/en/belek.

For more information about the Confederation of Professional Golf, visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/1dZqE22), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter and search #KempinskiDome, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Forza Italia at Costa Navarino as Gaggero Makes it a Hat-Trick

Josh Budz — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 09:37:53 +0000

The 9^th Aegean Airlines Pro-Am culminated in a storming performance from the PGA of Italy representatives with three Professionals finishing in the top four, but most notably with Nicolo Gaggero securing his third Aegean Airlines Pro-Am and successfully defending his title from 2013.

All three of Gaggero’s Aegean Airlines Pro-Am victories have been at Costa Navarino and it was his eight-under par 63 first round at the Dunes Course that set him in good stead for the week. A second round two-under 69 at the Bay Course left him three ahead of the chasing pack, but a solid level-par 71 back on the Dunes was just enough to take the winner’s cheque for €7,000.

Second place fell to PGA of Great Britain & Ireland Professional, Liam Bond, who finished just behind Gaggero for the second year in a row with a nine-under par 204 total. Bond’s first round 68 and second round 70 kept him in the game for the first two rounds but a final 66 and low round of the day on the Dunes course was enough to advance him to second and a cheque for €5,000.

Third and fourth place went to Akim Hassan (68+67+72=207; -6) and Zeke Martinez (67+69+72=208; -5) respectively. Both these PGA of Italy players remained in contention throughout the week supporting fellow countryman Gaggero at the top but couldn’t quite advance enough in the final round allowing Bond to move to second.

Gaggero also completed a tournament double leading his team of Emanuel Georgoudis, Orlando Grondona and Marco Villa to victory with a 96 point first round and an 86 second round in the Team Pro-Am competition to finish on 182 points (-38).

Second place in the Team Pro-Am went to Giles Johnson (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) and his amateurs, Marina Vasylyeva, Maria Yakovleva Pavel Yakovlev, with a -37 total of 181 points (85+96 points).

Three teams tied for third place – Team Heard, Team Shippey, and Team Martinez, however third place alone went on countback to Danny Heard (PGA of Great Britain & Ireland) and amateurs David Hallows, Matthias Geissler and David Topping with a two round -32 total of 176 (88 + 88).

For full final scores and further news from the 2014 Aegean Airlines Pro-Am visit http://eur.pe/1gEi0X8.

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For more information visit the Tournament Hub Page (http://eur.pe/1gEi0X8), follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter (http://bit.ly/Pojrwy) and search the hashtag ‘#AegeanProAm’ (http://bit.ly/156AUEH), or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page (http://on.fb.me/RnDfEc).

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

Italian Challengers in Place for Aegean Airlines Pro-Am Battle

Josh Budz — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 09:34:08 +0000

The second round of the 2014 Aegean Airlines Pro-Am at Costa Navarino in Greece saw a host of experienced and previous Aegean Airlines Pro-Am competitors continue their assault on the championship, with the top three PGA Professionals flying the flag for the PGA of Italy.

Round 1 leader and defending champion, Nicolo Gaggero, built upon his opening 63 with a two-under par 69 on the Bay Course to maintain his lead going into the final round with a three-shot buffer between him and fellow countryman, Akim Hassan, in second place.

Hassan, who returns having led his amateurs to Pro-Am Team victory in the 2013 edition of the event, ensured his first round pace continued with a four-under par 67.

But hot on his heels is the 2012 champion, Zeke Martinez, whose second round 69 at the Bay Course leaves him one back from Hassan as all three complete the final three-ball in the Individual Professional competition on the Dunes Course for the third and final round.

All top-10 Professionals are under par and within 10 of the lead meaning with forecasts showing the possibility of changeable conditions and potential rain, the competitors will be looking to pounce on any opportunity to edge ahead.

The Team Pro-Am competition culminated after Round 2 and results in the Team competition will be revealed at the end of the final day’s play.

Round 3 of the Individual Professional tournament gets underway at 07:30am EEST at Costa Navarino’s Dunes Course. For live scores and further updates on the Pro-Am Team competition visit http://eur.pe/1gEi0X8.

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

Gaggero Storms to Early Lead at Costa Navarino

Josh Budz — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 09:31:41 +0000

Two-time Aegean Airlines Pro-Am winner, Nicolo Gaggero (PGA of Italy), surged ahead after day one of the international Pro-Am at Costa Navarino in Greece, carding an outstanding eight-under par, 63, in a day that saw rising temperatures as well as a stoppage due to thunder and lightening.

Whilst storms may have paused a number of Professionals’ challenges at the 9^th edition of the Pro-Am, the defending champion Gaggero didn’t show signs of stopping with a 63 that was as solid as they come.

Three birdies on the front-nine of the Dunes course and five more on the back nine meant the Italian set the bar high for the tournament, but an experienced and persistent pack of challengers are right on his tail.

The nearest Professionals to Gaggero lie at a ‘tied-for-second’ four-under par (67) and include Henrik Engdahl (Greece) and Zeke Martinez (Italy) (Dunes Round 1), and Mike Burrows (Austria) and Frederik Svanberg (Swtizerland) (Bay Round 1).

Gaggero also leads the way in the team Pro-Am tournament with his team of Emanuel Georgoudis, Orlando Grondona and Marco Villa who posted an incredible 24-under stableford points total of 96. Mike Leitch of Great Britain & Ireland features in second place on 90 points with his amateur team of Platon Lanitis, Andreas Charitou and Philippos Philis.

Round 2 gets underway at 07:30am EEST at Costa Navarino’s Dunes and Bay Courses. For live scores visit http://eur.pe/1gEi0X8.

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

2014 BlackSeaRama Pro-Am Set to Be Biggest Yet

Josh Budz — Fri, 23 May 2014 09:11:30 +0000

Entries Close Midnight 1^st July 2014 (BST)

The Confederation of Professional Golf-sanctioned BlackSeaRama Pro-Am makes its return this July to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline and will once again feature rounds at Gary Player Signature Design courses, BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas and Thracian Cliffs Golf course, as well as the Ian Woosnam-designed Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort.

The Pro-Am will take place from the 15^th – 20^th July (tournament dates 17^th – 19^th July) and will see up to 25 teams of one PGA Professional and three amateurs battle it out across 54 holes at three different courses for team prizes and a Professional prize fund of €25,000 (based on 25 teams).

After a year out from the tournament, Thracian Cliffs Golf Course, home of the 2013 Volvo World Matchplay Championship won by Graeme McDowell, will host the first stableford Pro-Am round, whilst Round 2 will again take place at the Lighthouse Golf & Spa Resort that sits next-door to BlackSeaRama.

The third and final round will take place across BlackSeaRama Golf & Villa’s par 72, 6648-meter championship course that offers a classic links-style layout and incredible views out to the Cape Kaliakra.

Beginning at €949 for non-members, and along with an exceptional après-golf offering (details here: http://eur.pe/1ep8AAu), packages include:

5 Nights Accommodation and complimentary airport transfer from / to Varna Airport
Every day Lavish Buffet Breakfast included; Coffee, tea and Water in the Villas, Limited Mini-bar
1 Practice day green fee at BlackSeaRama Opening Cocktail at BSR Clubhouse
3 Tournament days green fees at BlackSeaRama, Thracian Cliffs and Lighthouse (transfers included)
3 Half-way food & beverage stops
2 Buffet Dinners: La Campana & Lake Taverna
1 Prize giving ceremony with Gala Dinner
Free use of Fitness Centre, Infrared and Finnish Sauna, Jacuzzi, Billiard, Table Tennis, Pools, Steam Bath and Relax zone, Wi-Fi Internet
Access to all functions and activities during the Pro-Am week

Find out more information on the schedule by downloading the Tournament Information Sheet here – http://eur.pe/1gCmifI – and to enter download the Entry Form here – http://eur.pe/OE3cQ9. Contact blacksearama@blacksearama.com with entries and for enquiries.

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To find out more about BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas visit www.BlackSeaRama.com.

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IMAGE: Confederation of Professional Golf – BlackSeaRama_03_m.jpg

IMAGE CAPTION: BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas, Bulgaria

IMAGE: Confederation of Professional Golf – Thracian Cliffs_01.jpg

IMAGE CAPTION: Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort, Bulgaria

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Notes to Editors:

BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas

“BlackSeaRama is a special golf course – you have to see it to believe it”! – Gary Player

BlackSeaRama is a classic links golf course with remarkable views of the sea – the similarity with Scotland is obvious, with the only difference being that Bulgaria is the newest golf destination in Europe, while Scotland – the oldest. But the real difference is the climate – the sunny days in BlackSeaRama are more than 260, which makes around 10 perfect months of golf on the Black sea coast. Situated some 50km away from Varna-only one and a half hours flight from Vienna and Prague or Europe’s centre. BlackSeaRama offers the very best of Gary Players’ style, says the US Masters champion Angel Cabrera, a little after he played all 18 of the great championship holes.

The bistro and the Gourmet restaurant in the clubhouse are the home of the famous East European chef Kirin.

BlackSeaRama – the golf course named by “Golf Inc”, “Best new course in the world 2009”, which has a Bentley prize, and a clubhouse titled “Building of the year 2008”.

The Invitational Pro-Am Offers Up ‘Dunhill Links-Style’ Two-Player Pro-Am Format

Josh Budz — Mon, 21 Apr 2014 12:39:18 +0000

Late November will see the arrival of the latest international Pro-Am to be added to the Confederation of Professional Golf’s growing tournament schedule in the form of ‘The Invitational Pro-Am’, and will also offer the first one-pro one-amateur team format to the Association’s Pro-Am offering.

A maximum of 180 teams will compete across 72 holes of better-ball competition in Spain’s Andalucia region across three of the country’s best-known courses – the Dave Thomas-designed San Roque Old, and two Cabell Robinson design courses, La Reserva and Finca Cortesin.

Pro-Am teams will rotate around the three courses for the first 54 holes of competition, after which a cut will determine the final round Finca Cortesin line-up that will battle it out for a purse of up to £85,000, a record individual Professional prize fund in the Association’s history of Pro-Ams.

“Our thanks go to HKH Sports & Media for their vision to take a format that has been so successful on both the European and PGA Tours and provide the opportunity for amateurs to experience one-to-one competitive golf with established PGA Professionals and potential ‘Stars of the Future’,” explained Chief Executive of the Confederation of Professional Golf, Ian Randell.

“This, coupled with the climate of the Costa del Sol, three fantastic golf courses and first-class hospitality should provide a treat for all competitors.”

Warren Pike on behalf of The Invitational Tournament Committee added: “We are delighted to announce this unique tournament in conjunction with the Confederation of Professional Golf.

“While hosting such a big event over three courses will be a challenge, we and our partners are excited by the many opportunities that the Tournament will present.

“We believe the four days of quality competitive golf in Spain will be a niche showcase for our partners and their guests, a great opportunity for the young professionals and a unique experience for their amateur partners.”

Entry forms for ‘The Invitational Pro-Am’ and further information are available from www.TheInvitational.eu and http://eur.pe/1rF6u54.

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‘The Invitational Pro-Am’ Offers Dunhill-Esque Two-Player Pro-Am Format

Josh Budz — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 17:07:52 +0000

“This, coupled with the climate of the Costa del Sol, three fantastic golf courses and first-class hospitality should provide a treat for all competitors.”

Warren Pike on behalf of The Invitational Tournament Committee added: “We are delighted to announce this unique tournament in conjunction with the Confederation of Professional Golf.

“While hosting such a big event over three courses will be a challenge, we and our partners are excited by the many opportunities that the Tournament will present.

Entry forms for ‘The Invitational Pro-Am’ and further information are available from www.TheInvitational.eu andhttp://eur.pe/1rF6u54.

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For more information on the Confederation of Professional Golf visit the Tournament Hub Page, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter search the Hashtag ‘#TheInvitationalProAm‘, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

2014 CCHoTS Brings Engagement and Interaction to the Fore

Josh Budz — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 17:04:43 +0000

The 2014 Coaches Circle and Heads of Training Summit (CCHoTS) is developing a strong reputation for providing elite coaches and Heads of Training with a truly interactive forum, and 2014’s addition was no exception.

Taking place at Chervó Golf Hotel Spa & Resort in San Vigilio, Pozzolengo, for the second consecutive year, the 5-day event saw some of Europe’s best coaches and education professionals join together to focus intently on the transition period between being an elite amateur and a professional making their way on one of the Tours.

Director of Education and Membership for The Confederation of Professional Golf, Tony Bennett (pictured below), expressed his satisfaction on the quality of engagement from the delegates, “Coaches Circle has always been about offering coaches the opportunity to really get an insight into the minds and hearts of our speakers.

“We have consistently brought experts to the event from the world of coaching who are happy to share their knowledge. The quality and quantity of questions from the floor was impressive and certainly speaking at Coaches Circle is not for the faint hearted, as these coaches really like to quiz our experts.”

This year’s Heads of Training was as very focused on the new European Education Level System (EELS) and it’s implementation across Europe and the wider membership. “EELS offers us a completely new way of assessing PGA professional education programmes”, said Tony

“The work we have done in the Leonardo da Vinci funded Golf Stand project, [which had 16 partners from across the industry], was the forerunner to the EELS document. We now have a very reliable set of standards and learning outcomes which, not only help assess the competence of Golf professionals but also help those responsible for education and training to develop or improve their existing programmes to meet industry needs.”

Highlights from the week included the Italian Women’s Skiing Coach, and much decorated skier himself, Michael ‘Much’ Maier, who spoke about the relative similarities and parallels between his work in skiing and the role of a golf coach; Ladies Golfing Union of Ireland PGA Professional, David Kearney, discussing how players can best move into the American college golf system; and European Tour caddie, Dominic Bott, spoke about how he worked with Professionals to get the best from their game.

Former European Tour winner and current member of the European Tour Board, Paul Eales, was twice in front of the delegates – once in a panel alongside former European Tour players Massimo Scarpa and Silvio Grappasonni, discussing their transitions from players to coaches, and again where he presented about the players’ transitions from amateur to professional golf.

Nicola De Pisapia, PhD. from neuro-science startup company, Neocogita, spoke about ‘mindfulness’ and the benefits of mental training for athletes, and even gave delegates the chance to be tested using their new systems and software for measuring the physiological response of the body to stress and stimuli, and explained the practical application of this technology within the game.

PGA of Spain Professional and Technical Director for the Royal Federation of Spain, Jesús Rodriguez, discussed how the Spanish Federation developed a high performance centre for their players and what are the key components that go in to creating successful players.

Highly experienced Sports Psychologist and former Lead Psychologist for England Golf, Brian Hemmings, spoke in both halves of the CCHoTS week discussing transitions of amateur golfers to professional golfers, as well as the move that playing professional make into the teaching professional world. Practical sessions for delegates also gave them the chance to experience some of the topics in action out on the practice facilities.

The Heads of Training Summit also gave the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Tony Bennett and Education Committee member, Jim van Heuven, the opportunity to discuss the new European Education Level System (EELS) that is being brought into use across the Association’s member countries. They also carried out specific one-to-ones with other members of the Education Committee to work with each country to begin the process of recognition under the new EELS system.

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For more information visit the CCHoTS Hub Page – http://eur.pe/2014cchots, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter search the Hashtag ‘#CCHoTS’, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.

Golfbreaks.com Pinehurst Pro-Am Brings “US Open Course 2014” to Confederation of Professional Golf Calendar

Josh Budz — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 17:02:53 +0000

2015 will see the first staging of the Golfbreaks.com Pro-Am at the legendary North Carolina-based US Open venue of Pinehurst in the United States, marking the first Confederation of Professional Golf-sanctioned international Pro-Am to take place in North America.

The Golfbreaks.com 2015 Pro-Am at Pinehurst is a four-day event taking place on the 25th – 28th February, 2015, and will include a round on the famed No.2 course, which will this year host two major championships – the men’s and women’s US Open.

The Pro-Am is another sign of the strength of relationship between the Association and Golfbreaks.com, coming within the same 12 months that Golfbreaks.com renewed their Corporate Partnership for a second three-year term and also title-sponsored the 2014 Confederation of Professional Golf Fourball Championship in February.

The event is open to four-person teams from across the world, with each team comprising one PGA Professional and three amateurs, and will offer an Individual Professional prize fundof £10,000/€12,000/$16,000.

“The opportunity to sanction a Pro-Am event taking place in North America and at such a well-known and prestigious venue is excellent,” said Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell. “What makes it even better is that it is with one of our long-standing and fantastic corporate partners, Golfbreaks.com, so we are sure it will be a huge success and something different for our member countries’ PGA members.”

Golfbreaks.com USA CEO, Daniel Grave commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Confederation of Professional Golf once again for this prestigious tournament at one of the world’s most iconic golf destinations, and look forward to welcoming both professionals and amateurs to North Carolina for what should be a fantastic week.”

Jim Long, Golfbreaks.com’s Director of Golf Pro Relations, said: “Building on the success of our Spanish Pro-Ams that take in Valderrama and La Reserva it’s very exciting to be adding a new event in the USA. Many competitors at our European Pro-Ams have asked about playing in the States, so we are delighted to be able to offer them a tournament to remember at the magnificent Pinehurst resort.”

Entry to the Pinehurst Pro-Am costs £1180/€1415/US$1885, with the Pro going absolutely free, and includes:

3 tournament rounds & 1 practice round (includes tournament rounds on No.2, No.4 and No.8)
3 nights at The Holly Inn with full American breakfast
Welcome dinner with wine and beer
Prize giving lunch with wine and beer
Golfbreaks.com welcome bag
Unlimited range balls
Golf carts for each round plus a caddy on No.2 Course
Confederation of Professional Golf Official Tournament Staff

For full details visit www.golfbreaks.com/pga-pro/Pro-Ams/golfbreaks-pro-am-at-pinehurst, the Confederation of Professional Golf Tournament Hub Page: http://eur.pe/1dxYfnK, or contact Golfbreaks.com’s Golf Pro Relations Account Manager, Murray Dalgliesh on +44(0)1753 754 355.

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

GOLF EUROPE Establishes Itself as the Venue for International Golf Business

Josh Budz — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 17:00:16 +0000

From 28 to 30 September 2014 everything will focus on golf at Messe Augsburg when visitors meet at what is the 21st international GOLF EUROPE trade fair. The trade fair returns to Augsburg for the third time and has enjoyed great popularity amongst golfers.

In 2013, over 2,000 visitors from 29 countries demonstrated their satisfaction with the trade fair’s offering, and across its three years of modern history, GOLF EUROPE has become essential for the market leaders in the industry – specifically in the hardware section.

This was confirmed by Andrew Law, Vice President of TaylorMade Golf: “We are very happy with the outcome of our participation in GOLF EUROPE 2013 and we will definitely be here in 2014 to build up an even stronger foundation. For us it shows that GOLF EUROPE provides not only a perfect venue for the gathering of the European Golf business, but critically a successful order-platform. Our first time at the show has been very promising.”

GOLF EUROPE 2014’s showcase for the European golfing industry is being expanded over previous years and offers an interactive marketplace with plenty of room for hands-on public relations and the exchange of information.

Live Final Day Broadcast of the 2014 Ryder Cup on Sky

When the winner of the Ryder Cup 2014 is declared at Gleneagles, Scotland on 28 September, the visitors of GOLF EUROPE will be able to experience the events as they happen, with the live transmitting of the final day’s play at the show – an ideal opportunity for exhibitors, customers and associates alike to join in the celebrations and to network.

Various Options to Present New Products

The PRODUCT AWARD acknowledges particularly innovative new product developments each year. The award-winning products in various categories will be exhibited to the public during the trade fair and then they can be advertised as winners of the PRODUCT AWARD.

This year the FIRST DRIVE Area will also be offering young entrepreneurs from the industry an opportunity to present their innovative products to the trade for the first time.

Extensive Supporting Programme of Events and Services

Together with the Confederation of Professional Golf, the PGA of Germany, the Golf Management Verband Deutschland Association, as well as the new associate, the Bayerische Golfverband, GOLF EUROPE will continue the successful tried and tested formula by improving the event with lectures and conferences on a range of subject matter.

“The Confederation of Professional Golf are delighted to be again supporting Golf Europe at Messe Augsburg,” explained Confederation of Professional Golf Chief Executive, Ian Randell. “Since moving Golf Europe to the city of Augsburg in 2012, Messe Augsburg General Manager, Gerhard Reiter, and his team have done an excellent job at ensuring the show evolves and stays relevant in our sport that is constantly changing.”

In addition to this there are plans to have a Fashion Forum in the trade fair to focus specifically on clothing in particular.

Reserved block bookings in hotels and special rates for outward travel into Augsburg plus a free shuttle service will be available for visitors this year as well.

For more information on the GOLF-EUROPE visit www.GOLF-EUROPE.com, follow @golfeuropemesse on Twitter, followGOLF EUROPE on Google+ or like the GOLF EUROPE’s Facebook Page.

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For more information on the Confederation of Professional Golf visit cpg.golf, follow @PGAsofEurope on Twitter, or like the Confederation of Professional Golf Facebook Page.