PGA unveils 2015 tournament schedule

An exciting national PGA tournament schedule has been teed up for 2015 with more than 90 days of competitive golf at leading courses to whet the appetite of PGA Members.

Among the highlights will be the chance to secure a place in the Great Britain & Ireland PGA Cup team to face the United States in California.

Qualification for September’s PGA Cup clash at CordeValle resort will be determined following the conclusion of the PGA Professional Championship which this year is being staged for the first time at the Somerset gem of Burnham & Berrow from June 2-5.

PGA pros will have nine regional venues to choose from in a bid to reach the £78,000 final with Essendon Country Club a new name among the qualifiers.

The WPGA Professional Championship will also take place at Burnham & Berrow (June 4-5) with women members also having the chance to compete in seven WPGA One Day Series events while the LETAS WPGA International Challenge returns to Stoke by Nayland (October 8-10).

** The third hole at Burnham & Berrow.

The traditional curtain raiser is again the Senior PGA Professional Championship which returns to the magnificent Foxhills Resort in Surrey from May 13-15 where Kenny Hutton will be looking to defend the title he won in such style 12 months ago.

Added incentive for the top 20 finishers will be entry to the PGA Seniors Championship with the host venue to be announced early in the new year.

Meanwhile club pros will have chance to team up with club members in the popular pro-am formats of the Lombard Trophy and the Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Challenge which return to Scotland and Turkey respectively.

Gleneagles is the incentive for the 750 plus clubs entering the Lombard Trophy’s 16 regional finals with finalists set to follow in the footsteps of Europe’s Ryder Cup heroes at the PGA Centenary Course from September 1-2.

With a bumper £80,000 prize fund the September final is set to be a target for every PGA club pro with an attractive £12,000 first prize to the winner and £7,500 to the runner-up.

Later in November, Antalya Golf Club’s highly-rated PGA Sultan Course again stages the Canopius-supported £25,000 PGA Pro-Captain final for a sixth successive time from November 25-26 with the Mediterranean resort always a hit with the 10 teams that make it through.

** The 16th on the PGA Sultan at Antalya Golf Club.

With the pro and captain relationship one of the most important at any club, the 10 regional qualifiers offer an ideal opportunity to strengthen that bond aside from the tantalising prospect of reaching the 36-hole showpiece final.

Immediately after the PGA Pro-Captain Challenge the focus is on who will end the year as the PGA’s No 1 at the 72-hole PGA Play-Offs. Antalya Golf Club again plays host from November 27-30. The high-class field will feature the top three players from the PGA’s seven regions plus the PGA Professional champion and runner-up and the PGA Assistants’ champion. Also at stake are 10 places in the 2016 BMW PGA Championship.

The summer sees the PGA Assistants’ Championship back at Coventry Golf Club from August 5-7 with Gareth Davies set to defend the PGA’s oldest national event.

August caters for the spectrum of members with the PGA Super 60s heading to Caldy Golf Club in the north west from 19-20 while Cheshire venue Carden Park will also stage a championship final in the same month when it hosts the Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship from August 12-14.

Asbri Golf marks its renewed sponsorship of the Welsh National PGA Championship with a return to Radyr Golf Club from July 8-9. The south Wales club has a long association with the tournament having hosted the first one back in 1904.

October 13-14 will see the England & Wales Inter County Championship again at The Belfry and played over 36 holes.

Ben Groutage, PGA head of tournaments, commented: “We’re pleased to again offer an excellent national schedule which has been further strengthened with the addition of some exceptional courses.

“With a blend of formats there is something for everyone and with 2015 also being a PGA Cup year it promises to be an exciting season of tournament golf for our Members.”

2015 National PGA Tournament Schedule

May 13-15      Senior PGA Professional Championship – Foxhills

June 2-5        PGA Professional Championship – Burnham & Berrow

June 4-5        Women’s PGA Professional Championship – Burnham & Berrow

July 8-9         Welsh National PGA Championship sponsored by Asbri Golf – Radyr

Aug 5-7         PGA Assistants’ Championship – Coventry

Aug 12-14      Golfbreaks.com PGA Fourball Championship – Carden Park

Aug 19-20      PGA Super 60s – Caldy

Sept 1-2        Lombard Trophy – Gleneagles

Sept 18-20     PGA Cup - CordeValle, California

Oct 8 -10       WPGA International Challenge - Stoke by Nayland

Oct 13-14       England & Wales Inter County Championship – The Belfry

Nov 25-26      Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Challenge supported by Canopius – Antalya Golf Club

Nov 27-30       PGA Play-Offs – Antalya Golf Club