The 2008 European Tour International Schedule
The Celtic Manor Wales Open – played for the first time over the new Twenty Ten course, venue for The 2010 Ryder Cup – is one of the many highlights of The 2008 European Tour International Schedule which is announced in full today.
The ninth staging of the tournament at The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales, from May 29 – June 1, 2008 – one of a minimum of 50 Order of Merit tournaments in the 2008 season – will feature a record prize fund of £1.8 million as well as a chance for everyone to view the next home venue for the biennial contest against the United States.
Mention of The Ryder Cup is appropriate for the 37th staging of the match, at Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky, USA, will once again focus the attention of the entire world of golf from September 19-21, 2008.
Of course, before then, each tournament will feature the additional lure of valuable qualification points as every European player attempts to book himself a berth in Nick Faldo’s Team with this year, for the first time, the final qualifying event being the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, staged at The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland, from August 28-31, 2008.
The enduring strength and durability of The European Tour is emphasised by the fact there are a minimum of 48 tournaments on the 2008 schedule which were played in 2007, with several featuring continued commitments from sponsors such as BMW through to 2010 and Barclays through to 2012. Also returning to the schedule is the Omega Mission Hills World Cup which will again be played at Mission Hills Golf Club, China, from November 27-30, 2008.
While most tournaments retain the same week they had in 2007, the Singapore Masters and the Maybank Malaysian Open have swapped dates; the former now taking place at Laguna National Golf Club, Singapore, from February 14-17, 2008, while the latter is staged at a venue to be confirmed from March 6-9, 2008. Also moving is the Open de Andalucia which in 2008 moves from its traditional May slot to March 27-30, 2008.
In addition to the many returning tournaments, The 2008 European Tour International Schedule also features two new events in countries not previously visited.
The first is the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters which will be played at the Delhi Golf Club, Delhi, India, from February 7-10, 2008, while five weeks later The European Tour undertakes its first venture into Korea with the playing of the Ballantine’s Championship at Pinx Golf Club, Jeju Island, Korea, from March 13-16, 2008.
The EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters is, however, not the only visit The European Tour will make to India in 2008, the second coming four weeks later when the Johnnie Walker Classic is staged at the DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India, from February 28 – March 2, 2008.
Bringing the 2008 season to an exciting climax from October 30 – November 2 will be the 21st edition of the Volvo Masters at Club de Golf Valderrama, where The European Tour Order of Merit race for 2007 is set to reach a absorbing finale between several of Europe’s leading players in three weeks time.
For the full 2008 European Tour International Scheduleclick here
