North East: Senior Tour coming to Close House
Close House near Newcastle has been selected to host one of the European Senior Tour’s most prestigious events.
Home to the world’s only Lee Westwood-designed course, Close House will this year host the oldest event on the European Senior Tour calendar, the ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship.
Owner Graham Wylie said: “We are absolutely delighted to announce that Close House will play host to this year’s ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship.
“To stage a top-ranking tournament of this magnitude for the first time confirms an exciting period in our development and is testament to everyone connected with Close House and shows how far we have come since opening less than four years ago.”
The championship will be played on 11-14 June over the Newcastle club’s 6,813-yard Lee Westwood Colt course, designed as a tribute to iconic course architect Harry Colt.
‘Close House is a worthy addition to the list of prestigious venues’ Tournament officials it is indicated the move is part of a deal which will see Close House stage the championship for a number of years.
PGA chief executive Sandy Jones said: “The championship has a long history of being contested at prestigious venues and Close House is a worthy addition to that list. It was last staged in the north east as recently as 2012 and I’m sure the spectators will be as knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the tournament as there were then.”
The ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship was inaugurated in 1957 and has been played at many of the country’s leading courses, including Royal Mid-Surrey, Gleneagles, North Berwick and The Belfry.
