March 31, 2010: Almost 2,000 of Europe’s leading young golfers will follow in the footsteps of Rory McIlroy, Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren, Oliver Fisher and Melissa Reid when they tee up in the 2010 Faldo Series Europe which begins with the opening event at Frilford Heath Golf Club, Oxfordshire, on March 31-April 1.
McIlroy, Dougherty, Warren, Fisher, and Reid all won at least one event on previous Faldo Series’ before using their experiences to help them forge successful professional careers.
McIlroy, a Faldo Series champion in both 2004 and 2006, is currently the Touring Professional at the Lough Erne Resort in Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, which recently became the European Home of the Faldo Series and which will stage both a Faldo Series Ireland Championship on May 24-25 and the 2010 Faldo Series Grand Final on September 21-23.
The Faldo Series was created by six-time Major champion, Sir Nick Faldo, back in 1996 to help identify and nurture the next generations of young champions and with his support and with the help of the likes of The R&A, the European Tour and the Lough Erne Resort it has developed into one of the most prestigious events on the youth golfing calendar.
This year’s Faldo Series Europe comprises a record 16 events in England, Greece, Northern Ireland, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, South America, The Netherlands and Wales and comes hard on the heels of the successful 2009 Faldo Series Asia which comprised 15 tournaments in 12 countries across Asia and the Middle East and culminated in March when Japan’s Masamichi Ito won the Grand Final over the Faldo Course at Mission Hills Golf Club in China.
Ito, 2010 Faldo Series Asia Girls’ champion Thidapa Suwannapura from Thailand, and the other age group champions at Mission Hills, have all been invited to the 2010 Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at the Lough Erne Resort where they will come face to face with the winners from all 16 tournaments that lead into this year’s Grand Final.
“I am delighted to announce this year’s Faldo Series Europe has been extended to include new events in Greece, Slovakia and The Netherlands and will see more players participating than ever before,” said Faldo.
“It is very encouraging and it’s particularly pleasing to see a significant increase in the number of girls entering the Series,” he added. “It all bodes well for what I am sure will be an excellent Series and a tremendous Grand Final at the new home of the Faldo Series Europe at the Lough Erne Resort.”
The race to Lough Erne starts with the opening event at Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire, on March 31-April 1 and then takes in further Championships at Moortown Golf Club, Yorkshire (April 7-8), West Lancs Golf Club, Lancashire (April 22-23), Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey (May 5-6), Royal Ashdown Forest, East Sussex (May 18-19), Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland (May 24-25), Le Meridien Moscow Country Club, Russia (June 8-10), Notts Golf Club, Nottinghamshire (June 9-10), The Roxburghe Golf and Country Club, Kelso, Scotland (June 23-24), Goyer Golf and Country Club, near Amsterdam, The Netherlands (July 21-21), Costa Navarino Resort, Messinia, Greece (July 26-28), The Vale Resort, near Cardiff, Wales (August 17-18), Black Stork Golf Resort, Velka Lomnica, Slovakia (August 24-26),Trentham Park Golf Club, Staffordshire (August 25-26) and a Faldo Series South America Championship (date tbc).
All age group winners (Boys’ Under-21, Boys’ Under-18, Boys’ Under-16, Girls’ Under-21 and Girls’ Under-16) then progress to the 2010 Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at the Lough Erne Resort, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland (September 21-23), where they will come face to face with the winners from the 2010 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills.
The Faldo Series (charity number 1102719) now comprises over 30 tournaments in more than 25 countries in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, South America and Asia.
Each year over 5,000 talented young boys and girls aged between 12 and 21 benefit from a unique combination of tournament experience and expert advice, including support and advice from Sir Nick Faldo himself. The Faldo Series also aims to create access to the sport for a younger audience through a number of grass-roots initiatives.