Faldo

April 6, 2010: Jonathan Bell, an 18 year-old English amateur international from Royal Blackheath Golf Club near London, will make his debut  on the European Tour at the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal, to be played this week at Porto Santo Golf, Madeira.

Arranged by Sir Nick Faldo, Bell tees up alongside the Tour stars as a reward for finishing one stroke ahead of 2009 British and English Boys’ champion, Tom Lewis, at the 2009 Faldo Series Europe Grand Final staged in the Olympic city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last October.

The young Englishman travels to Madeira shortly after returning from China, where he finished 24th behind Japanese golfer, Masamichi Ito, in the 2010 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final over the Faldo Course at Mission Hills Golf Club.

Six-time Major Champion and founder of the eponymous Faldo Series, Faldo said: “I am sure Jonathan will have a great time playing alongside the Tour pros at the Madeira Islands Open.”

“I set up the Faldo Series back in 1996 to develop tomorrow's champions and there is no better way to learn than to compete alongside some of the best players in the game.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Paulo Sousa and the Tournament Committee for giving Jonathan a place in the field in Madeira,” Faldo added. “It is much appreciated and will be hugely beneficial to Jonathan as he looks to build on the success he has achieved to date.”

Paulo Sousa, a leading light in the organisation of the Madeira Islands Open BPI – Portugal, and a man who is also heavily involved with the Faldo Design project at Ponta do Pargo on Madeira, commented: “We were delighted to offer Jonathan a place in the field. His performance in the 2009 Faldo Series Europe Grand Final illustrates he is a fine player and will not be out of place in our top class field.”

Bell’s win in the 2009 Faldo Series Europe Grand Final in Rio was his latest success in a career which started in earnest when he won the 2004 English Boys’ Under-14 Championship at the age of 12. He went on to win both the Sir Henry Cotton Junior Masters and the South East Junior Championship in 2008 and is now a regular in the English Boys’ side which won last year’s Boys’ Home Internationals.

“Winning the Grand Final of the Faldo Series opened a lot of doors for me and it’s something I will always be grateful for,” said Bell.

“It will be a great experience to tee up in a Tour event and I am hoping I can do well.”

Bell’s appearance in Madeira takes place a  week after the 2010 Faldo Series Europe started at Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire (March 31- April 1). The Series continues with subsequent events at Moortown, Yorkshire (April 7-8), West Lancs, Lancashire (April 22-23), Walton Heath, Surrey (May 5-6), Royal Ashdown Forest, East Sussex (May 18-19), Lough Erne Resort, 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, Scotland (June 23-24), Goyer Golf and Country Club, near Amsterdam, Holland (July 21-22), Costa Navarino Resort, Messinia, Greece (July 26-28), The Vale Resort, Wales (August 17-18), Toya Golf and Country Club, Wroclaw, Poland (August 17 – 18), Black Stork Golf Resort, Velka Lomnica, Slovakia (August 24-26), Trentham Golf Club, Staffordshire (August 25-26) and a Faldo Series South America Championship (tbc). The 2010 Faldo Series Schedule culminates with the Grand Final to be played over the Faldo Course at the Series’ Home at the Lough Erne Resort, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland on September 21-23.

Sir Nick Faldo created the Faldo Series (charity number 1102719) back in 1996 to develop new generations of young talent and to date its former graduates include World No. 11 Rory McIlroy, who won the Under-15 and Under-17s titles in 2004 and 2006 respectively, Scottish World Cup winner Marc Warren, English European Tour stars Nick Dougherty and Oliver Fisher, LPGA Major winner Yani Tseng and rising Ladies’ European Tour player Melissa Reid.

This year, the Faldo Series Europe and the Faldo Series Asia will attract over 5,000 boys and girls aged between 12 and 21 and will comprise more than 30 events in 25 countries throughout GB & I, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia, with the winners from all the qualifying events being invited to compete in either the European or Asian Grand Final.