Golf Monthly News Digest

Record Amount raised at the David Seaman Safe Hands Charity Golf Classic

Parque da Floresta Golf & Leisure Resort was the host of the sixth annual Safe Hands Charity Golf Classic hosted by David Seaman, in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The two-day competition was a huge success raising in excess of £150,000 for the charity.

Twenty-three teams participated in the event, playing alongside David Seaman and personalities from the world of sport and entertainment. The final winners with a score of 82 were John Peavoy, Geoffrey Vickers and Noel Barker who formed the Sportax team, captained by David Seaman himself.

The weekend concluded with a spectacular gala dinner where guests bid for auction prizes such as joining David at the Emirates Stadium, which received a £10,000 bid.

Many of David?s former teammates and celebrities joined in with the festivities to make the event highly enjoyable for all.

Increase in prize fund for the Open Championship

The total prize fund for the 2007 Open Championship will be £4.2 million, an increase of £200,000 on last year?s prize fund. The champion at Carnoustie will receive £750,000, an increase of £30,000 compared to what Tiger received last year.

The additional £200,000 will be distributed between the 156 players with 70th place receiving £9,500 and last place will receive £2,100.

When Paul Lawrie won in 1999, he received £350,000 from a total prize fund of £2 million.

Sporting Chance

Why have a swimming pool or a tennis court in your garden when you can have a golf course! You don?t have to be Roman Abramovich to own this one.

Twelve Oaks, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house with two barns, nestling in 73 acres of glorious grounds in Wiltshire comes with a unique opportunity to own a nine-hole golf course. The golf course is already well developed with a self-sustaining irrigation system and there is planning permission for a driving range. And if golf isn?t your sport then there is a full-sized football pitch complete with changing rooms.

Twelve Oaks is on the market for a guide price of £1.5 million through Cluttons LLP.

Ballantine?s to sponsor unique European Tour event

The European Tour and Korean PGA have announced that Ballantine?s will sponsor the the first European Tour event to be held in Korea. The Ballantine?s Championship wiill be held March 13-16 2008 at the Pinx Golf Club. It will also be unusual in the sense that it will be an ?international? event, which means that entries will be based on players Official World Golf Rankings rather than their position on a particular Order of Merit, so organisers are hopeful of a strong field.

Double Honour for Ashburnham

Ashburnham Golf Club has two reasons to celebrate after being chosen to host two of Wales?s most prestigious amateur events.

The course beat off strong competition to be chosen to host the 2009 Welsh Open Strokeplay Championship and 2010 Home Internationals. The last time these two events were held there Luke Donald, Paul Casey, David Howell and Padraig Harrington all took part.

The 2009 GUW Welsh Open Strokeplay Championship will be played on Ashburnham?s famous links in two years? time from May 21-24. The Home Internationals will be held the following year from August 9-13 in 2010.

Michael Jones, chairman of Ashburnham Golf Company Ltd and club captain for 2007, said: ?This is a confirmation from the GUW that Ashburnham is rapidly again becoming one of the few top courses in Wales worthy of holding this level of championship.

?Our focus and investment on the quality and standard of the golf course is reaping reward and getting the recognition it duly deserves. We are all proud to have such a world-class sporting facility at our disposal in Carmarthenshire.?