The Fifth Estonian Amateur Open 2008 by Floorin, the biggest international golf tournament in the Baltic States, will be held 25th to 27th July.
This spectacular amateur golf event is listed in European Golf Association Calendar and is an R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking Event. The tournament will be held at the Estonian Golf & Country Club at the Jàµelà¤htme Golf Course in Estonia.
The chairman of the organising committee, Arvi Mà¤gin, said, that the goal of the committee is to organise the highest-level competition ever held in Estonia. “In addition to the best Estonian golfers and top international players, we also expect at least 1,000 spectators to watch the tournament this year,” he said. “The requirements set for competitors are high – the handicap allowance for male players is 12 and 18 for female players.”
The Jàµelà¤htme Golf Course was selected as the venue of the competition because it is the best golf course in Estonia and meets all the requirements set for the organization of international tournaments. It cost 80 million kroons to build and was opened in 2006. It is managed by the Estonian Golf & Country Club and is a PGA European Tour courses, a reassurance of excellence.
Last year England international Roger Roper won the men’s competition with a hole-in-one on the 17th hole of the final round. Mari Suursalu from Estonia was the winner among the women.
Roger Butler, who tied 4th in 2007, describes the event, “From the moment we arrived, when we were playing and afterwards, we were treated like European Tour Professionals. It was an incredible experience walking down the 18th hole and seeing hundreds of people watching you play.”
Sven Uustalu, marketing manager at the Golf & Country Club, said, “This year we intend to make the tournament even bigger and better by investing over €150,000 in the organization of the event. We expect 144 players from over 15 different countries participating in this year’s championship and over 1,000 spectators watching the battle during the three days.”
The Estonian Golf Association has confirmed that Estonia’s most important tournament will be held at the Jàµelà¤htme Golf Course for the next three years until 2010.
The patrons of the fifth Estonian Amateur Open 2008 by Floorin are Canon, Colliers International, Barons Hotels, Forbo and Floorin.
Est Am Open www.estamopen.eu
PGA European Tour Courses www.pgaetc.com