The Faldo Series Ireland Championship will return to Lough Erne Resort in CountyFermanagh on 1-2 April 2014, organisers announced recently. Last year’s event saw a record number of participants and an even bigger field is predicted for 2014. Olivia Mehaffey (Royal County Down) won the tournament in 2013 before finishing second in the Girls’ division at the Grand Final in October.
“The Faldo Course at Lough Erne is one of the country’s best and I am looking forward to returning to the resort to defend my title in April,” said the 16-year-old. “The Grand Final at The Greenbrier was amazing, I’m determined to qualify again and go one better this year.”
Golfers aged 12 to 21 will line up in the seventh Ireland Championship, to be played over two rounds on the Faldo Course at Lough Erne. The field will be divided into four age-groups – three for boys and one for girls – and the winners of each division will join Sir Nick Faldo at the season-ending 18th Faldo Series Grand Final, a 54-hole World Amateur Golf Ranking event.
Supported by The R&A, ISPS Handa and the European Tour, five Faldo Series tournaments across England, Scotland and Wales have already been announced for 2014 and dates are set to be confirmed for events in Abu Dhabi, Chile, the CzechRepublic, Austria, Brazil, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Greece.
Established in 1996, 40 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in 30 countries worldwide with more than 7,000 golfers participating each year. Past winners include Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng.
In September 2014, Faldo will begin taking students at a full-time residential academy for education and golf development in America. The first ever FaldoSeriesAcademy in Casa Grande, Arizona marks another significant step in the programme’s history.
Golfers born in 1993 or later wishing to enter the Faldo Series Ireland Championship at Lough Erne Resort on 1-2 April should email legolfshop@lougherneresort.com or visit www.lougherneresort.com before entries close on 21st March.
Lough Erne Resort, the luxurious 5-star destination outside Enniskillen which hosted last year’s resoundingly successful G8 Summit, has yet another reason to celebrate success with the announcement of the 2014 Top 30 Golf Courses of Northern Ireland.
In this year’s listings, Lough Erne Resort’s championship course jumps one up the rankings, and is now in third place, just behind two of Northern Ireland’s most iconic golf courses, Royal County Down’s Championship course and Royal Portrush’s Dunluce course, neither of which have moved in the listings since they began.
Faldo Series www.nickfaldo.com