2008 promises to offer another exciting season with some of Europe’s best young golfers playing under strict tournament conditions over some of the finest courses in the UK. With three Open Championship venues on the UK schedule, namely Royal Liverpool, Royal St George’s and Carnoustie, players will certainly have their golf tested to the very limits.
But the programme is not just about offering young golfers a chance to play at some of the nation’s best-loved venues; Faldo also hopes to offer every participant a better understanding and appreciation for the game. The Series will continue to offer seminars on a range of topics that cover every facet of the sport in a bid to fully prepare these amateurs for life as a professional. It is this combination of competition and education that has helped to benefit the careers of current European Tour professionals like Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren and, more recently, Ben Evans, Kiran Matharu and Rory McIlroy.
Faldo commented, “The Faldo Series celebrated its tenth birthday last year and I’m delighted that the tournament is now offering a new generation of young golfers the very same grounding that has helped to further the careers of some of the European Tour’s and Ladies European Tour’s most exciting talent. It is our ambition to continue to grow and offer these opportunities to an even broader range of young people throughout the world.”
Faldo hopes that 2008 will see a continued expansion of Faldo Series tournaments in European countries outside of the UK, with a return to Iceland and Ireland, and further events planned for Turkey and Russia. These developments are being mirrored by the growth of the Faldo Series Asia, currently in its second season with eleven tournaments in nine different countries throughout Asia. In ten years the number of players benefiting from the Faldo Series has risen from 300 in 1996 to a predicted world-wide total of more than 4,000 young golfers in 2007 and Faldo is eager to continue to broaden the reach of the unique benefits that the initiative has to offer.
For young golfers hoping to participate in the Faldo Series 2008, entrants must be born in 1987 or later and have a minimum handicap according to their age group: Mixed Under 21 (handicap limit 4); Boys U18 (5); Boys U17 (6); Boys U16 (7); Boys U15 (8) and Girls U18 (9).
Faldo Series www.nickfaldo.com