Speedy Services has been named as the new title sponsor of the Wales Senior Open, which returns to the European Senior Tour schedule for 2012.
The UK’s leading supplier of equipment rental and support services has agreed a two year deal which begins with this year’s tournament at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire from 24-26 August.
It is Speedy’s first title sponsorship of a golf tournament and is in addition to an existing sponsorship of leading Senior Tour player Roger Chapman.
The newly named Speedy Services Wales Senior Open is expected to attract the leading names on the Senior Tour and will have a prize fund of £250,000.
The return of the Wales Senior Open to the Senior Tour schedule came through a £5 million agreement between the Welsh Government, The European Tour and the R&A, a deal which also means that The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex will be played in Wales for the first time in 2014.
Conwy Golf Club last hosted the tournament in 2008, when Englishman Peter Mitchell held off the challenge of home favourite Ian Woosnam, the former World Number One and Masters Champion.
It was also the host venue in 2007, when the Senior Tour’s most successful player Carl Mason won by two shots en route to winning the Senior Tour Order of Merit that year.
Speedy’s group Marketing Director Steve McIntyre said: “We are thrilled to be sponsoring the Wales Senior Open and are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. The sport has never been more popular and the Senior Tour is more competitive and exciting than we can remember, so to put our name alongside an event like the Wales Senior Open is a real coup for us and something we will be looking to maximise from now on.”
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “We are delighted to have Speedy on board for the Wales Senior Open, a tournament which was created in 2001 as a legacy to Wales hosting the 2010 Ryder Cup and which returns to the Senior Tour schedule after a year’s absence with the support of the Welsh Government’s Major Events Unit.
“In addition to their title sponsorship, we will be utilising a number of Speedy’s Event Services and equipment which will help us with the logistics of running the tournament and we look forward to returning to Conwy Golf Club for an event that has traditionally been one of the most popular on the Senior Tour schedule and which will play an important role in the build-up to Wales hosting The Senior Open Championship in 2014.”
Free entry makes for an ideal family event
Wales’ First Minister, The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, said: “It’s great to see the Wales Senior Open back on the schedule and returning to North Wales thanks to support from the Welsh Government. Conwy Golf Club is one of Wales’ top links courses and will once again prove a tough test for some of Europe’s leading senior players.”
Conwy Golf Club, which was founded in 1890 and is set in a spectacular location along Wales’ north coast where the River Conwy meets the Irish Sea, hosted the Wales Senior Open in 2007 and 2008 and was selected as a Local Final Qualifying venue ahead of The 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
There is good access to the venue from northern England via the A55 and is within an hour and a half’s drive of both Liverpool and Manchester.
The event is expected to attract large crowds to the North Wales coast over the Bank Holiday weekend, as entry to the event is free, making it an ideal family day out. Parking is available for just £5.
European Tour www.europeantour.com
Conwy Golf Club www.conwygolfclub.com