The Travis Perkins Masters, one of the longest running tournaments on the European Senior Tour, will mark its 15th anniversary when it returns to the Duke’s Course at Woburn Golf Club from September 4-6.
Travis Perkins plc has extended its sponsorship of the popular event up to 2018, with an increased prize fund for 2015 of £320,000 – a rise of £20,000 from last year.
This year’s tournament marks Travis Perkins’ eighth consecutive edition as title sponsor, while the leading builders’ merchants also previously sponsored the Wentworth Senior Masters from 2002 -2005.
Last year former European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie captured the title by a dominant ten shots in front of large galleries over the Duke’s Course, successfully defending the title he first won in 2013. The Scot, who went on to win the 2014 Senior Tour Order of Merit, will have the chance of claiming an historic hat-trick in September, becoming just the second player after Carl Mason (English Senior Open 2006) to win a Senior Tour event three times in a row.
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the Senior Tour, said: “Travis Perkins’ decision to extend their support for one of our premier tournaments is great news for the European Senior Tour, and we are delighted to continue our association which first began 13 years ago.
“The Travis Perkins Masters is one our best attended events each year and it is also one of the most popular with our players, who always remark on the magnificent condition of the Duke’s Course at Woburn Golf Club.
“Our thanks, therefore, must go to Travis Perkins and our host, His Grace, the Duke of Bedford, for their long-term support of the tournament and we look forward to welcoming another strong field of former Ryder Cup players and European Tour winners to Woburn in September.”
John Carter, Chief Executive of Travis Perkins plc, said: “The Travis Perkins Masters continues to be a very popular event and one we are extremely proud of, so we are delighted to extend our association with the tournament.
“As title sponsor, it has been particularly rewarding to watch this event grow at Woburn over the past seven years and we look forward to another successful Travis Perkins Masters in 2015, when we await to see if Colin Montgomerie can achieve a hat-trick of titles.”
His Grace, the Duke of Bedford, owner of Woburn Golf Club, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome the European Senior Tour back to Woburn for the Travis Perkins Masters. I would like to thank title sponsor Travis Perkins plc for their continued and much appreciated support for this, the eighth consecutive year.”
Another former Ryder Cup Captain, Mark James (2005), record Senior Tour title winner Carl Mason (2006 and 2007) and former Ryder Cup player Des Smyth (2010 and 2012) are all former winners of the Travis Perkins Masters.
Sponsorship opportunities, including Pro-Am teams, are available for this year’s Travis Perkins Masters. For all enquiries and ticket offers, visit www.europeantour.com
The European Senior Tour
Many of the pioneering champions, whose ambitions in the last three decades of the 20th century led to the creation of The European Tour, are now enthusiastically developing the European Senior Tour with equal success. Included in that number are several past Ryder Cup captains, players, Major Champions and countless winners on The European Tour.
From a starting point of only one significant over 50s event – the PGA Seniors Championship – the European Senior Tour now comprises a schedule of 16 tournaments throughout Europe and beyond, as the boundaries of the game continue to be reshaped.
The introduction, in 1987, of the Senior Open Championship and a Neil Coles victory over five former Open champions, led two years later to more than 60 professionals calling for a European Senior Tour to be formally structured. In 2003, the Senior Open Championship was officially recognised as a “Senior Major”, incorporated into the European Senior Tour and US Champions Tour schedules.
Swift progress through the nineties produced one of the most impressive success stories in the 20th century’s final decade of sport. Under the administration of Managing Director Andy Stubbs, tournaments are now staged in 12 countries and on three different continents, while a Qualifying School is employed to identify each season’s new intake.