Television host and golf fan Vernon Kay is teaming up with the European Tour to co-host the innovative new GolfSixes tournament.
Kay will introduce proceedings from the first tee as the revolutionary new short form of golf gets under way at the Centurion Club in St Albans on May 6-7, and will be interacting with players and celebrity guests as he presents the action live across the weekend.
Some of the most exciting talents in golf will take part in the fast-paced new event as two-man teams from 16 nations compete around a six-hole circuit for a prize fund of €1 million – and tickets are available now at www.golfsixes.com/tickets
Kay – who is best known for hosting entertainment shows including Beat the Star, The Whole 19 Yards and Family Fortunes – will bring his passion and enthusiasm for golf to the event as he introduces GolfSixes to fans at the venue and watching from home.
Kay said: “I’m a huge golf fan, and avid participant, so I’m excited to be involved in the first ever GolfSixes event.
“I love the traditional format of golf – and I’m always trying to bring the handicap down – but this event is fresh and energetic, and I hope we will be able to entertain existing fans as well as attracting new people to the sport, whether they come along and interact with us over the weekend, or watch from home.
“There will be a lot of action going on around the course, with players and celebrity guests getting involved, and I’m looking forward to being at the heart of it all.”
Ryder Cup stars Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan will be hoping that home advantage pays off when they team up to represent England at GolfSixes.
They will face stiff opposition from all over the world in the shape of two-man teams representing Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, India, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, The Netherlands, USA and Wales.
There will be an abundance of entertainment for spectators to enjoy at the centrally located Centurion Club fan zone, including music and pyrotechnics, player Q&As and plenty of food options that reflect the 16 competing nations.
In the build-up and throughout the event European Tour digital platforms will deliver an ‘access all areas’ fan experience. During the event Facebook Live and Twitter Live will be used to stream in-round interviews, Q&As with players, and country and team overviews. The interactive at-event fan experience will feature polls and live social media content on the big screens. In addition, the live broadcast will focus on bringing fans closer to the action through greater player interaction and unique camera angles.
Full list of countries and players (in order of ranking)
1) ENGLAND: Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan
2) ITALY: Matteo Manassero, Renato Paratore
3) THAILAND: Thongchai Jaidee, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
4) INDIA: S.S.P Chawrasia, Chikkarangappa S
5) AUSTRALIA: Sam Brazel, Scott Hend
6) DENMARK: Thorbjørn Olesen, Lucas Bjerregaard
7) FRANCE: Alexander Levy, Grégory Bourdy
8) NETHERLANDS; Joost Luiten, Reinier Saxton
9) SPAIN: Pablo Larrazábal, Alejandro Cañizares
10) SCOTLAND: Richie Ramsay, Marc Warren
11) SOUTH AFRICA: Darren Fichardt, Brandon Stone
12) USA: Paul Peterson, David Lipsky
13) WALES: Bradley Dredge, Jamie Donaldson
14) BELGIUM: Nicolas Colsaerts, Thomas Detry
15) SWEDEN: Johan Carlsson, Joakim Lagergren
16) PORTUGAL: Ricardo Gouveia, José-Filipe Lima
Format Summary
Greensomes:
- Both players in each team hit tee shots on each hole. The best tee shot is selected and then the team alternate play of all subsequent shots required to complete the hole.
Group Stages:
- Matches will be played over all six holes with one point awarded for each hole won. The winner of each match will be the player with most points at the end of six holes.
- For the group table: Win = 3 points, Draw = 1 point, Loss = 0 points
- In the case of a tie or ties in the group table after all matches have been played, each team’s total points differential from the three matches (similar to goal difference) will be used to determine the qualifiers to the knockout stages.
- If this does not resolve the tie, then this will be decided by a hole-by-hole play-off on a shortened play-off hole on hole 18.
Knockout Stages:
- Matches will be played over as many holes as is required to determine a winner.
- Any match that is still tied after six holes will be continued by repeated play of a “shortened play-off hole” on hole 18 until a result is determined.
Centurion Club www.centurionclub.co.uk
GolfSixes tickets are on sale now at www.golfsixes.com/tickets
European Tour www.europeantour.com