Wales Open
The Wales Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour. It was founded in 2000 and played annually through 2014, when a 15-year deal between the tour and the Celtic Manor Resort, that included staging the 2010 Ryder Cup, came to an end.[2] The tournament is set to return in 2020 as part of a revamp of the European Tour's schedule in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will be part of a 6-week "UK Swing" and will again be hosted at Celtic Manor.[3]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Newport, Wales, U.K. |
| Established | 2000 |
| Course(s) | Celtic Manor Resort Twenty-Ten Course |
| Par | 71 |
| Length | 7,352 yards (6,723 m)[1] |
| Tour(s) | European Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | £1,800,000 |
| Month played | September |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 260 Robert Karlsson (2006) |
| To par | −22 Scott Strange (2008) |
| Current champion | |
 | |
The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open was originally played over the Newport, South Wales resort's Wentwood Hills course, through 2004. While that course was being redeveloped for the Ryder Cup, the Wales Open was played for three years (2005–07) on the Roman Road course, a par-69 venue. Since 2008, the event has been played on the Ryder Cup Twenty-Ten course.
ISPS Handa (International Sports Promotion Society) became the title sponsor in 2012 and the prize fund that year was £1.8 million.[4] The tournament was titled as ISPS Handa Wales Open through 2014; it had previously been titled as the Saab Wales Open under a one-year deal with Saab in 2011, and the Celtic Manor Wales Open before then, as the resort itself held title rights.[5]
Records
In 2006, Sweden's Robert Karlsson broke the European Tour's 36-hole and 54-hole scoring records by shooting 124 for the first two rounds and 189 for the first three. However, as the Roman Road course was a par-69, rare at the professional level, his to-par scores were slightly less remarkable 14-under after two rounds and 18-under after three. Karlsson shot two-over-par for the final round, but still won. In the same year, Phillip Archer posted a score of 60 in the first round, which would have been a 59 but for a missed birdie putt on the 18th green.
Course
The 2013 course layout, at the Twenty-Ten Course of the Celtic Manor Resort[1]
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 465 | 610 | 189 | 461 | 433 | 452 | 213 | 439 | 580 | 3,842 | 210 | 562 | 458 | 189 | 413 | 377 | 477 | 211 | 613 | 3,510 | 7,352 |
| Metres | 425 | 558 | 173 | 422 | 396 | 413 | 195 | 401 | 530 | 3,513 | 192 | 514 | 419 | 173 | 378 | 345 | 436 | 193 | 561 | 3,211 | 6,724 |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 35 | 71 |
Winners
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Source:[6]
- Tournament reduced to 36 holes due to bad weather.
See also
- Wales Seniors Open – a European Seniors Tour event.
- Wales Ladies Championship of Europe – a former event on the Ladies European Tour
References
- "Wales Open: venue – Course Info – Card of Course". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- Corrigan, James (19 September 2014). "Wales Open becomes latest professional tournament to bite the dust after being handed last rites by Celtic Manor". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "European Tour: Six-week 'UK Swing' will start season resumption". BBC Sport. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "ISPS Handa to sponsor Wales Open". Today's Golfer. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "Saab to sponsor Wales Open golf tournament". WalesOnline. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "History – Wales Open 2020". PGA European Tour. Retrieved 10 June 2020.