By Rahul Banerji
England’s former world top-ranked golfer Justin Rose and his wife Kate said on Sunday they would sponsor seven tournaments for the in-limbo women professionals starting next week.
The Roses will reportedly put 35,000 pounds into a pot for the seven events for which the selected courses have offered to host for free. The series will be confined to British women pros.
“Kate and I are excited to host the Rose Ladies Series – over multiple great courses this summer in England,” Rose tweeted on his handle @JustinRose99)
The Rose Ladies Series will be played without spectators and will be aired on Sky. Venues include Brockenhurst Manor, Royal St George and Sandwich, amongst others.
Back in action
Rose himself is scheduled to return to action on the PGA Tour which resumes this week in Texas with the Charles Schwab Challenge.
“I am keenly aware that I now have the opportunity to go back to work and compete on the PGA Tour but this is not the same for the ladies and some junior tours as well,” Rose told the Telegraph, which broke the story.
“I am sad that the Ladies European Tour has been suffering so badly and doesn’t really have a start date yet from what I know. To me this seems somewhat unfair my wife Kate and I felt there was an opportunity to step up and help.
“The prize money is modest because it is me throwing in some money and then the ladies are paying an entry fee and being able to play for a pot.
“We wanted to give them the opportunity to play and to be ready for when the opportunities arise later in the summer.”
“It is so important for the visibility of ladies’ golf that they can play at good courses and on TV because they need to be out there to both attract sponsors and keep their current sponsors happy as well as allowing more people to get to know who they are,” his wife, Kate, told the newspaper.
Asian Tour reopens in Korea
Meanwhile, as reported earlier, the Asian Tour plans to resume its interrupted season in September with a schedule based on forecasts and the gradual relaxations of social distancing measures across the region.
Asian Tour Commissioner and chief executive, Cho Minn Thant said on the tour’s website: “We are targeting a conservative restart in September because of the current predicament with restrictions on air travel and large gatherings.
“We understand international travel will slowly restart in phases and the ultimate lifting of quarantine periods will determine the Tour’s ability to resume full-scale operations.”
The Shinhan Donghae Open is expected to be the first event to tee off at Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon, Korea, from September 10 to 13.
The tour is then expected to move to Chinese Taipei and Japan for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and Panasonic Open Golf Championship.
Indian Swing
Discussions are already in place for an event in South East Asia before the Tour goes on its ‘Indian Swing’ with the Panasonic Open India, the re-scheduled Hero Indian Open and a possible new event at the Delhi Golf Club.
“We are targeting between 10 to 12 events from September to December. There is a prospect of the Tour travelling to China and culminating with a stretch which includes the Hong Kong Open and Mauritius Open in the later part of the year.
“During this period, if things go our way, there may also be a couple of new events that get added to the schedule,” Cho told the website.
Golf to the max
“We have been working to rearrange the tournament schedule and ensure that we can play as much tournament golf as practically possible in the last four months of 2020.
“Our approach has been based on the constant changes that we face on a daily basis.
“…At this time, we plan to extend our season into 2021, with the early events in 2021 also forming part of the current season,” Cho added.
“If we need to minimize the number of foreign travellers travelling into a host country, we may have to do without private caddies, entourages, and support staff. It is possible that only players and essential staff are permitted to travel.”
Also read: Our caddies are in the rough as lockdown goes on and on
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