Three tours come together for inaugural Jordan Mixed Masters

David Cooper - Writer 14:39 11/07/2018
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  • Male, female and senior players will go head-to-head in a new tournament to be held in Jordan from April 4-6 next year.

    The Jordan Mixed Masters at Ayla Golf Club, will be co-sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour, Ladies European Tour and Staysure Tour.

    The field will consist of 123 players – 40 from each Tour and one leading from the men’s, ladies’ and over-50’s games – who will compete against each other in a single, mixed field.

    Members from the three Tours will tee off from different yardages but will compete in the same competition.

    The three-day event will see the field cut to 60 for the final day’s play, competing for the grand prize of $395,000 (Dh1.4 million), while leading players from the remaining two Tours will also receive an accolade.

    Nick Tarratt, Director of the European Tour’s Dubai Office, said: “This event is fantastic news for golf in the region and the first of its kind anywhere in the world. The Middle East has become a hugely important territory to the European Tour and the Jordan Mixed Masters is further strengthens those ties.”

    The concept, which recognises the importance of equality and equal opportunity, was the vision of Ayla’s ownership, who have created a premier golf and leisure development close to the Red Sea City of Aqaba and on Jordan’s southern shores.

    Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “The Jordan Mixed Masters, presented by Ayla is a fantastic development for the Staysure Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

    “This unique event goes a step further, bringing together the stars of three Tours for a truly innovative tournament. There seems to be an appetite in golf for mixed events right now, and this is another opportunity to deliver another entertaining yet credible format.”

    The announcement of the event builds on the success of the European Tour’s innovative GolfSixes tournament in May, a 16-team, six-hole event, which included some of Europe’s top female stars and a mixed pairing of Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjorn and his Solheim Cup counterpart Catriona Matthew.

    “The popularity of recent collaborative events such as the GolfSixes have demonstrated that there is a huge public appetite to see men and women playing alongside each other,” said Mark Lichtenhein, chairman of the Ladies European Tour.

    “This unique tournament will be the first of its kind, where men and women will compete individually, for the same trophy. The event will give our players a tremendous opportunity to showcase their talents in a level playing field for both genders.”

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