Wales To Lay On Seniors' Service

A new �500,000 tournament, the Wales Seniors Open, will be held at Royal St David's, Harlech, from June 8-10.

The purse will be the joint highest on this year's European Seniors Tour - equalled only by the Senior British Open at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland at the end of July.

The funds for the event have come from public and private sector partners
involved in the Wales 2009 Ryder Cup Bid. Andy Stubbs, managing director of the European Seniors Tour, said: "We are indebted to the Wales Ryder Cup Bid Committee for this significant addition to our schedule and, in particular, to Brian Huggett who has long championed the case for Wales to host major golf tournaments."

Tony Lewis, who chairs the Wales 2009 Ryder Cup Bid Committee, said: "A major seniors event is a great addition to our 2001 tournament programme. We now have all three of Europe's top golf tours in Wales this year and they could
all become permanent fixtures on the sporting calendar if our bid is successful."

In addition to the seniors' date, the European Tour are staging the Wales
Open at Celtic Manor Resort from August 9-12 while the Ladies' European
Tour's WPGA Championship of Europe will take place at Royal Porthcawl from
July 26-29.

David Morkill, secretary of Royal St David's Golf Club, said: "The club is
most excited at the prospect of hosting such a prestigious tournament as the
Wales Seniors Open. We are particularly pleased to be able to support the
Welsh bid for the Ryder Cup in 2009 in this way."