? 6站“英國揮桿UK Swing”賽事于7、8月間舉辦，重塑新賽季

? 同時宣布4場勞力士系列賽的新日期
? 賽季由巡回賽醫(yī)療健康戰(zhàn)略和“高爾夫向善”倡議支持

 

北京時間5月29日，歐巡賽計劃在七月的最后一個周末恢復，將在英格蘭和威爾士舉辦6站比賽，期間將進行新冠病毒檢測，不過還要看英國是否會解除國際旅行禁令。

 

啟動站為7月22日，李-維斯特伍德做東的英國大師賽。而“英國揮桿賽”的另外五站賽事都是新賽事，歐巡賽將從賽事發(fā)展基金中支付運作費用。三站比賽將在萊德杯場地舉行，兩站在威爾士的凱爾特莊園，一站在英格蘭的鐘樓球場。

 

新賽事的總獎金都為100萬歐元。歐巡賽表示會為英國揮桿賽增加50萬歐元用于慈善，一半給比賽舉辦的地區(qū)，一半由“小獎金榜”排名前十位的選手決定。

 

至少英國揮桿賽不允許觀眾入場。

 

“毫無疑問，我們回來了，”歐巡賽首席執(zhí)行官基思-佩（Keith Pelley）在星期四的新聞發(fā)布會上說。

 

歐巡賽同時為四站勞力士系列賽設(shè)置了時間：蘇格蘭公開賽和BMW歐洲錦標賽10月份舉行，南非萊利銀行挑戰(zhàn)賽和DP世界巡回錦標賽12月舉行。

 

佩利估計余下來的賽程——他希望總共有24站賽事——會在稍晚時候公布。

 

他表示英國揮桿賽是否能順利舉辦，主要看英國能否解除其他國家運動員入境之后的14天隔離。美國PGA錦標賽8月6日至9日在舊金山舉行。如果14天隔離不能解除，歐巡賽頂尖球員必須在大滿貫和四場歐巡賽之間做選擇。美國PGA錦標賽的獎金超過1000萬美元，而四場歐巡賽的獎金總和不過400萬歐元。

 

“酒店需要運轉(zhuǎn)起來，隔離令需要解除，這些賽事才能繼續(xù)，”佩利說。

 

他表示，自己已經(jīng)與政府官員多次對話，在這些問題上感到鼓舞和樂觀。

 

“沒有同英國政府進行重要的對話，我們是不會宣布這些賽事的，”佩利說，“他們了解公告的內(nèi)容。他們與我們密切合作。”

 

歐巡賽回來的時候?qū)右粋€叫“善心高爾夫”（Golf for Good）的項目。佩利表示，這會貫穿2020年余下來一年。主要的想法是慈善捐款，5個場地每個場地5萬歐元，另外英國揮桿賽小獎金榜排名前十位選手可以分配另外25萬歐元，捐給他們選擇的慈善機構(gòu)。

 

佩利回憶起他與一個歐巡賽伙伴的對話。佩利說：“從觀眾人數(shù)，從招待的等級來看，這也許不是你做過的最大型賽事，可它卻是最重要的賽事，也應(yīng)該是最飽含情緒的賽事。”

 

歐巡賽舉辦的最后一場賽事要回溯到3月8日卡塔爾大師賽。8場賽事已經(jīng)取消，包括得克薩斯的一場世界高爾夫錦標賽和英國公開賽。另外9場賽事推遲，而全球的幾個巡回賽一直在努力拼湊起賽季。

 

大滿貫已經(jīng)搭建起了骨架，美國PGA錦標賽8月6日至9日舉行，美國公開賽推遲到9月17日至20日，而美國大師賽搬遷到11月12日至15日。

 

佩利沒有回答萊德杯的問題，只是說它仍舊在賽程，無論有沒有球迷，都將于9月25日至27日在威斯康星州舉辦。

 

蘇格蘭公開賽原計劃7月份舉辦，搬遷到10月8日至11日，放在了歐巡賽旗艦賽：BMW歐洲錦標賽之前。

 

他表示其它賽事，比如愛爾蘭公開賽和歐洲大陸的主要比賽很快就會宣布。佩利快速指出歐巡賽的強項——世界巡回賽——已經(jīng)變成了重大障礙，因為他們必須與很多政府打交道，而他們的抗疫政策各不相同。

 

“只有一站賽事不變（10月1日至4日登喜路林克斯錦標賽），30場都要變，這是相當大的挑戰(zhàn)，”他說。

 

歐巡賽首席醫(yī)療官安德魯-默里（Andrew Murray）表示，新冠病毒檢測包括抗原檢測將在球員抵達之后進行，另外會進行每日體溫篩查，以及填報健康申報表。

 

英國揮桿賽期間不允許媒體入場，歐巡賽估計現(xiàn)場不會超過500人。

 

佩利表示，球迷和招待只占收入的5%，因此球迷入場更多是場面好看，并沒有多少商業(yè)價值。即便如此，他仍舊估計巡回賽會逐漸有觀眾的。

 

無論其余的比賽如何安排，所有賽事都會有迪拜競賽積分，指向年終的收官之戰(zhàn)。歐巡賽表示2021年不會有選手喪失資格，到年底的時候也不會有資格學?？荚嚒?/span>

 

EUROPEAN TOUR ANNOUNCES RESUMPTION OF 2020 SEASON

 

? Six tournament ‘UK Swing’ in July and August relaunches reshaped season

? Rescheduled dates also announced for four Rolex Series events

? Season underpinned by Tour’s Medical Health Strategy and ‘Golf for Good’ initiative

 

The European Tour today announces plans for the resumption of the 2020 season with the launch of a new six-week ‘UK Swing’ as well as the confirmation of new dates for four Rolex Series events.

 

 

Following the suspension of the season on March 8 due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, the European Tour will return to action initially behind closed doors in July and run through until December. All tournaments will be subject to stringent safety and testing protocols set out in the Tour’s comprehensive Health Strategy which will continue to evolve, aligned with international Government guidance and health guidelines.

 

The first tournament in the ‘UK Swing’ is the Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood, which will be played at Close House, near Newcastle in the north east of England, from Wednesday July 22 to Saturday July 25 – a week earlier than originally scheduled.

 

It will be followed by the English Open at the Marriott Forest of Arden and the English Championship at Marriott Hanbury Manor, before The Celtic Manor Resort in Newport hosts back-to-back European Tour tournaments – the Celtic Classic and the Wales Open.

 

It is a timely return to the south Wales resort as this year also marks the tenth anniversary of Europe’s dramatic victory against the United States in The 2010 Ryder Cup at the same venue.

 

The UK Swing will then conclude with the UK Championship at The Belfry, another venue rich in Ryder Cup history, having played host to four contests with Europe triumphing in two (1985 and 2002), the US having won in 1993, with the 1989 match ending in a 14-14 tie.

 

Details of subsequent tournaments on the European Tour from September through to November will be announced in due course, with a variety of scheduling options currently under consideration as the global situation continues to evolve.

 

However, rescheduled dates have been announced for four Rolex Series events; the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club which now takes place from October 8-11 and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club which moves to the following week, October 15-18.

 

There are also new dates for the final two tournaments of the year. The Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player is now scheduled for December 3-6 at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, with the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, now due to take place from December 10-13 at Jumeirah Golf Estates, where the 2020 Race to Dubai Champion will be crowned.

 

While the intention remains to crown a new Race to Dubai Champion on Sunday December 13, as part of the changes to the end of the 2020 season caused by the impact of COVID-19, the European Tour’s Tournament Committee recently agreed that all Members’ 2020 Categories, and their ranking within that category, will be retained in 2021 with related playing rights being protected to the absolute maximum possible in the 2021 season.

 

That decision was passed unanimously by the Committee, as was the fact that there will no longer be a ‘Minimum Tournament Regulation’ for the 2020 season.

 

Pelley added: “We recognise that when we resume playing golf, each player’s circumstances will be different. We therefore do not want to put anyone in a position whereby they feel they have no choice other than to play in certain events in order to protect their livelihood.

 

“Similarly, the feeling was that it was not fair to disadvantage any member who might want to play in an event but who might not be able to due to ongoing travel restrictions. Therefore, in consultation with our Tournament Committee, it was agreed preserving their exempt status for 2021 was the fairest solution in these unprecedented times.

 

“As a consequence, there will be no Qualifying School this year and no formal graduation from the Challenge Tour, although the Tournament Committee has agreed to reward exceptional performance on both the European Tour and the Challenge Tour in 2020, precise details of which we will announce in due course.”

  

 

APPENDIX 1 - TOURNAMENT DETAILS

 

UK Swing

Jul 22-25 (W-S): ?Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood, Close House Golf

Club, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

July 30- Aug 2:??English Open, Marriott Forest of Arden, Birmingham, England

Aug 6-9:                  ?English Championship, Marriott Hanbury Manor, Hertfordshire, England

Aug 13-16:             Celtic Classic, The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales

Aug 20-23:             ?Wales Open, The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales

Aug 27-30: ??            UK Championship, The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England

 

Rolex Series:

Oct 8-11:             ?Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, The Renaissance Club,

North Berwick, Scotland

Oct 15-18:                   ?BMW PGA Championship, Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, England

Dec 3-6:                       ?Nedbank Golf Challenge Hosted by Gary Player, Gary Player CC, Sun

City, South Africa

Dec 10-13:                   ?DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai,

UAE

 

=====================

 

APPENDIX 2 – ‘UK SWING’ CHARITABLE BREAKDOWN

 

European Tour donations to venues

Close House ???£50,000

Marriott Forest of Arden ?£50,000

Marriott Hanbury Manor ?£50,000

The Celtic Manor Resort?£50,000

The Belfry???£50,000

????-----------

???           £250,000

 

‘UK Swing’ Mini Order of Merit – For Players to donate to charities of their choice

1st Place???£60,000

2nd Place???£50,000

3rd Place???£40,000

4th Place???£30,000

5th Place???£20,000

6th Place???£10,000

7th Place???£10,000

8th Place???£10,000

9th Place???£10,000

10th Place???£10,000

????-----------

???           £250,000

APPENDIX 3: ‘GOLF FOR GOOD’ SUMMARY

 

 

 

 

 

-ends-