Tobago ready for TT$1.2M golf

A TOTAL of  ?125,000 (TT$1.2 million) will be at stake when an official European Seniors Tour event, the 2nd Tobago Plantations Seniors Classic tees off at the Tobago Plantations Beach golf course on April 3. 

With just three weeks to go until the start of the Classic preparations on the course are now nearing their final stages. The Tour’s top 72 players, representing more than 18 countries worldwide, will match their golfing skills at the three-day 54-hole tournament,  the third event on the 2003 European Seniors Tour calendar. Heading the star-studded line-up will be defending champion Steve Stull of the United States, who last year clinched a three-stroke victory over runner-up John Chillas of Scotland with an impressive 11-under par total of 205.

Also taking part in the event will be England’s Denis Durnian who clinched second place in the 2002 Order of Merit and Scotland’s Bernard Gallacher, the three-time former European Ryder Cup captain. Local hopes fall firmly on the shoulders of 50-year-old Alan Mew, Trinidad and Tobago’s only representative in the event, who has received a sponsor’s invite to take part in the tournament from the host venue, Tobago Plantations. The tournament has attracted valuable support from a host of local sponsors, including TIDCO, THA, Guardian Holdings and Hilton Hotels. Tournament organisers WSM are also delighted to announce a further sponsorship deal with Kilpatrick Company, the golf course equipment supplier.

Rupert Vitoria, sponsorship manager at WSM, said:  “We are delighted with the level of sponsorship support for the 2003 tournament. “With its extensive international media coverage, including television distribution to a potential 68 million viewers, the tournament provides an ideal platform for local and international sponsors to showcase their brands to a worldwide audience. It also provides Tobago with an ideal opportunity to further enhance its reputation as one of the world’s fastest growing golfing holiday destinations. “I look forward to working closely with all our sponsors during the course of the tournament week to ensure that they leverage maximum benefits from their association with the event.” Chris Patey, director of golf at Tobago Plantations, said: “With just over three weeks to go until the start of the tournament, preparations are now very much in their final stages and we are looking forward to welcoming the European Seniors Tour players and officials to Tobago Plantations at the beginning of April.  “Following the success of last year’s inaugural tournament, the 2003 Seniors Classic has much to live up to.  I am confident, however, that the event will be every bit as successful as 2002, if not more so.”

The 2003 European Seniors Tour tees-off in Montego Bay, Jamaica on March 21 before moving on to Barbados on March 27 for the Royal Westmoreland Barbados Open.  The players will then make the short hop to Tobago on March 30, giving themselves a few days to acclimatise to the local conditions before the tournament gets underway on April 3.