Almost half the LIV Golf roster have signed up to compete at Close House in England later this month.
The UK venue is hosting the fifth stop of 10 on the International Series on the Asian Tour with $19m up for grabs across the 2023 schedule. The $2 million tournament will be played from August 17-20 after the Asian Tour visited Slaley Hall last year to stage an event in the UK for the first time.
Lee Westwood will tee it up alongside fellow former Ryder Cup players Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Patrick Reed, with the quartet accompanied by 19 other players from 11 of the 12 teams that make up the 48-man LIV Golf League.
Other LIV players on the start sheet in the north east, making 23 in total, are:
- Abraham Ancer
- Richard Bland
- Dean Burmester
- Eugenio Chacarra
- Matt Jones
- Sihwan Kim
- Chase Koepka
- Jason Kokrak
- Anirban Lahiri
- Danny Lee
- Jed Morgan
- Sebastian Munoz
- Andy Ogletree
- Pat Perez
- James Piot
- David Puig
- Brendan Steele
- Peter Uihlein
- Kieran Vincent (LIV reserve)
Rahul Singh, head of The International Series, said: “Having such a strong field for this event is a testament to the growing strength of The International Series and the allure of the Lee Westwood Colt Course at Close House.”
Close House Managing Director, Jonathan Lupton, also said: “Welcoming The International Series back to Northumberland for a second consecutive year is an exciting development.It was fantastic to see the growth of the Series over the last year and we’re looking forward to working closely with the Asian Tour to create a memorable event in England.”
The Scott Macpherson-designed Lee Westwood Colt Course will be used for the tournament which is a par-71 measuring just under 7,000 yards which features ha-ha walls and ancient woodland.
“I am sure that the players will relish the challenge of the Lee Westwood Colt Course along with enjoying a very warm welcome from the members and guests,” said Close House owner, Sir Graham Wylie. “The people of the North-East are extremely passionate about sport and to host another world class event in the region is a huge honour.”
The International Series was launched last year through investment by LIV Golf.
“The Asian Tour is excited to be returning to Newcastle for the International Series England. We enjoyed a very successful event there last June, which marked the Tour’s first trip to the United Kingdom,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour.
“To be able to stage the tournament this year at Close House, a fantastic venue that has such strong ties with Lee Westwood – a nine-time winner on the Asian Tour – adds an exciting new dimension to the tournament and provides another great opportunity for our membership.”
After visiting the north east, the International Series heads to the inaugural St Andrews Bay Championship for a $1.5 million event.
Because LIV Golf is not accredited by the Official World Golf Ranking system, LIV members like Reed, who is ranked 50th, have chosen to play the Asian Tour to still get points which can help secure entry to the Majors.
Following the first four International Series events of 2023, American Andy Ogletree leads the way in the overall standings.
