An exceptional line-up of golfers are heading to the North East to play in the International Series England golf tournament in early June. The ground-breaking event takes place at Slaley Hall Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort in Northumberland with a $2m prize pot on offer.
The event will be the first Asian Tour golf tournament to take place outside of Asia and has been made possible thanks to investment by Saudi-backed organisation LIV Golf that has been set up to 'supercharge' golf. Slaley Hall will host the tournament from 2-5 June with free entry to all fans and names of the golfers they'll be able to watch are beginning to emerge.
Joining US Open winner Graeme McDowell in Northumberland will be American Sihwan Kim, currently ranked first on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Korean Joohyung Kim, last season’s number one, and Thailand’s 15-year-old wonderkid Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat. More high profile names are expected to be revealed in the build up to the event.
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“An incredibly strong field will assemble for the tournament,' explains Commissioner and CEO of Asian Tour Cho Minn Thant who has close links to M ajed Al Sorour who was recently confirmed as member of the new Newcastle United board. "It is a reflection of the appetite our members have for the International Series and will also allow us to showcase the Asian Tour’s depth in world-class talent to European fans. We have also received enormous interest from international players wanting to be part of the Asian Tour having seen our steady growth over the past few months.”
Golf fans will be interested to other names set to play in the $2m tournament include New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, who claimed the US Open in 2005, England’s Lee Slattery, Wu Ashun from China, Jovan Rebula from South Africa, Americans Peter Uihlein and Andy Ogletree, both former winners of the US Amateur Championship, and rising Australian stars Blake Windred and Louis Dobbelaar.
Local golfers are also set to take part and will have a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to qualify for the LIV Golf Invitational at Centurion Club one week later where the prize purse is an incredible $25m. There are twelve dedicated spots for professionals from the UK, which include rising stars such as Sam Broadhurst, son of six-time European Tour winner and Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst, as well as seasoned professionals like Welshman Stuart Manley.
Other names to look out for include Korean Bio Kim, who is second on the Merit list, and third-ranked Phachara Khongwatmai from Thailand who will both compete having recently recorded their first wins on the Asian Tour, following its restart in November last year after a two-year COVID-19 enforced break.
Free entry is now open to all fans by simply registering at intlserieseng.seetickets.com
