NORTHERN IRELAND
Former vocalist of the Global Hit band ‘One Direction’ , Niall Horan announced the ISPS Handa World Invitational, the first ever tri-sanctioned event by the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour and the European Tour to be staged in Northern Ireland, from July 28 – August 1, 2021.
The agreement heralds an exciting new chapter for the event, which has been elevated to European Tour status following a hugely successful inaugural edition on the European Challenge Tour in 2019. The 2021 event will continue to be played over two courses, Galgorm Castle and Massereene and will form part of the European Tour’s 2021 UK Swing, taking in tournaments in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England across July and August.
The ISPS HANDA World Invitational will attract a field of 288 players, 144 men and 144 women. The women’s field will be split equally between the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour. The $2.35 million purse will be split evenly, with men and women competing for two equal prize funds.
The tournament will count towards the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and carry Team Europe Ryder Cup points, while the women’s tournament will count towards the Race to the CME Globe for women on the LPGA Tour, the Race to Costa del Sol on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and Solheim Cup points for both Team Europe and Team USA.
It will be exciting to see if any Indians who have playing rights on these tours make an appearance at this mixed gender event..