The format and qualifying process for a revolutionary new golf tournament, which will see male and female professionals play together in a revolutionary mixed team event, has been endorsed by the European Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

Photo: DR

The inaugural European Golf Team Championships will take place in Gleneagles, Scotland from 8-12 August 2018 as part of the Glasgow 2018 Multi-Sport European Championships.

The new format will offer a 50/50 gender split on the field, with male and female professionals competing for equal prizes in the men's and women's team championship as well as an 18-hole mixed team championship in stroke play .

Players will represent their countries with 16 teams of two players competing in the men's and women's team events before forming teams of four (two men and two women) in the mixed team championship.

Qualification for the Championships will be by the European Golf Team Championships for men and women, which are based on the points in the official World Ranking for men and on the Rolex ranking points for women in tournaments won between Monday 10 July 2017 and Monday July 9, 2018 with a maximum of three teams representing a nation in each event.

Mark Lichtenhein, president of the Ladies European Tour, said: “This summer's European Golf Team Championships will be a totally unique event and we are extremely happy that men and women can play together at an equal price. As we have seen through the Olympic Games in Rio, the recent Oates Vic Open in Australia and the announcement of mixed teams in the United Kingdom's GolfSixes, there is a huge public appetite to see men and women. women compete against each other. The format is great and the fact that the event will be broadcast across Europe via free TV represents an unprecedented opportunity to attract new fans to the game. ”

Keith Pelley, Managing Director of the European Tour, said: “The inaugural European Golf Team Championships are an exciting addition to the 2018 European Tour calendar, and we look forward to this unique event on the historic Centenary PGA course in Gleneagles.»

“There is a need for golf to embrace new formats and engage a wider audience, and following our recent announcement on the inclusion of female players in the groundbreaking GolfSixes tournament, the European Championships present an innovative new opportunity to innovate fronts. »

“The opportunity to represent your country is a great honor that many players know at the amateur level, but the opportunities are less when they become professionals. Add to that the element of match play, and of course the intriguing prospect of the mixed team event, everything points to it being a fantastic event for spectators at Gleneagles and those who watch it on TV across the Europe. »

To know more : https://www.glasgow2018.com/sports/golf