Yorkshire golf: Leeds Golf Centre to stage inaugural Leeds Senior Masters

The May 30 to June1 event will include a pro-am on the first day.

Ilkley’s Gordon J Brand, the former Belgian Open champion who placed second to Greg Norman in the 1986 Open at Turnberry, will be among those competing.

Other well-known names including Andrew Oldcorn, Paul Wesselingh, Peter Baker, Gary Wolstenholme and Bob Cameron have confirmed their involvement and the aim is to create a field of 72 for the main event.

Nigel Sweet, operations manager at Leeds Golf Centre, is the man behind the Leeds Senior Masters creation.

Sweet said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Leeds Golf Centre will play host to what will be the biggest (seniors) event outside the European Seniors Tour.

“The reason for us creating this event is to provide senior golfers with the opportunity to play competitive golf in a full field –the European Seniors Tour only allows a 54-strong field.

“I know from playing on the Senior Masters Tour there is still a huge appetite for playing against a 72-man field. This event will promise a huge prize pot, currently standing at £25,000, and we’re keen to make this an annual fixture in the Senior Tour calendar.

“We’re sure this event will capture the imagination of our fantastic golfing community here in Leeds and we look forward to welcoming the players and spectators.”

A number of sponsorship opportunities remain available for the event, including opportunities to play in the pro-am.

Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor or playing in the pro-am should contact Sweet at Leeds Golf Centre ( 0113 288 6000) or email him ( [email protected]).