European legends, female stars and the next generation of golfers will all gather at Jordan’s Ayla Golf Club in 2019 for a groundbreaking new tournament: the Jordan Mixed Masters.
In a first-of-its-kind event, the European Challenge Tour, Ladies European Tour and Staysure Tour will co-sanction the new individual strokeplay event, to take place from 4-6 April 2019.
The field will consist of 123 players – 40 from each tour and one leading amateur from the men’s, ladies’ and over-50s’ games – who will compete against one another in a single, mixed field.
Members from the three tours will tee off from different yardages but will compete in a single competition. The three-day event will see the field cut to 60 for the final day’s play, competing for the grand prize. The leading players from the other two tours will also receive a special accolade.
Keith Pelley, chief executive of the European Tour, said: ‘The Jordan Mixed Masters, presented by Ayla, is a fantastic development for the Staysure Tour, the Challenge Tour and the Ladies European Tour.
‘This unique event goes a step further, bringing together the stars of three tours for a truly innovative tournament. There seems to be an appetite in golf for mixed events right now, and this is another opportunity to deliver another entertaining yet credible format.
‘The European Tour is leading the transformation of global golf and I commend Ayla’s vision and their determination to spearhead the concept of hosting the three tours.’
The announcement of the event builds on the success of the European Tour’s innovative GolfSixes tournament – a 16-team, six-hole event – which included some of Europe’s top female stars and a mixed pairing of Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn and his Solheim Cup counterpart Catriona Matthew.
Male and female players will also tee it up in August in the new European Golf Team Championships, part of the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, which will include a mixed foursome strokeplay event.
Earlier this month, Dame Laura Davies made history as the first female competitor at a Staysure Tour event at the inaugural Shipco Masters promoted by Simon’s Golf in Denmark.
Georgia Hall, who progressed to the quarter-finals in the GolfSixes, welcomed the latest development: ‘GolfSixes was such a successful event and it was so nice to connect with so many fans. The format was popular with everyone and it was great to see so many women and juniors there.
‘The Jordan Mixed Masters, presented by Ayla, is the next step to show that golf is a game for all. The women are looking forward to joining together to make this another fantastic week and the future is looking good with more events like this on the calendar.’
Credit: European Tour
