rydercupreunionatmoortown

Moortown Golf Club’s Centenary Year reaches its climax next week with a week-long Festival of Golf featuring 18 former Ryder Cup players with 33 Ryder Cup appearances between them.

They will be competing at the Leeds club in a Ryder Cup Reunion Pro Am on Monday, June 29th – one of two signature events in the Centenary Festival Week.

The following day, the focus switches to the all-amateur game with an International Club Competition.

The Ryder Cup Reunion event celebrates not just the club’s 100th birthday but also the 80th anniversary of hosting the Ryder Cup at Moortown in 1929, the first held on British soil.

It pays tribute, too, to the course designer Alister MacKenzie who went on to design such historic courses as Augusta National, the home of the US Masters.

Two of golf’s living legends, John Jacobs and Neil Coles, will be headlining the event in which 32 Pros will be taking part. 

Peter Rogerson, Chairman of Moortown’s Centenary Committee, said he and the club were delighted that the two events had been so well supported by the former Ryder Cup and Tour players, local businesses and the international clubs.

The ranks of the former Ryder Cup players competing at Moortown will include headliner Neil Coles; the Italian Costantino Rocca; Christy O’Connor Jnr; Yorkshire’s Gordon J Brand; Maurice Bembridge; Harry Bannerman; Brian Waites and the former Volvo PGA Champion Paul Way.

After a breakfast at the Ryder Cup Memories Marquee, The Ryder Cup Reunion event begins at 9.45 am on the 18th fairway with a clinic from John Jacobs, the golf swing guru nicknamed Dr. Golf.

The competition itself begins with a shotgun start at 11am with 32 pro am teams competing.   

At the conclusion of play, attention returns to the 18th where at 4.45pm there will be a Ryder Cup players’ shoot out for a cash prize to the outright winner.

A gala dinner follows with the celebrated Dougie Donnelly in conversation with Neil Coles and John Jacobs, plus the noted Australian golfer and raconteur Jack Newton.

Tuesday at Moortown is International Club Day with teams from two of the most illustrious clubs in the world, Wentworth and Muirfield plus teams from far and wide, including Royal Melbourne, Australia; San Lorenzo and Pinheiros Altos, Portugal; and Celtic Manor, Cork and Castle in Ireland.

Local teams include Pannal and Oakdale in Harrogate, Fulford in York and Leeds’ own Moortown, Sand Moor and Alwoodley.

Events scheduled for the rest of the week include Ladies’ Day on Wednesday July 1, Men’s Day on Thursday, July 2nd, a Sportsman’s Lunch on Friday the 3rd and the final event, Captain’s Day on Saturday, July 4th.