Record Entries For 2012 Matchplay Championship

The Matchplay Championship, the largest amateur tournament in the UK, has received a record number of entries for 2012/2013. The event will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the Grand Final in Dubai next May after becoming one of the most highly-sought after titles in club golf.

Finalists will compete at the immaculate Els Club, designed by four-time major winner and 2012 Open Champion, Ernie Els. The tournament introduced a Singles Event for the first-time in 2012 and has since welcomed a significant increase in entries, with almost 6,000 golfers competing for a place in next year’s Grand Final.

“The event is completely unrestrictive, welcoming all standards of golfer to compete on a fair playing field in handicap competition. Club golfers have really embraced the tournament over the last ten years and the opportunity to win an once-in-a-lifetime prize to Dubai for an entry of just £25 per person, as well as compete in the Regional Finals at European Tour host venue, The Forest of Arden,” noted John Woosey, Matchplay Championship, Managing Director. “The diversity of the field again this year is evident in the wide-range of handicaps, with scratch golfers and 28 handicappers going head-to-head in match play competition over the next few months to decide our finalists.”

The record number of entries for this year’s Matchplay Championship emphasises the golfing public’s attraction to an event that strives to provide unrivalled competitor experiences. Earlier this year the tournament announced a new hotel partner, the world’s tallest dedicated hotel, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai. With a choice of ten restaurants, four lounges and entertainment venues, plus a world class spa and health club, forty guests will enjoy the sheer luxury, scale and grandeur of the world’s tallest hotel just months after its official opening in 2012.

 “We are proud to become a partner of this internationally-recognised tournament, which has become a highlight on the amateur golfing calendar; we look forward to ensuring that the 2013 Matchplay Championship is another feather in Dubai’s cap as a leading host of high-profile sports events. We cannot wait for the players to experience everything that our iconic hotel has to offer,” noted JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai’s General Manager, Rupprecht Queitsch.

Participation in the Matchplay Championship is open to all men and women with handicaps less than 28 and 36 respectively, who compete in Men’s Singles, Men’s Pairs and Mixed Pairs. Knockout stages are followed by a better-ball stableford competition in the Regional at The Marriott Forest of Arden and Grand Final at The Els Club. Both events will be filmed for an exclusive Sky Sports production, aired post-event.