The European Senior Tour today announced its schedule for the 2013 season, with the contest to succeed Roger Chapman as Order of Merit winner taking in four continents across eight months.
Following a record number of entries for the 2013 Qualifying School in January, the new season will begin with the US Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid at Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Missouri, from May 23-26, where Chapman will defend the first of his two Senior Major Championships.
There will be a minimum of 13 tournaments counting towards the 2013 Order of Merit, including the new Russian Open Golf Championship (Senior) at Moscow Country Club, from September 13-15, which is the Senior Tour’s first visit to Russia since 2008.
There will be three events in England, with the prestigious PGA Seniors Championship moving to De Vere Mottram Hall, in Cheshire, for the first time from June 6-9; The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex visiting Royal Birkdale for the first time from July 25-28; and the ever-popular Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters returning to Woburn Golf Club for a 13th consecutive year from August 30 to September 1.
Germany will again host two events – both run by Langer Sport Marketing – with the Berenberg Masters returning to 2011 venue Golf- und Land-Club Köln, Refrath from August 2-4, and the second edition of the WINSTONgolf Senior Open remaining at WINSTONopen Course, in Vorbeck, from September 6-8.
Two of the Senior Tour’s longest running events continue with the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open returning to Bad Ragaz Golf Club in Switzerland for a 17th consecutive year from July 5-7, while the Scottish Hydro Senior Open celebrates its 21st edition by returning to Fairmont St Andrews for the fifth year in a row, from August 16-18.
There is a new date and venue for the Speedy Services Wales Senior Open, which will be played from June 14-16 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, which will then host The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex in 2014.
The French Riviera Masters, the final event of the season in continental Europe, remains at Terre Blanche Resort for a second consecutive year, from September 20-22, before the Senior Tour moves east for the third edition of the Fubon Senior Open, at Miramar Golf and Country Club, in Taiwan, from November 15-17.
The 22nd Senior Tour season will again conclude in Mauritius, when Constance Belle Mare Plage hosts the MCB Tour Championship, where Chapman’s successor as winner of the Order of Merit will be presented with the John Jacobs Trophy.
Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the Senior Tour, said: “We can look forward to another strong schedule of events for 2013, with an exciting new event in Russia and the return to many of our favourite destinations for our more established events. We are also confident of adding more events to this schedule over the coming weeks.
“We are extremely grateful for all of the support we have received from our various promoters and sponsors, and we thank them for helping to create opportunities for our members to compete on the international stage so they can try to emulate the success achieved by Roger Chapman, who won two Senior Major Championships in 2012.
Chapman will also defend his US Senior Open Championship when he leads the European contingent at Omaha Country Club in Nebraska, from July 11-14, although the event does not count towards the Senior Tour Order of Merit.
* Picture by Getty Images
