Wildernesse welcomes professional golfers for Open Championship qualifying round – and you can watch them for free

MORE than 120 professional golfers will be descending on Wildernesse Golf Club in Seal on Monday (25 June) to play in one of the Regional Qualifying events for The Open Championship, which will be played at Carnoustie, Scotland in July.

Wildernesse, which was was founded in 1890, is one of only 13 clubs in the UK and Ireland to be involved in the Open Qualifying Series for 2018. The Club has previously hosted a number of prestigious competitions, including the British Seniors’ Championship and the English Golf Union Club Foursomes and County Finals. This is the fourth time it has been selected as a Regional Qualifying course for the Open.

The qualifying rounds are due to start at 7am and will finish at 7pm and spectators can watch the action for free (there is also free parking). The top eight players on the day will go through to the Final Qualifying round for The Open which will be played at Princes Golf Club at Sandwich on 3 July.

Mark Todd, the Course Manager, has been overseeing arrangements to ensure the course is in top condition for the big day and although the course is always in excellent condition in June, he confirmed that extra work has been undertaken for this competition, including specific preparation of the greens, fairways, bunkers and the rough to meet R&A standards.

Wildernesse Chairman, David Evans, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting a Regional Qualifying event in this year’s Open Series. Huge thanks go to our dedicated teams at Wildernesse who have been working hard to make sure everything is in place for the competition.

“From the course to the clubhouse, everyone has an important part to play in the preparations. We’re looking forward to opening our doors to this year’s players and spectators and hope everyone will enjoy the beautiful woodland course and warm hospitality that make Wildernesse such a great Club.”