The $2 million tournament will be played from August 17-20 and represents the fifth stop on The International Series, a new programme of elevated events which features boosted prize money and the chance for the leading players to earn promotion to the LIV Golf League.
Close House Managing Director Jonathan Lupton said: “Welcoming The International Series back to Northumberland for a second consecutive year is an exciting development. Having had the pleasure to visit the International Series Oman in February, it was fantastic to see the growth of the series over the last year and we’re looking forward to working closely with the Asian Tour to create a memorable event in England.”The club’s par-71 Lee Westwood Colt Course will be used for the tournament. The layout measures just under 7,000 yards and incorporates historical features throughout, including ha-ha walls and ancient woodland. It is one of two courses at Close House, with the other being the Lee Westwood Filly course.
Close House, which has also staged four editions of the British Masters from 2017-2020, has Lee Westwood as its tour ambassador. It has not yet been confirmed whether Westwood, who joined LIV Golf last year, will be playing in the International Series England.
The International Series was launched last year through an investment by LIV Golf that created a premier level of events to develop the next generation of stars and offer pathways to top competition in the LIV Golf League. The ground-breaking initiative sits within the Asian Tour schedule and saw seven International Series events staged last season across seven countries in three continents.
“The Asian Tour is excited to be returning to Newcastle for the International Series England. We enjoyed a very successful event there last June, which marked the Tour’s first trip to the UK,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour. “To be able to stage the tournament this year at Close House, a fantastic venue that has such strong ties with Lee Westwood – a nine-time winner on the Asian Tour – adds an exciting new dimension to the tournament and provides another great opportunity for our membership.”
The next tournament on the International Series schedule takes place at Black Mountain Golf Club in Thailand from March 9-12.
