European Tour will be back at Celtic Manor this summer

THE Celtic Manor is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of staging the Ryder Cup by bringing European Tour golf back to their Newport resort for the first time since 2014.

The Wales Open was hosted by the Celtic Manor as part of their bid to bring the biennial clash between Europe and the United States to Wales.

But four years after Colin Montgomerie’s European team lifted the trophy, the Wales Open ceased with Celtic Manor chiefs focusing their efforts on other projects like the International Conference Centre.

But European Tour chiefs on Thursday announced plans for the resumption of the 2020 season with the launch of a new six-week ‘UK Swing,’ including back-to-back tournaments at the Celtic Manor

The Celtic Classic will be staged from August 13-16, with the Wales Open teeing off on August 20-23.

Following the suspension of the season on March 8 due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the European Tour will return to action initially behind closed doors in July and run through until December.

All tournaments will be subject to stringent safety and testing protocols set out in the Tour’s comprehensive Health Strategy which will continue to evolve, aligned with international Government guidance and health guidelines.

Tour chiefs are said to be hopeful that the lure of competitive golf will be worth the UK’s two-week quarantine period for international arrivals in the eyes of the players.

The first tournament in the ‘UK Swing’ is the Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood, which will be played at Close House, near Newcastle in the north east of England, from Wednesday July 22 to Saturday July 25 – a week earlier than originally scheduled.

It will be followed by the English Open at the Marriott Forest of Arden and the English Championship at Marriott Hanbury Manor, before The Celtic Manor Resort tournaments take place.

The ‘UK Swing’ will then conclude with the UK Championship at The Belfry, another venue rich in Ryder Cup history, having played host to four contests with Europe triumphing in two (1985 and 2002), the US having won in 1993, with the 1989 match ending in a 14-14 tie.