Businesses are being invited to lend their support to the Ladies’ English Open and add to the success of this year’s tournament. Hosted by the Leaderboard Group-owned Chart Hills Golf Club, the Ladies’ English Open in July was promoted as the biggest sporting event in the south-east of England this year.
The event lived up to its billing as thousands passed through the gates of the Kent club to witness Sweden’s Maria Hjorth defend the title she had won at Chart Hills twelve months earlier. Estimates from course officials putting the figure at more than double the previous year’s attendance.
David Walls, the director of sales and marketing for the Leaderboard Group, said, “This year’s tournament was a huge success in so many ways, from the numbers of people through the gates during the week to the take up of the pitches in the tented village. Now we are inviting sponsorship from big businesses to put their name to the event and help make it even bigger and even better next year.”
Title sponsorship and backers of the tented village, which was fully subscribed this year with both golfing and non-golfing goods on sale, are the biggest targets for next year’s competition.
Walls, who oversaw the running of this year’s event, was a key figure behind the Leaderboard Group’s decision to host the fast-growing Ladies’ European Tour for the next five years. “As a group,” he said “we saw the value of helping grow women’s golf in Europe and gave our backing to the Ladies’ English Open by hosting the tournament at Chart Hills until 2010.
“We feel vindicated in our decision after two successful stagings of the event. Now I would like big sponsors to come forward and take the competition onto a new level. It certainly deserves it, and we will be working hard at Chart Hills to ensure that the Ladies’ English Open remains a big success for the coming years – on and off the course.”
This year’s championship was boosted by a strong entry which included long-standing English favourite Laura Davies, Kent’s former British Open champion Karen Stupples and Solheim Cup star Trish Johnson, and officials anticipate a stronger field next year. For details on the sponsorship opportunities at next year’s Ladies’ English Open at Chart Hills, contact David Walls on 01580 292106, or e-mail davidw@charthills.co.uk.
Ladies European Tour www.ladieseuropeantour.com
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