FAIRHAVEN TO STAGE ASTOR TROPHY TOURNAMENT

NEXT YEAR - AND IRISH PLAYERS WILL BE ELIGIBLE

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY LADIES GOLF UNION

Women’s amateur golf teams from Australia , Canada , Great Britain & Ireland , New Zealand and South Africa , will contest “The Astor Trophy” at Fairhaven Golf Club, on Lancashire ’s West Coast from June 15 to 19, 2011.
The round robin event, held every four years, started life as the Commonwealth Tournament at St Andrews in 1959 when Great Britain won the trophy presented for competition by Nancy, Viscountess Astor.
Next year, the Ladies' Golf Union, the co-ordinating organisation, will be represented for the first time in the tournament by a team for which Great Britain & Ireland players are eligible for selection. In previous “Commonwealth” years, players from Ireland were not eligible for selection
It is a match-play team event with each team consisting of five players and a non-playing captain. Each match is over a maximum of 18 holes and consists of two morning foursomes and five afternoon singles. One team will have a bye each day but, under the regulations, the hosts – Great Britain & Ireland in 2011 – will not have a bye on the final day.
Great Britain won the tournament the first five times it was played - 1959 at St Andrews, 1963 at Royal Melbourne, 1967 at Hamilton (Canada), 1972 at Hamilton (New Zealand) and 1975 at Ganton, Yorkshire.
Canada ended the GB monopoly by winning the sixth tournament in 1979 at Perth, Australia.
Since then Great Britain have won the tournament on two more occasions – at Northumberland, England in 1991 – the last time it was played on home soil – and at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club, South Africa in 2007, the last occasion the competition was held.
The winning GB team in 2007 was Krystle Caithness (Scotland), Naomi Edwards (England), Breanne Loucks (Wales), Melissa Reid (England), Kerry Smith (England). It was captained by Sue Turner (Wales).
Australia have been the second most successful country over the years with four title wins – 1983 (in Canada), 1995 at home in Sydney, 1999 at Vancouver, Canada and in 2003 at Remuera, New Zealand.
The 2011 teams will practise over the Fairhaven course on June 13 and 14, the two days preceding the tournament. The teams will also have a chance to acclimatise to playing conditions in this part of the golfing world by competing in the Ladies’ British Open Amateur championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland from June 7 to 11.
Fairhaven Golf Club staged the Final Qualifying of the Ricoh Women’s British Open last year and also the Girls’ Home International Matches.
Bob Thompson, secretary of the club, commented: “Fairhaven is again delighted to be hosting a prestigious championship on behalf of the Ladies Golf Union. It is a great privilege and honour to stage the 2011 Astor Trophy Tournament, especially as it only returns to GB&I every 20 years.
“So we are looking forward to welcoming the LGU and the teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Canada and Great Britain & Ireland to our beautiful championship links and watching the spectacular golf which will be produced by the world’s leading amateur lady golfers.”