Changes to Durham’s biggest events announced
Following a review of the format for Durham’s County Strokeplay Championship the event has been changed to give all players a chance to compete in the opening 36 holes.
The 2017 event at Wynyard will be played over three days from May 19-21 with 18 holes on Friday and Saturday before a cut is made for the final 36 holes on Sunday.
The new format means there will no longer be an 18-hole qualifying event and that the county’s premier strokeplay tournament is aligned with successful systems across the country.
County secretary Jonathan Ward explained: “The idea is that players need not play a qualifier over 18 holes on a different course and will get the opportunity to play a minimum of 36 holes.
“It also accommodates a bigger entry as well as the opportunity of spacing the groups out to ensure a better pace of play rather than 72 players squeezing 36 holes into one day.”
Players will be able to request tee times to fit their schedules for the first two rounds.
Changes have also been made to the County Seniors Championship for 2017, where an 18-hole cut will see the top 12 players progress to the second round. The new format, which will be introduced at Houghton le Spring GC July 19-20 2017, matches events across the country and is more in line with the men’s and boys championships. All nett and age group prizes will be decided over 18 holes.
Durham county fixtures for 2017 are now available at www.durhamcountygolfunion.co.uk
