Tournament Preview
Eight players from seven countries have been confirmed for the EDGA Cazoo Open, the first of five 36-hole tournaments forming the 2021 EDGA European Tour that will run alongside the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale, at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales from July 24-25.
Daphne van Houten of Holland will tee it up at the inaugural event becoming the first female golfer to participate competitively in the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) initiative, which takes place under the umbrella of the European Tour’s Golf For Good initiative – the Tour’s overarching Corporate Social Responsibility programme.
The 22-year-old was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition which causes a sideways curvature of the spine, at age 12 and made the decision to have corrective surgery at age 17. In 2018, she became the European Golf Association’s Champion Women Golfer with Disability, winning the title at her first attempt.
She is the highest-ranked female player on the World Rankings for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD), currently tenth.
“I have done a lot of amazing things with EDGA, playing in Australia, playing here with the European Tour and I played in the Diversity Cup ahead of the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in 2019,” said van Houten. “I’ve done a lot because of EDGA.
“Golf has always been a part of my life. After my operation they told me I wouldn’t be able to play golf for a year, but I worked hard and shortened that to just two weeks. You can achieve anything if you have a passion for it and want to do it.”
Golfers taken from the WR4GD will have the opportunity to tackle the same course set-up as the European Tour professionals, with the remaining three qualifying tournaments taking place over the weekends of the next successive European Tour events in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England.
Each player will participate in two back-to-back tournaments with the entry lists finalised for the EDGA Cazoo Open at The Celtic Manor Resort, and the ISPS HANDA World Disability Invitational presented by Brendan Lawlor from July 31 – August 1 hosted at Massereene (Saturday) and Galgorm Castle (Sunday)
The top four players from each group of two tournaments qualify for the returning EDGA Dubai Finale – the fifth and final EDGA European Tour event of 2021, held alongside the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – the final Rolex Series event of the year – at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Friday and Saturday (November 19-20).
Scoring for all five EDGA tournaments will feature on the European Tour’s website and App for fans to follow, while the tournament world feed broadcast will also feature updates across the weekend, with the winners also part of the main prize-giving ceremonies.
Entry List – 2021 EDGA Cazoo Open and ISPS HANDA World Disability Invitational presented by Brendan Lawlor
Kenny Bontz (USA)
Felix Norman (SWE)
Tomasso Perrino (ITA)
Brendan Lawlor (IRE)
Ryan Brendan (USA)
Daphne van Houten (NED)
Mike Browne (ENG)
Timo Klischan (GER)
‘Golf for Good’ is the umbrella name for the European Tour’s overarching Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. It involves three main pillars:
- Support for Worthy Causes: Which embraces all the charitable activity of the original 2020 Golf for Good initiative
- Sustainability: Which embraces the Green Drive focus around our tournaments
- Inclusivity and Health: Which embraces our Golfers with Disability and golf for all messaging, in addition to promoting the wider health benefits of the game
EDGA European Tour Schedule
- EDGA Cazoo Open – The Celtic Manor Resort (July 24-25)
- ISPS HANDA World Disability Invitational presented by Brendan Lawlor – Massereene and Galgorm Castle (July 31 – August 1)
- EDGA Hero Open – Fairmont St Andrews (August 7-8)
- EDGA Cazoo Classic – London Golf Club (August 14-15)
- EDGA Dubai Finale – Jumeirah Golf Estates (November 19-20)
