Locals tee up for EuroPro glory bid

Club professional Phil Collins will be joined by club-mates Ben Churchill, Liam Reilly and David Kernohan in the line-up for the Northern Ireland PGA EuroPro Open, which returns to the Galgorm venue following a hugely successful debut last year.

They will be joined by a host of players from around the world and home nations who will battle it out for a total prize fund of £40,000 over the pristine parkland course.

And among the interested spectators will be none other than 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell, who will attend on Friday, as a guest of Ecurie, who will have a stand in the tented village within the complex.

For Collins, who played on the EuroPro Tour in the year 2000, prior to taking up his present position at Galgorm, is in no doubt about the quality of the event.

“This is the biggest event in Northern Ireland in terms of professional golf - there are occasional Pro/Am events but this is the only professional tournament.

“The EuroPro Tour is a stepping stone for players to go on to the Challenge Tour and the main Tour.

“The guy Daniel Gaunt, who was runner-up at Galgorm last year, went on to gain his European Tour card and actually finished ahead of Tiger Woods at the European Open, so it’s a really high standard.

“Last year I missed the cut by about seven shots so I’ll be looking to improve upon that,” he added.

Collins will be joined in the field by Ben Churchill, who will be making his debut in the tournament, and also Liam Reilly and David Kernohan, both of whom competed in the tournament last year as amateurs.

Since then, they have gone through qualifying school and are now fully-fledged professionals.

The week’s events begin today (Tuesday) with that annual George Best invitational Pro-Am event, followed by a Gala dinner in Galgorm Resort and Spa tonight.

The first round of the 54-hole championship tees off on Wednesday and continues on Thursday before reaching its conclusion on Friday.

Away from the competition itself, Junior Golf Ireland will be on site from today until Friday from 11am–4pm. To book your child a slot and see if they can follow in Rory McIlroy’s footsteps, contact the Pro Shop today on 028 2564 6161.

And even if golf itself isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other attractions within the tented village, including: Lexus, Andrew Morris Golf, Ecurie25 Supercar Club, Co-op Fairtrade, Marion Woodburn Designer Jewellery, Noel McCullough Furniture, Bushmills Distillery, Fosters Chocolates, Hoys Ice-Cream, Caffe Nova Coffee and The Catering Grill.

Admission to the tournament is FREE and on arrival there will be a voucher given to every spectator to receive 50% off green fees at Galgorm Castle to use at a later date as well as a discount pamphlet to be used in the fabulous shopping town of Ballymena. There will also be exciting competitions running throughout the week.

A complimentary shuttle will be available on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to transport spectators into Ballymena for a spot of shopping before returning to catch up on the latest golf scores.