Legendary Northern Ireland footballers who play golf will be hitting the fairways at Galgorm later this month in a celebrity pro-am competition.
The Legends Tour, formerly known as the European Senior Tour, is set to makes its Northern Ireland debut at Galgorm’s Championship Castle Course from 29 to 31 August.
As part of the build-up to the tournament a team featuring nine Northern football legends will be competing against a team of sports and media legends in a celebrity pro-am on Wednesday 27 August.
The Northern Ireland team is shaping up to include Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Chris Brunt, Aaron Hughes, Jim Magilton, Tommy Wright and Gareth McAuley.
The squad of sports and media legends is set to feature champion jockey Tony McCoy, actor Jimmy Nesbitt, radio presenter Pete Snodden, UTV sports reporter Ruth Gorman, former Ulster Rugby star Ian Humphreys, ex-Scotland and Lions rugby player Kenny Logan, former Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe plus GAA legends Sambo McNaughton and Oisin McConville, while former Newcastle United and Manchester City keeper Shay Given and World Superbikes star Jonny Rea could be late call-ups.
The two celebrity teams will play alongside legends of the fairways, including former Masters winner and world number one Ian Woosnam and New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, winner of the 2005 US Open. The stellar field also includes Ryder Cup players and multiple tour winners such as Stephen Gallacher, David Howell, Peter Baker and Jean Van de Velde.
The celebrity teams will be competing for the Galgorm Legends Cup and will compete in a team scramble format. Each team will have three fourballs, with nine Northern Ireland football legends and nine sports and media legends in each team. The winners of the Galgorm Legends Cup will have the lowest combined fourball scores.
The star-studded pro-am is open to the public. Tickets start from just £12.50 and children under 16 go free. Spectators are welcome. Tickets can be purchased here.
This month’s Black Desert NI Legends event will be the 20th professional tournament held at the venue near Ballymena.
Woosnam is the Tournament Ambassador and the former Ryder Cup hero as player and captain at The K Club in 2005 is looking forward to competing on the island of Ireland once again.
He said: “Galgorm enjoys a great reputation as one of the country’s best tournament venues and I am looking forward to competing there. The Pro-Am format for the NI Legends lends itself to a great week where amateurs get the chance to compete alongside the professionals.”
“We are delighted to be bringing the Legends Tour to Northern Ireland and the wonderful Galgorm,” said Legends Tour CEO Phil Harrison. “It’s a venue with a long history of hosting professional tournaments and I’m sure it will present a real challenge to all the players.”
Formerly known as the European Senior Tour and the Staysure Tour, the Legends Tour is the men’s professional golf tour for members aged 50 and older.
