DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour are back to join forces in the organization of the ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by AVIV Clinics, an innovative tournament in which a double show is offered with a male and female event competing simultaneously from 11 to 14 August on the two courses of the Galgorm Castle Golf Club and the Massereene Golf Club, in Ballymena in Northern Ireland.
ISPS Handa World Invitational, schedule
Seven Italians on the field with Guido Migliozzi, Francesco Laporta, Renato Paratore, Edoardo Raffaele Lipparelli and the amateur Filippo Celli, winner of the Individual European Championship and the Silver Medal at The Open, engaged in the men’s competition and with Giulia Molinaro and Virginia Elena Carta in the female one.
In the first two rounds the competitors will alternate on the two tracks, then they will continue on the Galgorm Castle GC where the first 60 and the equal merits in the two rankings will be admitted to the third lap. A further cut after 54 holes will promote the first 35 to the final round and tie in both races.
The prize pool is 1,500,000 euros for each of the two tournaments. English Daniel Gavins and Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn defend the titles. The former, 31, from Leeds, hasn’t done much since that win and will have good competition in his quest for an encore.
Among the others will be in the field the Scots David Law, Ewen Ferguson and Connor Syme, the South Africans Wilco Nienaber, J.C. Ritchie and Bryce Easton, the English Jack Senior, the Northern Irish Tom McKibbin, who is at home at Galcorm, Dermot McElroy and Cormac Sharvin, all highly anticipated even if they do not have a great chance of becoming absolute protagonists, and the Americans Johannes Veerman and John Catlin.
In particular, a confirmation from the Azzurri is expected from Renato Paratore, third last week in the Cazoo Open. Guido Migliozzi is also looking for continuity after 14th place in the US Open. New growth opportunity for the amateur Filippo Celli after the exploit in the last major of the season.
Giulia Molinaro and Virginia Elena Carta, who will have the opportunity to confront the players of the LPGA Tour, are in the field in a tournament that will not be easy for anyone starting with the outgoing champion Pajaree Anannarukarn, 23 years old from Bangkok, who defends the he is the only title obtained outside Asia where he has collected, in minor circuits, three successes on the Thai LPGA Tour and two on the All Thailand Golf Tour.
Many competitors able to prevail among which we mention the Irish Leona Maguire, the Northern Irish Stephanie Meadow, who won ISPS Handa in 2019, England’s Georgia Hall, scored in a major (Ricoh Women’s British Open 2018), American Lucy Li, Korean A Lim Kim, Indian Aditi Ashok and Swedish Linn Grant, second, plans to beat men in a mixed event (Scandinavian Mixed in June, DP World Tour) after Australia’s Hannah Green (TPS Murray River in Australia in February).
