Matchplay Championship unveils men’s singles event for 2011/12 offering more golfers the chance to play in the UK’s largest amateur golf tournament

The Matchplay Championship has added a ‘Mens Singles’ category to its roster for the forthcoming season, further expanding the appeal of one of the most established tournaments in club golf. The new format joins the ever popular men’s pairs and mixed pairs events, which launched in 2003 and have grown in stature ever since. With entries already open for the 2011/12 event, and the final taking place at the prestigious Els Club, Dubai, the Matchplay Championship is set to further its position as one of Europe’s largest amateur golf tournaments in the forthcoming season.

Open to amateur golfers throughout the UK and Ireland, and with Sky Sports cameras covering the latter stages of the tournament, the Matchplay Championship offers amateur club golfers the opportunity to experience the pressure and prestige usually reserved for the world’s best players. The individual tournament, created due to the high demand and popularity of the Matchplay Championship format, will run alongside the established pairs’ events with finalists booking their place to the Grand Final in Dubai, May 2012.

“The Matchplay Championship has become one of the highlights in the golfing calendar in recent years, and I'm sure the addition of a men’s singles competition will widen the appeal even further,” commented John Woosey, Managing Director of The JRW Group, which promotes the Matchplay Championship. “We’re approaching the latter stages of the 2011 event, which is very exciting, and it’s great to see amateurs from across the country travelling to new courses and enjoying competitive golf. There’s even more excitement when we get to the Regional Finals and the Sky Sports camera team turn up; that really gets the adrenalin flowing!”

The Regional Finals of the 2010/11 Matchplay Championship will take place at Marriot Hollins Hall near Leeds (North Final) on the 4th April and at Marriot St. Pierre in Bristol on 6th April (South Final). From there, the final 36 golfers from the mixed and men’s pairs will advance to the Grand Final, to be played at the Els Club, Dubai from 7th-14th May.

For further details on the Matchplay Championship please visit www.matchplaychampionship.co.uk where entries for 2011/12 are now open.