La Manga Club to set 2020 challenge for Europe and Asia's top amateurs

Spain’s La Manga Club will provide a fitting venue for two of amateur golf’s most prestigious competitions next year after being chosen to host the 2020 Bonallack and Patsy Hankins Trophies for the first time in its illustrious history.

The five-time host of the Spanish Open will add to its roll call of golfing honours when the top male and female amateur players from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region gather at the resort in Murcia, south-east Spain, for the biennial events from April 23-25, 2020.

Organised by the European Golf Federation and Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, both matches feature teams of 12 players competing over three days of match play in a series of foursomes, fourballs and singles sessions – with the men contesting the Bonallack Trophy and the women vying for the Patsy Hankins Trophy.

Started in 1998, some of the biggest names in golf including Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Jon Rahm, Danny Willett, Hideki Matsuyama and this year’s Open champion Shane Lowry have used the Bonallack Trophy as a stepping stone to global golfing stardom.

A recent addition to the world amateur golf calendar in 2016, the Patsy Hankins Trophy will be played for only the third time, with La Manga Club’s acclaimed South Course providing the setting for both competitions.

The 7,149-yard layout has hosted numerous high-profile professional and amateur international tournaments in the past and will present the ideal stage for Europe and Asia-Pacific’s rising stars to showcase their golfing skills, with Asia-Pacific defending the titles they won in Qatar last year.

Nick Montgomery, general manager at La Manga Club, said: “To be selected to host two such renowned international competitions is a real honour for La Manga Club.

“It has been our privilege over the years to work with some of the most famous names in golf including Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and the late, great Severiano Ballesteros, and to have this opportunity to showcase our fabulous resort to some of the game’s stars of the future is something that we’re looking forward to immensely.”

Three times the size of Monaco, La Manga Club – named ‘Europe’s Best Golf Venue’ at the World Golf Awards the last two years – has been a favourite destination of golfers worldwide for the last five decades, with its extensive facilities including three 18-hole golf courses, a nine-hole, par-47 academy course and first-class golf training centre.

As well as golf, the players will also have the chance to experience the resort’s extensive other facilities including a 28-court tennis centre, a 2,000sqm Wellness Centre, a choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 15 bars and restaurants.

For more information on the 2020 Bonallack and Patsy Hankins Trophies, go to http://www.ega-golf.ch/events. For further details about La Manga Club, please visit www.lamangaclub.com .