Tour players will help sponsor three events in 2015

Rory McIlroy, Paul Lawrie, and Ian Poulter have been long-standing supporters of the European Tour.  Next season, they will be big reasons why events will be staged.  McIlroy's foundation, The Rory Foundation, will be the "host" of the Irish Open.  Lawrie will actually have his name in the following tournament's title: Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay.  And, while not formally announced by the Tour, Ian Poulter will be "host" of the British Masters (October 8-11), to be held at Woburn GC, Poulter's home club in England.  The British Masters was last played in 2008.

Lawrie's involvement in golf continues.  The Paul Lawrie Foundation has provided an abundant amount of money for Scottish youngsters to get involved with the game and Lawrie is very involved in everything the foundation does.  The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was staged in Lawrie's home city of Aberdeen at Royal Aberdeen GC and he wanted to get another event in the "Granite City."  Murcar Links GC will be the host venue for the 64-man matchplay event, which will be staged the week after the Open Championship.

The news of another event in England is welcomed on all fronts.  The British Masters will be "hosted" by Justin Rose, Luke Donald, and Lee Westwood, separately, over the next four years.  Each player will have the choice of host course when it comes to their year to host the tournament.  I still think that there needs to be more English tournaments.  The revival of the English Open has been discussed in recent years, but nothing has come to fruition.  Tour officials have been saying for years that there will be more English events, that everything goes in cycles.  Woburn has had a history of hosting prestigious tournaments, most recently on the European Senior Tour.  According to Poulter, the Queen's Course will be the course used during the event.

The news that Tour players are giving back to their home Tour is a great sign.  Players like Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sergio Garcia helped organize events in Spain in the past, so it is not like it has not been done before.  All the credit to these three players and I hope that more players follow their example.