I would like to extend a very warm welcome to the Celtic Manor Resort to all the players, tournament officials, sponsors, volunteers, spectators and television viewers joining us for the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale.
It is always a treat to welcome back so many of the stars of The European Tour to Celtic Manor and to Wales, for what is sure to be another memorable week.
We are delighted this year to welcome a new title sponsor and a brand new name for the Cazoo Open, and this support will help us elevate the tournament to a new level.
We are also excited to see global football superstar Gareth Bale backing the event and helping to develop professional and junior golf in Wales. Gareth is a familiar face at the resort as an honorary member of the Twenty Ten Club and a previous winner of our Celebrity Cup event with Team Wales.
This is an exciting time to be hosting a golf tournament following directly after the 149th Open Championship at Royal St George’s and with the qualification race hotting up for September’s Ryder Cup.
It is hard to believe it is now 11 years since we hosted such a memorable Ryder Cup on the Twenty Ten Course, and we wish Team Europe and Captain Padraig Harrington, a player in the 2010 triumph here at Celtic Manor, the very best of luck when they take on the Americans at Whistling Straits.
The Ryder Cup legacy lives on for us in the visiting golfers it continues to draw from all over the world and the events it has enabled us to stage ever since, not least this week’s Cazoo Open.
We were delighted to return to the European Tour Schedule and support the resumption of professional sport when we hosted back-to-back tournaments played behind closed doors during last summer’s UK Swing, but it is even better to be among the first events to welcome back golf fans as we all begin to enjoy a bit more freedom.
We are looking forward to welcoming back more events to our exceptional facilities at The Celtic Collection and the new International Convention Centre Wales, just as we have enjoyed greeting our hotel and restaurant guests since the reopening of hospitality.
After the difficulties of the past 18 months, this is an exciting time of growth for The Celtic Collection and we look forward to strengthening our sporting credentials when we open a new hotel in Cardiff, in partnership with the Welsh Rugby Union this autumn.
The Parkgate Hotel is an exciting redevelopment of two of the city centre’s most historic buildings, combining stylish innovation with the elegance of yesteryear and located just a stone’s throw from Principality Stadium.
The Parkgate will offer them same levels of first-class service and hospitality that we look forward to laying on for the players, tournament officials and guests at the Celtic Manor Resort for this week’s Cazoo Open.
We wish the talented golfers in the field the very best of luck and we hope you all enjoy a fantastic tournament on the Twenty Ten Course.
Best wishes
Ian Edwards
Chief Executive, The Celtic Collection
