ISPS HANDA SENIOR MASTERS RETURNS TO STAPLEFORD PARK

The European Senior Tour will return to Stapleford Park in England from June 3-5 for the second edition of the ISPS Handa Senior Masters presented by the Stapleford Forum.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, sponsors ISPS are once again backing the tournament, which attracted some of the leading Senior Tour players in 2010 including Sam Torrance , a former club captain at Stapleford Park, and 1991 Masters Tournament winner Ian Woosnam, who are both former Ryder Cup Captains and ISPS ambassadors.

The ISPS Handa Senior Masters is also likely to welcome the 2010 Order of Merit Winner from Thailand, Boonchu Ruangkit as well as defending champion, Scotland’s Bill Longmuir, who finished a dominant seven strokes clear of Ruangkit and Englishman Roger Chapman last year.

“I’m really looking forward to coming back to Stapleford Park”, said Bill Longmuir. “I love staying at the Stapleford Park Country House and the course is fantastic. I can’t wait to get back there.

“The win at Stapleford Park in 2010 marked a good year for me. Despite an ongoing back problem I’m happy with my game, so hopefully I can win again at Stapleford Park again this year.”

ISPS (International Sports Promotion Society), and its Chairman Dr Haruhisa Handa, is delighted to continue its support for this event in 2011. ISPS is dedicated to supporting golf at every level of the game, and will once again use the tournament as a platform to develop golf at the grassroots for blind and disabled people.

Dr Handa, the Japanese philanthropist who is an International Ambassador for the European Senior Tour, said: “I am thrilled that the ISPS Handa Senior Masters will return to Stapleford Park and I would like to thank the Stapleford Forum for their continued support. I am sure that once again it will be a fantastic event.

“ISPS is committed to supporting golf in every way it can and we really hope to progress what the sport can do for blind and disabled people. The Senior Tour has been extremely supportive of our efforts in 2010 and we look forward to developing this in the new season.”

The ISPS Handa Senior Masters is one of five events on the 2011 Senior Tour schedule supported by ISPS.

Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour said: “We are delighted to have the continued support of ISPS and Dr Handa for the ISPS Handa Senior Masters presented by the Stapleford Forum, which will be the first of the 2011 season to be played in the United Kingdom.

“Last year’s tournament was a huge success, complemented by a magnificent performance by Bill Longmuir who led from the outset. We look forward to returning to the superb setting of Stapleford Park.”

Shuif Hussain, Managing Director of Stapleford Park, said: “We are very pleased to be hosting the Senior Tour at Stapleford Park once again in 2011. The Senior Tour created a real buzz in and around Melton Mowbray and Rutland last year and we look forward to welcoming the likes of Sam Torrance, Ian Woosnam and last year’s champion Bill Longmuir back to Leicestershire".

The tournament will be promoted by WSM Sponsorship, who organized the event alongside ISPS, the Stapleford Forum and the European Senior Tour.

Andrew White, Chief Executive of WSM Sponsorship, said: “WSM are the leading promoter on the European Senior Tour, involved in five events in the 2011 season. We are excited to be working with ISPS and the Stapleford Forum for the second ISPS Handa Senior Masters. Stapleford Park is a fantastic location and we look forward to welcoming the Senior Tour and local crowds back in June.”

Media Inquiries

For inquiries regarding ISPS and the tournament announcement, please contact:
Ben Cummings, Communications Manager, WSM Sponsorship
Tel: +971 55 568 9169
Email: ben.cummings@wsmsponsorship.com

For queries related to Stapleford Park, please contact:
Rebecca Collin, PR & Marketing Manager, Stapleford Park
Tel: +44 (0) 1572 787 016
Email: rcollin@stapleford.co.uk

For further information related to the European Senior Tour, please contact:
The European Tour Communications Division
Tel: +44 (0)1344 840400; Fax: +44 (0)1344 840444
Email: media@europeantour.com

Notes to Editors

About ISPS

ISPS is a ‘General Incorporated Association’ based in Tokyo. The organisation was founded by Japanese philanthropist, Dr Handa. ISPS contributes to society through supporting various sporting interests – currently focusing on golf. In golf, ISPS actively supports disabled golf and the International Blind Golf Association in addition to supporting a number of other charities for handicapped people.

See more information at: www.ispsgolf.com

About Stapleford Park

The Stapleford Forum is an invited community of principals within the East Midlands. The Forum runs a calendar of high-end events [sporting and business] affording its community the chance to come together at Stapleford Park throughout the year to enjoy the company of a peer group, to make use of the sporting estate, to network and to do business. In addition to supporting the Handa Senior Masters, the Stapleford Forum is also the presenting sponsor for the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters.

For more information go to www.staplefordforum.co.uk

About WSM Sponsorship

WSM is a specialist sports marketing and events agency and the leading promoter of the European Senior Tour. WSM boasts specialist collaborative divisions across sponsorship consultancy, digital, events, PR & Media, experiential, print and CSR.

WSM has been working with ISPS since 2009 and its other clients include Aberdeen Asset Management, Brit Insurance, Henderson Global Investors, MasterCard, Optimum Nutrition, Standard Chartered and Thomson Reuters.

WSM’s head office is based in London with an international office in the UAE; it manages projects in the US, Singapore, Tokyo, Australia, South Africa, Brunei and Thailand whilst developing new areas of business.

For more information go to: www.wsmsponsorship.com