Can you beat the Ryder Cup Captain?

LONDON, UK – Forget ‘beat the pro’ … how about ‘beat next year’s Ryder Cup Captain’?

The Shire London has created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for golfers to challenge the 2018 European Ryder Cup Captain in the Thomas Bjørn Trophy on Monday October 9th, 2017.

On that day golfers will play against Danish golfing giant Thomas Bjørn, the club’s Honorary Captain, in a Beat The Pro-style challenge during an 18-hole fourball event which takes place on The Shire London’s Seve Ballesteros-designed Masters Course – the Spanish maestro’s only full UK course design.

Following a full English breakfast buffet and hot drinks, competitors will enjoy an 18-hole tournament with a 10am shotgun start. Golfers will be greeted by Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn on the 7th tee, and will then try to get their ball inside his tee shot on the frequently-photographed short hole.

Everyone who beats Thomas Bjørn on the 7th will receive a prize after their round. Following the day’s golf everyone will enjoy a three-course meal back in the clubhouse, with prizes supplied by event sponsors Callaway Golf, Odyssey Putters and Galvin Green presented by Bjørn himself.

A fourball in the Thomas Bjørn Trophy costs £550, with The Shire London members paying just £395.

46 year-old Thomas Bjørn, who lives in London and is a keen Liverpool supporter, is one of the most successful golfers in European Tour history with 21 professional wins including 15 European Tour victories. He has made the European Ryder Cup team three times, each time on the winning team, and is a four-time Ryder Cup Vice-Captain. He is a three-time runner-up in Major Championships, coming closest to victory in the 2003 Open Championship.

The Thomas Bjørn Trophy takes place almost exactly twenty years after Seve Ballesteros captained the European Ryder Cup Team to a thrilling 14½ - 13½ victory against the USA at Valderrama in 1997.

That year, Team Europe featured a Ryder Cup rookie from Denmark who went unbeaten for the week – Thomas Bjørn.

“Seve’s legacy is everywhere in golf, and he was a memorable and successful Captain for the European Team” said Bjørn. “I am proud to be attached to The Shire London as the club’s Honorary Captain, and I am looking forward to challenging golfers on Seve’s course this October!”

To enter the Thomas Bjørn Trophy, please contact Ceri Menai-Davis at The Shire London on 020 8441 7649 or email ceri@theshirelondon.com.

Discover more about The Shire London at www.theshirelondon.com, and about its sister venue The West London Golf Centre at www.westlondongolfcentre.com.

And on Twitter, you can follow Thomas Bjørn @thomasbjorngolf, and The Shire London @theshirelondon.

Ends.

The Shire London is a 27-hole facility near Barnet, north London, featuring the only Severiano Ballesteros-designed golf course in the UK. In 2016 golfers on Golfshake.com voted The Shire London the highest-rated golf club in London, ranking it #1 among all clubs inside the M25. Among golf clubs with 50 online reviews or more, The Shire London is also rated #1 in Hertfordshire, #8 in England and #15 in the entire United Kingdom as of summer 2016.

Its 18-hole Ballesteros Masters Course measures 7,028 yards, with six par 3s, six par 4s and six par 5s. Its 9-hole Academy Course features a mix of par 3s and 4s, and is the ideal introduction to golf for all ages and abilities. The Shire Academy is one of the leading teaching centres in the south of England, with exceptional facilities both covered and outdoors. With a stylish open-plan clubhouse featuring a patio with stunning sunset views across the golf course, first-class conference and banqueting rooms and a highly-rated restaurant, The Shire London is also a well-equipped and popular venue for golf societies, corporate golf days, weddings, meetings and large social functions. It is situated two minutes from M25 Junction 23 (A1(M) South Mimms intersection), with easy access to the motorway network.

Sister facility the West London Golf Centre is a popular new public golf facility located near Northolt in West London. One of London’s best-equipped golf centres, WLGC features a challenging 9-hole, 3,037 Yard Par 36 golf course; a floodlit 26-bay range; a Dinosaur Adventure Golf attraction; a Putting & Short Game Zone; a 4,500sq ft american golf superstore offering custom-fitting; a golf school; and a fully-licensed Coffee House bar and restaurant. Another 18 holes will soon be available on the nearby West London Links, a brand-new championship-length golf course.

The Shire London, West London Golf Centre and West London Links are created, owned and operated by The Bridgedown Group. The Group has also announced plans to create The Dye London club near Edgware in north London, bringing world-famous golf architects Dye Designs to the UK for the first time. The Bridgedown Group is a family-run business involving Tony and Anne Menai-Davis and their sons Ceri and Cae.