The Senior European Tour is heading south of the border for the first time.
The 50-and-over circuit is spreading its wings, announcing on Wednesday a new tournament in Mexico in November.
Past Masters champion Ian Woosnam, U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell and former European Ryder Cup team members Constantino Rocca and Jean van de Velde have a new stop to compete against each other.
Punta Mita, in conjunction with VDV Internacional Golf Manejo, will host the inaugural WCM Mexico Senior Open, November 14-17. Taking place within the gates of the 1,500-acre luxury resort along Mexico’s Pacific coastline, the tournament will gather golf legends from across the globe to play at Pacifico Golf Course—a Jack Nicklaus signature design, which ranks sixth in Golfweek’s Best list for Mexico, Caribbean, Atlantic Islands and Central America. Pacifico is celebrating its 25th anniversary along with the destination in 2024. The course reopened in November 2021 after a six-month closure to restore the greens, bunkers and surrounds with TifEagle Bermuda grass.
Sanctioned by the Senior European Tour and the Mexican Federation of Golf, the WCM Legends Senior Mexico Senior Open is set to feature a stellar lineup of golf legends with six-time major championship winner Lee Trevino serving as an ambassador. Confirmed participants include Woosnam, Campbell, Rocca and Van de Velde, who has taken up permanent residence as resident instructor at Punta Mita. The full field will be formally introduced at a later date from an abundance of major champion golfers currently participating in the Legends Tour circuit as well as the Champions Tour. These players have previously made their mark in prestigious tournaments on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), PGA Tour, Ryder Cup, and Presidents Cup.
The event is organized by VDV (Partners) Internacional Golf Manejo, under the leadership of Van de Velde. The sister company, VDV Partners, boasts a successful track record of managing professional golf tournaments, including the last three editions of the WCM Legends Open de France. During the three-day event at Punta Mita, professional golfers will vie for an impressive prize purse of $450,000.
A unique feature of the WCM Mexico Senior Open is the participation of 64 amateur golfers. Amateurs will compete as a team of two players alongside two Legends Tour professionals in a modified alliance format over a three-day period. The team with the most Stableford points will be crowned as the Mexico Senior Open Alliance champions.