Liverpool FC and Premier League legend set for Ilkley

Presented by SGH Events, this year’s competition will take place on August 27-28, with 50 teams set to battle it out in the Pro-Am tournament.

The Invitational has quickly established itself as one of the most prestigious flagship events on the golfing calendar.

Despite starting in the middle of the pandemic in September 2020, the inaugural event at Ilkley Golf Club was a resounding success, with Ian Woosnam as the proud host.

Since then, the tournament has continued to flourish, with American legend Rich Beem hosting in 2022, and Ryder Cup winner Philip Price taking home the trophy the same year, and US Open Champion Michael Campbell taking the reins for 2023.

This year sees Denmark golfing legend Thomas Bjørn as the event’s host, while celebrity names such as Robbie Fowler (Liverpool FC great), Gary McAllister, Danny McGuire and Olympian Nile Wilson will all compete in the Pro-Am event.

Andrew Jennings, co-founder of SGH Sporting Events spoke of his delight to be hosting the competition at Ilkley Golf Club once again.

Speaking to the T&A, he said: “It’s a brilliant occasion. We’ve hosted it for a number of years now and it has grown from strength to strength.

“We’ve got Thomas Bjorn on board this year, who is a household name in the golfing world, so we’re delighted to be able to welcome him to Ilkley.

“We hope to bring in crowds from far and wide for what is expected to be another great spectacle.”

On welcoming Fowler and the rest of the celebrities to Ilkley, Jennings added: “It’s great having people of their stature at this event.

“You see the competitive edge of them coming through as they are elite athletes for a reason; they want to win everything no matter what sport it is.

“That includes golf events such as this one.”

He added: “When we launched the Yorkshire Invitational, it was during Covid, so it did present us with a number of difficulties.

“So, to say we’ve built it up to where it is today, it’s been a breath of fresh air.

“We’ve had some great names involved in the past, but to welcome Thomas (Bjorn) and some of the names we are doing this time around, it just shows have far we’ve come.”

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler will be looking to make his mark in Ilkley (Image: PA)

Jennings went on to admit that he’s extremely hopeful that the Yorkshire Invitational will continue to grow as an event.

He said: “Very much so, the aim is to keep pushing this event out there as much as possible, and we want to keep attracting plenty of big names.

“Ilkley have got such a beautiful spot and the golf club itself is fantastic. They’ve got a wonderful course that celebrities and professionals enjoy playing at, so I can’t see why this tournament won’t continue to grow.”

He added: “The beauty of Yorkshire and the surrounding areas are there for everyone to see, and that helps to attract these big names.

“We also feel that, at SGH Events, we create a really good event that everyone can enjoy.

“We are envisioning a really exciting future for this competition so let’s see who we can attract in the upcoming years.

“Luckily, we’ve got some good connections within the golfing world, so watch this space.”

Tickets for the two days – Pro-Am on August 27 and Alliance Tournament on August 28 – are free, so make sure to head down to Ilkley Golf Club to see some of your sporting heroes in action.

CLICK HERE for tickets.

The prize money stands at £25,000 for the winner of the Pro-Am tournament.