The PGAs of Europe are proud to announce that its premier stroke play championship is to return after a six year break. At a recent meeting in London, Terra Tour Services, the owners of Pravets Golf & SPA, agreed with the PGAs of Europe to underwrite and host the event for three years starting in October 2011 and will be named the “PGA Professional Championship of Europe”.

This will be the first international individual Professional golfing event ever staged in Bulgaria, where Pravets is just one of a number of superb new courses and resorts being developed. Pravets hosting such a high profile championship will assist in developing the game of golf domestically as well as increasing its growing image as a golf destination.

The PGA Professional Championship of Europe prize fund will be a minimum of €60,000 and will be competed for by an elite field of 60 professionals from the 30 full member countries who will qualify through their national PGA Championships. The event will be a 72-hole stroke play format and will be accompanied by a Pro-Am tournament.

Lachezar Todorov, CEO of Terra Tour Services, commented “We are delighted to host the premier event for non touring PGA professionals across Europe and look forward to welcoming them to Pravets next year. The sponsorship shows the commitment to putting Pravets and Bulgaria in the minds of golfers and tourists and we look forward to welcoming not only the players in 2011 but golfers and guests from across Europe this year and in years to come”.

The Peter Harradine-designed course at Pravets Golf & SPA resort is situated a mere 40 minutes drive from Sofia and with the stunning Stara Planina Mountain and picturesque Lake Pravets as its back drop, it is sure to provide a tough but fair challenge for the cream of Europe's PGA professionals. Pravets is the first and only club in Bulgaria, managed by an international golf management company, Braemar Golf, based in the Home of Golf, St Andrews, Scotland.

The golf course is opening officially in June 2010 and will be the most accessible golf course in Bulgaria and also includes a state of the art golf academy available for complete beginners to the elite golfers in Bulgaria.

The resort features the splendid RIU Pravets Hotel with restaurants and night club, superb SPA centre and fully equipped fitness centre, all-round sporting facilities including water sports on the lake, a 450-seater conference centre, casino and attractive wooded surrounds.

Welcoming the opportunity to return the 72-hole individual championship to the schedule, PGAs of Europe chief executive, Ian Randell said: “We are thrilled to be able to re-establish the PGA Professional Championship of Europe with Pravets Golf & SPA. To be crowned as the champion of PGA professionals in Europe is a great honour and I would like to thank all involved at Pravets and their golf management partners, Braemar Golf, for their wonderful support and commitment to ensuring the return of the Championship for the coming years.”

In addition of the long term collaboration Pravets will also be the host of the official PGAs of Europe Central Zone meeting on 11 May 2010 where all Central Zone National PGAs will be invited to attend.