The European Tour marks another milestone this week when it stages the first of two consecutive events in Cyprus, making the Mediterranean island nation the 50th country to be visited by the tour in its 48-year history.
The €1 million Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open will be staged at Aphrodite Hills Resort, an award-winning leisure and residential development located in Paphos along the southwestern coast of Cyprus. The resort’s par-71, 6956-yard PGA National Cyprus Course is one of only six golf courses in the country.
Designed by acclaimed architect Cabell Robinson, PGA National Cyprus opened for play in 2002 and is set against the spectacular backdrop of the Mediterranean. The layout is built on two plateaus separated by a ravine and features lush Bermuda fairways playing to large, tiered greens, with numerous bunkers awaiting to trap errant shots.
One of the most memorable holes is the par-three 7th, which plays 171 yards over a gorge to a well-trapped green.
Aphrodite Hills Resort is named after the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, as the site overlooks the spot where myth has it that she emerged from the sea. Rantidi Forest, where the resort is located, is where Aphrodite is said to have spent most of her time hunting with the eternally youthful Adonis, the Greek deity of plans and rebirth. Thousands of statue fragments were recovered during the excavation of the site.
Returning to action after a two-week hiatus due to a wrist injury, Malaysia’s Gavin Green tees off in Thursday’s first round at 11.20am (Malaysian time 5.20pm) with Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal and South Africa’s Garrick Higgo. The tournament will be broadcast ‘live’ on Golf Channel (Astro Channel 822).
The European Tour stays at Aphrodite Hills next week for the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown, which also offers a purse of €1 million.
