Record prize money of €3,500,000 has been confirmed for the 2003 Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth Club from May 22-25. Anders Hansen of Denmark will defend the title he won by five strokes last year while this year’s Champion will earn the first prize of €583,330.

The €327,720 increase over the 2002 prize fund maintains the upward trend which has seen the Volvo PGA Championship grow steadily since the inaugural Volvo-sponsored Championship in 1988, when Ian Woosnam collected €70,000 from a total prize fund of €420,000.

This year, the player finishing in tenth position will receive a sum equal to the Welshman’s first prize on that occasion, while the top seven players at Wentworth Club in 2003 will all earn six figure cheques.

Ken Schofield, Executive Director of The European Tour, said: ‘This is another significant chapter in the Tour’s special relationship with Volvo. The extension of the contract with Volvo through to the 50th playing of this great Championship in 2004, with a prize fund worth €3,500,000 for 2003, will further enhance the status of the Championship as the Tour’s flagship event.’

Mel Pyatt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volvo Event Management, the company which oversees Volvo’s involvement in sport, commented: ‘The enduring success of the Volvo PGA Championship is a reflection of the close partnership between Volvo and The European Tour, which has gone from strength to strength since 1988. We look forward to another Championship of the highest quality next month.’

For further information contact:
Communications Department
The European Tour
Tel: +44 1344 840400
Fax: +44 1344 840444