Hoylake will stage the 2012 Ricoh Women’s British Open it has been announced. The course – also known as Royal Liverpool – will stage the event in September, in order to avoid any clash with the 2012 Olympics.
Sponsors Ricoh have also revealed they are to sponsor the event for a further three years.
It will be the first time that the course has staged the tournament, but the ninth major to be staged in the region in the past 11 years. In 2009, Catriona Matthew won at Royal Lytham soon after giving birth to her second daughter and in 2010 the event will visit Royal Birkdale.
The event then heads north to Carnoustie for the 2011 renewal before heading back to perhaps one of the best and well-known regions in golf. Following the 2012 tournament, the event will once again head north to the Home of Golf – St. Andrews.
Ladies’ Golf Union boss Shona Malcolm said: “In these difficult economic times when you can take nothing the granted, it’s fantastic news that the Open will be played at one of the most exciting courses in the world.”
The 2010 event will be contested between 29th July – 1st August and officials will be hopeful of the bumper crowds that followed Catriona Matthews’ victory in 2009.
Mens’ world number one Tiger Woods won his last Open Championship at the course in 2006.