Thomas Bjorn to play alongside Catriona Matthew at GolfSixes
Tuesday 27 February 2018 13:25, UK
European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn will play alongside Solheim Cup skipper Catriona Matthew as one of four wildcard teams at the GolfSixes.
The duo are one of 16 teams featuring in the two-day event at the Centurion Club, where they will become the first male and female professionals to play together in a competitive match play format.
English pair Charley Hull and Georgia Hall join forces as an England ladies team, while Solheim Cup colleagues Mel Reid and Suzann Pettersen compete as a European side.
A further wildcard team is still to be announced ahead of the contest at May 5-6, where Thorbjorn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard will return to defend Team Denmark's title.
"GolfSixes is something that we championed last year to do something a little different, not just in terms of a different format, but also to bring a different form of entertainment from a golf perspective," said European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.
"There was a lot of talk about what we were going to do differently this year while remaining credible but entertaining, and today's announcement is the result of those discussions. It's a natural progression and I think the potential for GolfSixes in terms of the overall brand and format is terrific.
"The concept of Thomas and Catriona playing together is a wonderful idea and then to be able to add in four of Europe's leading women players in Georgia, Charley, Mel and Suzann is fantastic and will make for a great event. We thank both the LET and the LPGA for helping make this happen."
The format sees teams split into groups of four to compete in a round-robin format over six-hole matches on the Saturday, before a knock-out contest on the Sunday.
The final wildcard team will be announced at the end of March alongside the 11 qualifying men's teams, with a total prize fund of €1 million and €100,000 each for the winners.
"I think an event like GolfSixes is good for the game of golf," Hull said. "I'm looking forward to teaming up with Georgia and seeing us play against the men will be exciting and something new for the spectators. Hopefully it will be a lot of fun for them to watch."
Watch the GolfSixes from May 5-6 live on Sky Sports Golf. Tickets for the event are available on the European Tour website.
