Rose Ladies Series defends decision to hold most events in the South

Meghan MacLaren of England won the second Rose Ladies Series event in Hertfordshire

The Rose Ladies Series has defended its decision to keep most of its tournaments in the South after some Northern golfers felt that they could not participate in the first three events.

With the hotels closed, many faced an eight-hour round trip to participate.

The most northerly of the eight events is on July 16 in Uttoxeter.

"We wanted as much play as possible for the ladies as soon as possible," a spokeswoman for the Rose Ladies Series told BBC Sport.

Former world number one golfer Justin Rose and wife Kate sponsors the series and the third event kicks off Thursday at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club.

"Our event organizers, and Kate and Justin Rose, are all based in the South and we too had to be able to reach a reasonable one-day tournament without using hotels to organize the events, "added the tournament.

"We hope that the news about the opening of hotels will enable series participants to participate in the Series from further away."

With the Ladies European Tour only resuming in August, the Rose Ladies Series is the main opportunity for female golfers to play competitive events organized only for women in England.

Many have gone on mixed mini tours such as the Clutch Tour and the 2020 Pro Tour in Yorkshire.

LET Access Series Professional Brogan Townend said, "With the Rose Series being located in the south and hotels closed, I chose this tour.

"I could play a Rose Series when the hotels open and hopefully be sharp enough when the Access Series gets underway.

Fellow professional Charlotte Austwick added, "It's just too far right now. It's a four-hour drive."

Sophie Powell, based in Manchester, put a bed on the back of a friend's van to participate in the first two games in Hampshire and Hertfordshire

"It was sleep in the back my Citroen DS3, which wouldn't be very spacious, or the sidewalk, "she told BBC World Service. "There was literally nowhere to stay.

" I've been away for two years. My first event was just as the lockdown happened in Abu Dhabi, but it was canceled in our practice round.

"Now is the time, I don't know when my next game will be, so I should take the opportunity to play as much as possible and get some status back."

The Rose Ladies Series said that the short time frame it took them to assemble the schedule, coupled with the uncertainty about reducing lockdown restrictions, led to the majority of f tournaments are held in the south.

"We were approached by golf courses in a similar geographic region and all event venues were finalized before the announcement of hotels about to open in England was announced," a statement continued.

"Should we have the opportunity to host future events in 2021 and beyond, we would be happy to explore hosting in locations across the UK."