Royal Cromer Golf Club has been selected by the Professional Golfers Association to host the prestigious 2022 PGA Assistants Championship next week.

The event will take place from July 26-28 and will see 144 players descend on Royal Cromer, including their own PGA Assistant, Mitch Smith. The prize fund is almost £28,000, with next Thursday’s winner taking home £5,000 and a place in PGA play-offs.

The event is one of the most popular on the PGA calendar and open only to PGA Assistants – those in a three-year training to be PGA professionals. This competition was established in 1930 and previous winners include Dai Rees (1935 and 1936), Peter Alliss (1952), David Thomas (1955), Neil Coles (1956), Tony Jacklin (1965) and Barry Lane (1983).

Club captain Peter Wenham said: “We welcome the PGA and the PGA Assistants from across the country. We are so proud to be selected to host this most prestigious event which pre-dates the US Masters by four years.

“As a club we pride ourselves on being able to present a top class course that is worthy of such a competition. This only happens with the hard work, commitment and dedication of all our staff, but especially our highly-skilled greenkeepers. It should be an opportunity for our members to see future golf champions playing our course.

“Golf is a sport for all and brings so many opportunities. Royal Cromer once again demonstrates its incredible attraction as a first class coastal golf course.”

Mark Heveran, course manager, added: “The build-up to this event presents many challenges, even more so just now with the current weather conditions. Dry, fast and firm fairways and greens mean that the course will play at its most natural as we head into the tournament. Recent years have seen a number of changes to the course and will present a real challenge to the competitors as they step back in time to play some of the most natural and historic surfaces in Norfolk.”

Club chairman Jim Milligan said: “Hosting this event is deserved recognition for our course manager, Mark, and his excellent team for the years of planning and graft remodelling our course. The management team are confident that players, officials, and all spectators will have a memorable experience at Royal Cromer Golf Club. I would like to thank all our staff and of course our members, who have willingly given their club over to the PGA for these special four days. We wish all those competing the very best of luck.”