Formula One legend Damon Hill and former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola will be looking to get off to a fast start at the first Wapp Celebrity Series event of the 2023 Legends Tour season as they compete at La Moye Golf Club in June.
Returning to the island of Jersey this summer – with FREE tickets available through registering online – the 2023 Jersey Legends will be held between June 8-11 as 2006 Ryder Cup-winning captain and 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam heads a strong field competing for victory in the third event of the season.
As the official tournament gets underway, the popular Wapp Celebrity Series will help kickstart the week’s golf on June 8 as a number of stars from the world of sport and entertainment compete in the first event of the year to secure a place at the Celebrity Series Grand Final, with the opportunity to win a share of a £100,000 prize pot for their chosen charities.
Hill – a winner of 22 Formula One grand prix races who also won the world championship in 1996 – will be competing in Jersey after enjoying success in last year’s Celebrity Series, where he qualified for the Grand Final following a strong performance at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship.
The broadcaster – part of the Sky Sports F1 team – finished just one shot back from victor and former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner at the 2022 Legends Tour Celebrity Series Grand Final at Constance Lemuria in the Seychelles, taking home £15,000 for Halow, a charity for young people with learning disabilities.
Zola joined Chelsea in 1996 and enjoyed significant success with the Blues, winning the FA Cup twice in 1997 and 2000, along with a League Cup and UEFA Cup double in 1998.
The Italian also took part in last year’s Celebrity Grand Final – finishing in a tie for fourth place - and will add a sprinkle of stardust to the event in Jersey.
Zola said: “The Celebrity Series days on the Legends Tour are always great fun and it is an honour to be able to play in the same field as so many great golfers like Ian Woosnam in Jersey.
“I’m looking forward to playing at La Moye Golf Club for the first time and have only heard good things about it from those who were here for last year’s event. No matter where I finish and how I play it will be a day to remember.”
Both Hill, 62, and Zola, 56, will be joined in Jersey by former WBC cruiserweight title holder Tony Bellew and Strictly Come Dancing judge and television personality Anton Du Beke.
Olympic swimmer Mark Foster, Westlife singer Brian McFadden and 20-time National Hunt jockey Sir AP McCoy are also set to return to Jersey after competing in last year’s competition – an event which saw Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler see off the challenge of British & Irish Lions star Scott Quinnell to secure his second Celebrity Series victory.
The Wapp Celebrity Series winner in Jersey will receive a place at the Celebrity Series Grand Final – an event set to return to Constance Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius in December.
Hill said: “Before playing in the Legends Tour at Formby Golf Club last year I had heard many great things about it. I have to say it has lived up to every expectation I had and more.
“Being able to play alongside Paul Lawrie was an incredible experience, one even sweeter after playing so well and securing my place in last year’s Grand Final. Being able to play golf in such incredible locations and compete for my chosen charity Halow is as good as it can get really and I’m looking forward to playing La Moye Golf Club this summer for the first time to try qualify for this year’s Wapp Celebrity Series Grand Final.”
Phil Harrison, chief executive officer of the Legends Tour, said: “The Wapp Celebrity Series event at the Jersey Legends will be a great way to kick off this year’s Wapp Celebrity Series and we are delighted to be welcoming so many stars from the entertainment and sporting worlds.
“The whole week at La Moye Golf Club promises to be a great occasion, and with free tickets available I cannot recommend highly enough heading down to see the celebrities and Legends Tour players up close when they come to the island in June.”
Limited places are also still available to compete in the playing experiences – including playing alongside the celebrities – at the Jersey Legends.
The Celebrity Series playing experience will see participants team up with a celebrity and Legends Tour professional for one round of golf while receiving access to the player’s lounge for breakfast, bespoke gifts, and hospitality post-event.
Amateur golfers looking for an exclusive opportunity to live out the life of a golf legend across several days can sign up for the Alliance Series event, playing in front of live crowds and TV for three rounds of golf – one in the Celebrity Series and two in the Alliance Series. Players will also receive a three-night stay in the official tournament hotel, a bespoke gift pack and invitations to all exclusive functions.
The Wapp Celebrity Series will also be holding events at new Legends Tour venues Seapoint Golf Links (Thursday, June 22) just an hour north of Dublin, and at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire (Wednesday, August 23), with celebrities competing to be announced over the coming weeks.
Click here for more information on the Jersey Legends, and how to book a playing experience spot to rub shoulders with the golfing greats.
To register for free tickets, click here.