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The William Hunt Trilby Tour announces its Regional Championship Venues in its search to find the next Amateur Golf Champion in a 12-part televised series on Sky Sports.

Created by Menswear Designer and golf aficionado William Hunt of Savile Row, the Trilby Tour aims to find the UK’s top amateur golfer and give him a taste of true Pro stardom with a chance to play head to head against the big boys.

Players from all walks of life will get the chance to feel like a golf tour pro for a day as 9 clubs from across England, Ireland and Scotland host the UK’s biggest Amateur televised golf tournament between May-August 2010.

Amateurs face a white-knuckle tournament in a thrilling one day 18-hole game in what is widely acclaimed to be golf’s answer to Twenty20 cricket.

Players will be kitted out with everything they need for their experience of pro stardom - each receiving a complete William Hunt outfit, a Callaway Bag and Caddy Suit as part of their £250 entry to the 12-part televised series on Sky Sports.

Each Regional Champion and Eleven Runners-Up will go through to the Amateur Final held at the Buckinghamshire Golf Club on 11 August, culminating in an exciting 3 hole play-off and a unique Winner Takes All Finale. The top three finalists and regional champions will then be invited back on 12 August to play in the Sky Sports televised Professional Trilby Tour.

The Trilby Tour Amateur Champion will receive lessons with top coach David Leadbetter, an exclusive set of personalized clubs by Roger Cleveland of Callaway and the chance to play head-to-head against the top European Tour pros.

Amateurs will play under the the Stapleford rules with a maximum handicap of 18 with a 3/4 (three-quarter) allowance.

2009 Amateur Champion: Charlie Lidyard

Last year’s Amateur Winner 19yr old Charlie Lidyard from Leatherhead, Surrey says ”The Trilby Tour is the only tournament that makes you actually feel like you're a Pro Tour player. There are a few nerves when you see the cameras and the people watching. Some of the other guys didn’t like the cameras but it didn’t bother me, I actually loved it." Lidyard's triumph was further boosted by going on to achieve every amateur’s dream and turned pro the same day.

Lidyard went on to play against top pros David Howell and Graeme Storm in the Pro Event: 'It was a dream experience to play with the big boys.'

About the Trilby Tour

The Trilby Tour is the only tournament of its kind to give Amateurs the chance to play like a Pro in pro conditions leading critics to hail it as golf’s equivalent to Pop Idol.

Last year’s event received over 1.5million views on Sky Sports and attracted players from as far as the USA, New Zealand, and South Africa as well as from across the UK.

Not for the faint-hearted or the camera shy, the Trilby Tour is being hailed as a revolutionary breakthrough in the staid world of golf due to its never-been-seen-before format.

About William Hunt

William Hunt’s first foray into golf began in 2004 after designing a custom-made pair of Union Jack trousers for Ian Poulter to wear at the British Open. The now famous flag print caused an almighty furore in the golf world, scoring seven national front pages and propelling Ian Poulter into the media eye.

Bringing style onto the course comes naturally to the Savile Row designer who used to be a professional sportsman himself. He says:

“I was bored of being invited to tournaments that were no more exciting than the Sunday Medal. I wanted to create a tournament which would be exciting to be in and exciting to watch. This isn’t your average golf tournament – it’s a Winner Takes All. You’re going to need nerves of steel to hold your game right through to the end. It’s guaranteed to separate the men from the boys.”

Since its inaugural beginnings at Stoke Park in 2007, the Trilby Tour has grown from a one club to a nine club event, its success spreading like wild fire in the amateur golf world. Now in its third year the Trilby Tour 2010 sold out within weeks of opening.

"The response has been overwhelming. I get letters from guys telling me how playing in the Trilby Tour has changed their lives."

Entries are still pouring in and anyone who signs up now will join a waiting list.

Hunt adds "I cant wait to see who this year's Champion is going to be – but I’d like to think everyone who enters will get their own Nessun Dorma moment."

Notes to Editor

Designer to the stars, William Hunt has dressed the likes of David Beckham, Laurence Llewelyn Bowen, Gordon Ramsay, and is a regular favourite of actors, rockstars and sports celebrities. He is famous for his sharp masculine cuts and bold use of colour.

William Hunt was appointed official designer to the Manchester United team for the FA Cup Final in 2007.

His designs can be found at selected stockists throughout the country including Flannels, John Anthony and a shoe range at Kurt Geiger.