Mike Ehrmann

By Joel Beall
With the Ladies European Tour not resuming play until August, England’s Justin Rose is hoping to help bridge the gap by sponsoring a series of women’s events in the United Kingdom.

The “Rose Ladies Series” will consist of seven one-day tournaments starting on June 18. The highlight of the series is a stop at Royal St. George’s. The links was scheduled to host the men’s Open Championship, but the event was postponed until 2021. Rose and his wife, Kate, are donating £35,000 into the series as prize money, while the courses are not charging a host fee.

“Kate and I are excited to host the Rose Ladies Series over multiple great courses this summer in England,” Rose announced on Twitter.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Rose said he felt it was unfair that male professional golfers get the opportunity to play at this week’s PGA Tour event at Colonial while his female counterparts would have to wait an extra two months.

“I am keenly aware that I now have the opportunity to go back to work and compete on the PGA Tour but this is not the same for the ladies and some junior tours as well,” said Rose to the Telegraph.

The LET has been struggling financially over the past few years, with the LPGA coming to the tour’s rescue last fall with a joint venture to hopefully revitalise women’s golf in Europe. Rose hopes his contribution aids that turnaround.

“I am sad that the Ladies’ European Tour has been suffering so badly. To me this seems somewhat unfair. My wife Kate and I felt there was an opportunity to step up and help,” Rose told the Telegraph. “The prize money is modest because it is me throwing in some money and then the ladies are paying an entry fee and being able to play for a pot. We wanted to give them the opportunity to play and to be ready for when the opportunities arise later in the summer.”