GOLDEN memories of the noughties can sparkle in Fulford Golf Club’s return to top tournament time.

That was one of the hopes of Fulford general manager Gary Pearce as he surveyed the awaited arrival of the European Ladies’ Amateur Team Championship to the course this summer.

From its heyday of the 1970s, 80s and 90s when world greats like major winners Tony Jacklin, Lee Trevino, Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo graced its historic holes, Fulford has taken a back seat as the pro tour sought pastures new.

But the pinnacle of European ladies’ amateur golf will restore high-calibre tournament play to the course when the championships swing into action from July 9 to July 13.

A proud Pearce said: “Everyone of a certain age remembers Fulford for when it staged the Benson & Hedges (tournament) and then the Murphy’s (Open) which attracted so many star players from the men’s professional game.

“But when I spoke to my 12-year-old son about Bernhard Langer’s famous shot out of a tree, he said to me “who’s Bernhard Langer?”

“So now these European Championships, which will be contested by future stars of the professional women’s game, will hopefully create a new range of memories for a new generation of golfers and followers of the sport.

“There is also kudos in Fulford showing that we can again stage a great tournament and make sure that people return to their home in England and across Europe saying that they had a great time at Fulford, they had a great time in York and they had a great time in England.”

If the showpiece tournament fares well then Pearce reiterated the desire, first revealed in The Press last month, that yet more prestigious national tourneys will be awarded to the club he has served as a general manager since 2006.

“If we prove we can run this properly then it could lead to bigger things.”

Pearce was delighted too by the response of Fulford members who had hurled themselves into the preparations of the tournament with great zeal.

Said the general manager: “The response has been fantastic. We have had lots of volunteers and we have also had several members who have agreed to take holidays to help during the week.”