(Hertfordshire, England) — If the deadline for qualification into the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship were today, 35 out of 41 total members of the 2005 Presidents Cup teams and the 2006 Ryder Cup teams would be qualified for this year’s tournament at The Grove in Hertfordshire, England on Sept. 22-Oct. 1.
Defending Champion Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson, the top three players in the Official World Golf Rankings, respectively, who were part of the victorious Presidents Cup United States team at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in 2005 and will anchor the United States team at Kildare Golf and Country Club for the Ryder Cup, will all qualify for the American Express Championship.
Woods, who has won his last five events including the British Open, the PGA Championship and the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, will look to extend his World Golf Championships dominance. Winner of 12 World Golf Championships events, Woods has at least one victory at a World Golf Championships tournament in every year since the world’s only global golf series was created in 1999. Woods is a four-time winner of the American Express Championship with victories in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005.
Jim Furyk moved into the No. 2 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking with his victory at the Canadian Open last week. Along with his victory in Canada, Furyk also won the Wachovia Championship earlier this year and ranks second on the PGA TOUR Money List with more than $6 million earned this season. His victory last week made him one of five players in PGA TOUR history to earn more than $30 million for his career.
Chris DiMarco who sank the dramatic winning putt at the 2005 United States Presidents Cup team and will also be a member of the 2006 Ryder Cup would also qualify for the American Express Championship. DiMarco has runner-up finishes at the 2005 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and at the Bridgestone Invitational that same year.
Other members from the United States Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams that are currently qualified for the World Golf Championships-American Express include David Toms, Chad Campbell, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Scott Verplank, Kenny Perry, Zach Johnson, Fred Couples, Brett Wetterich, and J.J. Henry. Vaughn Taylor is currently No. 34 on the PGA TOUR Money List and would need to get inside the top 30 after this week’s 84 Lumber Classic in order to qualify for the American Express Championship.
From the European Ryder Cup team, Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald and Henrik Stenson are the top three ranked team members in the Official World Golf Ranking who have qualified.
Garcia has enjoyed great success in Ryder Cup play, with a record of 10-3-2. In six tries at the American Express Championship, Garcia has finished outside the top 10 only once.
Donald and Ryder Cup teammate Paul Casey, who teamed together to win the 2004 World Golf Championships-World Cup, have also qualified for this year’s event. Casey has two victories on the European Tour this year and played well with a third-place finish at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August.
Donald’s partner at last year’s World Cup, David Howell, will be playing in this year’s Ryder Cup and is also qualified for the American Express Championship. Howell finished T5 at this year’s Accenture Match Play Championship including a third-round victory against Mickelson.
Darren Clarke, a captain’s pick on this year’s Ryder Cup team, is the most accomplished World Golf Championships player other than Tiger Woods. The only player not named Woods to win more than one World Golf Championships event, Clarke won the 2000 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship as well as the 2003 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Other members from the European team that have qualified for the American Express Championship include Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal, Robert Karlsson and Lee Westwood.
Ten of the 12 members from the 2005 Presidents Cup International Team are currently qualified for the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship. This list includes three of the top-10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking – Vijay Singh (No. 4), Adam Scott (No. 5) and Retief Goosen (No. 6).
Trevor Immelman, whose win at the Cialis Western Open earlier this year helped him qualify for this year’s event, teamed with Rory Sabbatini to win the 2003 WGC-World Cup at Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina, USA.
Other members of the 2005 Presidents Cup International Team who are currently qualified include Tim Clark, Angel Cabrera, Stuart Appleby, Michael Campbell, Nick O’Hern and Mike Weir.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.worldgolfchampionships.com online or tickets may be purchased direct from ticketmaster on www.ticketmaster.co.uk. You can also find tickets by calling 1-877-AMEX-TIX (263-9849). Use your American Express Card and receive a 10% discount.
The 2006 American Express Championship will mark the fifth time that the event has been contested on European soil. The championship debuted in 1999 at Valderrama in Spain, where it was also held in 2000. The 2001 American Express Championship was scheduled to be played at Bellerive CC in St. Louis, MO, but was cancelled due to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The following year, the championship was contested at Ireland’s Mount Juliet Conrad, where it returned in 2004. In 2003, Atlanta’s Capital City Club was the host site.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP
This year marks the seventh playing of the World Golf Championships—American Express Championship. The American Express Championship is one of four World Golf Championships, which are sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour. The other World Golf Championships include the Accenture Match Play Championship, Bridgestone Invitational and Barbados World Cup. For more information, please visit www.worldgolfchampionships.com.
ABOUT AMERICAN EXPRESS
American Express is a leading global payments, network, travel and banking company founded in 1850. American Express is proud to be a sponsor of the World Golf Championships and title sponsor of the American Express Championship. American Express is a company whose brand is associated with excellence and achievement. Accordingly, this series of tournaments includes the finest golfers in the world today.
Contact:
James Cramer
Director, Public Relations, PGA TOUR
Phone: 904-273-3293
E-mail: jcramer@pgatourhq.com