Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie Returns to Mission Hills Golf Club to Defend Crown
(SHENZHEN, China) – Mission Hills Golf Club – the world’s largest collection of premier golf courses with 12 layouts designed by many of the greatest golfers and golf course architects from five continents – announces 18 exempt teams have been named for the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, held November 27-30, 2008 on the Olazabal Course.
On the heels of the wildly successful Beijing Olympics, southern China’s Mission Hills Golf Club is ready to host golf’s closest approximation to the Olympic Games. Defending champion Scotland, represented by Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forysth, is among 18 exempt teams scheduled to play for the honor of their countries. Another nine will gain entrance via regional qualifying tournaments to be held this Fall in Malaysia (September 18-21), Poland (September 25-28) and Venezuela (October 7-10) while China, as host nation, will round out the field and look to improve on its promising 2007 T-11 finish.
Other confirmed participants include 2008 European Ryder Cup team members Soren Hansen (Denmark), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Robert Karlsson (Sweden), Graeme McDowell (Ireland), Ian Poulter (England) and Henrik Stenson (Sweden), 2008 AT & T Classic Champion Ryuji Imada (Japan), and four-time PGA Tour winner Rory Sabbatini (South Africa).
Exempt teams were determined by the Official World Golf Rankings. Please visit the PGA Tour’s Omega Mission Hills World Cup page (http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r169/) for specific eligibility rules.
The 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup ended in dramatic fashion when Scotland made birdie on the third sudden-death playoff hole to defeat the American team of Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum.
“We’re excited to build upon the momentum created by last year’s successful tournament and the recent Beijing Olympics,” says Tenniel Chu, Executive Director, Mission Hills Golf Club. “Mission Hills’ primary goals are to promote the growth of golf in China, and to use golf as a vehicle to create international goodwill. Our involvement with the World Cup elegantly accomplishes both of these ends.”
As a result of an unprecedented decision by the International Federation of PGA Tours, the Omega Mission Hills World Cup will remain at Mission Hills through 2018. In its first year as host, the club’s Olazabal Course was universally lauded by participants and media alike. Its namesake, the two-time Masters champion, collaborated with Schmidt-Curley Design to create a well-bunkered and dramatically contoured layout. Memorable holes abound, like the par-5 15th, featuring 26 bunkers, and the long par-4 18th finishing in the shadows of the massive Dongguan Clubhouse.
The 18 exempt teams announced today are:
Australia (Richard Green, Brendan Jones), Chile (Felipe Aquilar, Mark Tullo), Denmark (Soren Hansen, Anders Hansen), England (Ian Poulter, Ross Fisher), France (Gregory Havret, Gregory Bourdy), Germany (Martin Kaymer, Alex Cejka), India (Jeev M. Singh, Jyoti Randhawa), Ireland (Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley), Japan (Ryuji Imada, Toru Taniguchi), New Zealand (Mark Brown, David Small), Scotland (Alastair Forysth, Colin Montgomerie), South Africa (Rory Sabbatini, Richard Sterne), Spain (Miguel Angel Jimenez, Pablo Larrazabal), Sweden (Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson), Taiwan (Wen-Tang Lin, Wen-Teh Lu), Thailand (Prayad Marksaeng, Thongchai Jaidee), United States (TBD), Wales (Bradley Dredge, Richard Johnson).
About the World Cup
The 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup continues a new and exciting era in the history of the event. John Jay Hopkins, a noted Canadian industrialist, founded the event in 1953 as a way to promote goodwill among nations through golf. Initially named the Canada Cup, it became the World Cup in 1967 and is scheduled to be played at Mission Hills Golf Club through 2018. The 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup will offer a purse of $5.5 million, an increase of $500,000 from 2007. It is a four-day team event featuring a four-ball (better-ball) format on days one and three, and a foursomes (alternate shot) format on days two and four.
About Mission Hills Golf Club
Stretching across the lush, rolling hills of Shenzhen and Dongguan in southern China, Mission Hills is China’s highest rated golf club, and the largest golf club in the world according to the Guinness World RecordsTM. The property is home to 12 resort and championship courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh, David Leadbetter, David Duval, Jumbo Ozaki and Zhang Lian Wei.
Mission Hills is a full-service, luxury resort, featuring four clubhouses, four spas, two five-star hotels, three golf academies (including schools from world renowned instructors David Leadbetter and Cindy Reid), 51 tennis courts and numerous fine dining establishments serving cuisine from around the world. It has hosted more than 50 international tournaments, including the 1995 World Cup of Golf and the Tiger Woods China Challenge in 2001. The Olazabal Course will host the Omega Mission Hills World Cup through 2018.
Mission Hills’ recent awards and accolades include:
* IAGTO Golf Resort of the Year (Rest of World category)
* Best Golf Resort in China – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Pete Dye Course named the “Best New Course in Asia” – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Olazabal Course ranked the number two course in China – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Dr. David Chu, Chairman of Mission Hills Group, named one of the “Most Powerful People in Golf” – Golf Inc. (2007)
* Dr. Kenneth Chu, Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Group, named one of golf’s “Most Admired Operators” – Golf Inc. (2008)
* World Cup Course named one of the 10 “most significant and influential courses” of last 20 years – LINKS Magazine (2008)
* Olazabal Course ranked the number one resort course in Asia – Golfing Magazine (2008)
Getting There: Mission Hills Golf Club is a short drive north of Hong Kong International Airport, www.hongkongairport.com. Flights on most major airlines from most major cities are available into Hong Kong. From the airport, Mission Hills transports golfers in luxury shuttles across the border to the resort hotel.
For more information about Mission Hills Golf Club, visit www.missionhillsgroup.com, email info@missionhillsgroup.com, or call (852) 2122 1616 (Hong Kong) — (86 755) 2802 0888 (Shenzhen) — (86 769) 8728 8888 (Dongguan).
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.761.1444
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
