(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 Korea, the Philippines and Italy have qualified for the 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup, held November 27-30 on the Olazabal Course.
The Korean team of Bae Sang-moon and Kim Hyung-tae won the Fortis International Challenge with a 20-under-par 268 total at Malaysia’s Kota Permai Golf & Country Club. The Filipino team of Angelo Que and Mars Pucay finished three strokes back at 271, while the fraternal tandem of Francesco and Edoardo Molinari of Italy finished third at 14-under 274. The six have now earned the right to battle for the honor of their respective countries at Mission Hills in November.
“We’re excited to welcome these nations to Mission Hills,” says Tenniel Chu, Executive Director, Mission Hills Golf Club. “Korea is an established power on the international golf scene, while the Philippines and Italy show great promise. The Omega Mission Hills World Cup will afford each a unique platform to measure precisely where they stand against the world’s best.”
Korea, the Philippines and Italy join host nation China and the 18 exempt teams announced last week. They 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).
Qualifiers in Poland (September 25-28) and Venezuela (October 7-10) will be held to complete the field. 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.
About the Omega Mission Hills 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.
In its first year as host, Mission Hills’ 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.
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, three 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
